Prof. PhD Srdjan Darmanovic, Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Government of Montenegro, was tonight a guest of the last European Café for 2017, that was organized by Centre for Civic Education (CCE) in cooperation with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. Minister Darmanovic has, together with representatives of civil sector, during twelfth in a series of European Café’s, discussed on topic Foreign policy priorities of Montenegro, achievements and challenges.
Daliborka Uljarevic, CCE Executive Director, at the opening of the European Café pointed out that Montenegrin citizens are dominantly committed to foreign policy priorities of Montenegro to which indicates also the recent data from CCE’s research on what are the most preferable countries to live in, if they had not been living in Montenegro. Uljarevic stated that ‘such defined postulates of Montenegro’s foreign policy – commitment to Euro-Atlantic integrations, development of regional and bilateral cooperation – represent a rare example of ruminated and in the public interest directed policy of the Government of Montenegro. However, as in many other areas, we face difficulties in their application, therefore, it is necessary to invest additional effort in the coming period in achieving measurable results in the area of European Integration.’
Prof. PhD Srdjan Darmanovic, Minister of Foreign Affairs in Government of Montenegro, during conversation with participants of the European Café clarified that ‘Montenegro has even by Declaration of Independence from 2006 clearly outlined membership in North-Atlantic Alliance and the EU as its two most important foreign policy priorities.’
Within discussion on Montenegro’s membership in the EU, Darmanovic stated that process of European integration is a process in which participates the entire society, and assessed that this period should be used in a best manner in order to be prepared for membership in the Union itself as better as possible.
Finally, Darmanovic concluded that with joint work, both state institutions, and civils sector ‘we should fulfil undertaken obligations, not only due to recommendations of Brussels, but for us ourselves, in order to thus ensure more quality and better life of all our citizens’.
Objective of the European Café is creation of a platform for open and fruitful informal discussions that will contribute to improvement of cooperation between various groups and institutions, intensifying communication, mapping existing challenges and defining proposals for their overcoming as well as informing on specific aspects of the Montenegrin accession process to the EU.
During two previous years, CCE has organized series of the European Café’s between representatives of civil society and national and international actors within the framework negotiation process, and since 2017 European Café is being organized with young people as well. Guests of the European Café have so far been: Ambassador Mitja Drobnic, former Head of EU Delegation to Montenegro, Aleksandar Andrija Pejovic, Chief Negotiator for conducting negotiations on accession of Montenegro to the EU, Gudrun Elisabeth Steinacker, former Ambassador of FR Germany to Montenegro and Zoran Pazin, Minister of Justice and Vice President of Government of Montenegro, followed by representatives of civic profilation – Miodrag Lekic, President of DEMOS, Aleksa Becic, President of Democrats of Montenegro and Dritan Abazovic, President of the United Reform Action (URA) – with whom we discussed on whether European values live in Montenegro and in what manner is civic opposition fighting for them. Our guests have furtheron been also Jozo Rados, MP of European Parliament and member of the EU-Montenegro Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee (SAPC), Milivoje Katnic, Chief Special Prosecutor in Montenegro with associates. In 2017 we had one European Café with representatives of civil society whose guest was Ambassador of FR Germany Hans Günther Mattern, and we initiated a series of European Café’s for youth, at which our guests were Ambassador of Slovak Republic to Montenegro, Roman Hloben and Veselko Grubisic, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Republic of Croatia to Montenegro, as well as Danijel Kalezic, President of MB of Queer Montenegro, Valentina Minic, MP of Democratic Montenegro and Milos Nikolic, MP of Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS).
The gathering was attended by 25 representatives of civil society organizations.
Milos Knezevic, programme associate/PR