European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety visits Montenegro

Joint and stronger cooperation in healthcare is ahead of us

Montenegro and the European Union have a shared future in the field of healthcare, which will be further strengthened through participation in the EU4Health programme aimed at enhancing health systems across Europe. This was the joint assessment following the meeting between Minister of Health, Dr. Vojislav Šimun, and Commissioner for Health and Food Safety of the EU, Stella Kyriakides.

Kyriakides was on an official visit to Montenegro at the invitation of Minister Šimun, who signed the support programme (EU4Health) in Brussels in January.

"I am grateful to Minister Šimun for the invitation to this visit. It was a pleasure to meet again after we signed the Agreement on Montenegro’s Association with the EU4Health programme–the first candidate country to be linked with our programme. This shows how positively our cooperation has developed, which will help strengthen the healthcare system for the benefit of Montenegrin citizens.

The EU and Montenegro not only face common challenges in healthcare and other fields but also share a common future, and I look forward to continued and deepened cooperation," stated the EU Commissioner.

The visit of the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety of the EU, according to Minister Šimun, represents the European Union's support for Montenegro and its path towards integration into the large family that will be part of Montenegro’s future. The Minister expressed particular satisfaction that the support is directed towards strengthening the health system and aligning it with EU standards.

"One of the key themes of this visit was our recent membership in the EU4Health programme, which was extensively discussed during these meetings. The Commissioner expressed readiness both in expertise and political support for the implementation of concrete projects concerning our health system. Montenegro has already applied for several projects related to the areas of digitalisation, mental health prevention, and the development of cancer registries," stated the Minister of Health.

According to the Minister, during the meeting the Commissioner also highlighted the availability of the EU's cancer plan, both for the establishment of registries and the development and expansion of screening programmes, in addition to training personnel within European institutions.

The Minister and Directors of the Clinical Centre of Montenegro and the Institute of Public Health, Dr. Aleksandar Radović and Prof. Dr. Dragan Laušević, presented to the European Commissioner the vision for developing our health system, who fully supported the presented ideas and plans.

One of the discussion topics was the project of a new University Hospital, which the Commissioner welcomed, emphasising its significance and necessity.

"The Commissioner was particularly interested in the oncology field, therefore, today we also visited the Oncology Institute, after which she expressed satisfaction with the way services are provided and the working conditions. Projects that will contribute to the ongoing development of oncology were presented, primarily the future Chamber for the Central Preparation of Cytostatics, a new linear accelerator currently in the procurement phase, and the project of establishing a new building for a PET CT scanner," explained Minister Šimun.

"What I find important to highlight is that the EU will continue, as it has done so far, to provide even more intensive support to our government and the Ministry of Health. This was particularly emphasised by the Commissioner. During the previous meetings, the Commissioner stated that she sees Montenegro as the next EU member and gives full support to the authorities in the implementation of our plans and projects, especially in the health sector," said Minister Šimun.

During her visit to Montenegro, Kyriakides visited the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention with the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) within the Institute of Public Health, as well as the ongoing construction at the Clinic for Dermatovenerology and the Clinic for Infectious Disease. The construction of these facilities is financed by the European Union.

As part of her visit, the Commissioner also met with the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, and the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management, Vladimir Joković.