119 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if, further to Parliamentary Question No. 124 of 9 November 1999, he will make a statement on the particular impact of sanctions on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, in general on the particular situation of Montenegro in view of the fact that Montenegrons did not participate in the war in Kosovo and are a separate Republic and should not be suffering the same level of sanctions as those who were allegedly culpable. [24456/99]

In my response to the previous question to which the Deputy refers, I set out both the objectives of the EU sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and also their scope and impact. I made it clear that sanctions are intended to apply pressure on Belgrade to implement necessary reforms and contribute to the stability of the region. I also made it clear that our dispute is not with the Serbian people but with the Government of President Milosevic.

As regards the sanctions on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia-Serbia, the position remains as indicated in my earlier reply. As regards Montenegro, which is an integral part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the European Union decided on 15 October to exempt that republic from the main EU sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, notably the oil embargo and the flight ban. This decision reflects the support of the European Union for the democratically elected Government of Montenegro.

The European Union is in consultation with the Montenegro authorities on a practical assistance programme for the economy. Over 40 million euro from the EU budget has been spent on aid for Montenegro since 1998. This is in addition to 15 million euro humanitarian assistance and bilateral aid by member states. At its meeting on 15 November the General Affairs Council asked the Commission to prepare a budgetary programme for reconstruction in Montenegro for the year 2000. The possibility of extending the activities of the EU reconstruction agency, currently active in Kosovo, to cover Montenegro is being studied.