If Montenegro wants to remain a credible candidate for European Union membership, it is necessary for the political forces that genuinely share European values to cooperate and jointly lead the reforms, it was conveyed at the first session of the Regional Plenum “Cracks in Democracy: Nationalism and Clericalism in the Western Balkans”, jointly organised by the Centre for Civic Education (CCE), the Regional Academy for the Development of Democracy (ADD) from Novi Sad, the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Sarajevo (FPN), and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES).
Vesna Pusić, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Croatia, speaking at the night owl session “NON-paper for Montenegro”, assessed that the Report of the European Commission (EC) on Montenegro reflects greater optimism within the EU about admitting Montenegro than what exists within the governing coalition about taking the state into the Union. She pointed out that three clusters of issues were singled out as problematic, although this did not receive much public attention: customs services and customs policy, then environmental protection, food, agriculture and fisheries, as well as social policy and employment.
She stated that many within EU institutions believe that Montenegro’s accession would demonstrate that enlargement is not dead, while at the same time viewing Montenegro as small enough not to cause major budgetary or political complications.
Referring to the non-paper she co-authored, Pusić explained that the goal was to show why Montenegro is relevant and more significant than its size suggests, especially due to its geopolitical position.
As she noted, one of the obstacles on Montenegro’s path is that the ruling majority consists of one part that is for Montenegro’s accession to the EU and another part for which it is very questionable that it supports entry into the Union. “Formally, that part keeps repeating it supports the EU, yet continually takes steps that hinder Montenegro’s progress. Almost every time when progress is made, something happens to obstruct that step towards membership,” said Pusić.
She highlighted that one proposed solution, detailed in the non-paper, is mentorship, as in the case of the accession of the three Baltic states, which worked in partnership with Denmark, Sweden and Finland. “From administrators to the highest level of state administration, they worked with them on preparing laws and people, in order to enter the EU as ready as possible,” explained Pusić, adding that that six EU states should enter partnership arrangements with six aspiring states in the region.
Pusić argued that Montenegro’s accession to the EU would be an essential signal to the region that that enlargement is possible.
She stressed that after the closing of all negotiation chapters comes the signing and ratification process. “That is a major task. Therefore, in the non-paper it is written that those political parties that truly want Montenegro in the EU must unite. Elections are in 2027, and by then you will not finish the entire job, even if you complete the negotiations. For those elections one must prepare, because Montenegro needs European leadership,” she conveyed.
Research Fellow at the Institute of History of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University in Prague, František Šistek, is of the opinion that Montenegro is the leader in the accession process. “People who worked a lot for Montenegro to progress on the European path are now optimistic, but this cannot be considered a final victory, because there are still recommendations and the path ahead of Montenegro is long,” he explained.
He emphasised the importance of Montenegro’s reputation, as EU member states must unanimously approve its entry. “It is important not to admit a member state that is unprepared, internally vulnerable, or susceptible to foreign influence,” said Šistek.
Speaking about the idea of probationary membership, he stated it is difficult to implement in practice. “We have the experience of Hungary, a model liberal state at the time of accession, which began behaving differently years later, so this is not an adequate solution,” said Šistek.
He also stated that he does not see effective will in Montenegro to limit the negative influence of Vučić’s Serbia. “A part of the current government supports Vučić’s regime. Why would they be the ones to try to limit such influence?” asked Šistek, adding that a large part of Montenegro’s media landscape is directly influenced by Belgrade.
Šistek assessed that the decline in trust in European integration is not drastic and that the entire political scene is for entry into the EU, except for minor parties that are openly against it. However, he warned that the growth of influence from Belgrade or the church may lead to a further erosion of that support.
Former Prime Minister of Montenegro, Igor Lukšić, does not consider the heterogeneity of the Government as problematic. “I think that this does not necessarily have to be bad, especially since in the opposition there are parties which are supportive of the accession process and ready to support every initiative which takes us a step closer to the EU,” explained Lukšić.
He noted that there is a sense of fatigue with the long negotiation process, which should be an additional reason to take bolder steps and to take advantage of the specific geopolitical moment. “After all, the job does not end when you enter the EU, for many areas there will certainly exist a transitional period. As long as the tasks are clearly set and oversight is maintained, progress is possible,” said Lukšić.
He warned that it would not be good for those who are now leading the process to relax because they are being told from the EU that Montenegro will be an EU member in 2028, although now everything is much easier and faster than in some earlier phases. “It is problematic when a certain chapter is closed and then the obligations arising from it are not fulfilled. The EU should also warn about that, to ensure the course is maintained,” he said.
Lukšić said that it is acceptable to have in the Government all parties pro-European in orientation, even if only rhetorically. “I am glad to see representatives of the current Government who are interested in progress within NATO, although we remember that it was not so before NATO membership. I am also glad that today in power are those people who welcomed Šešelj from The Hague and are now telling a different story,” said Lukšić.
Regarding the idea of a probationary membership period, Lukšić does not see “anything alarming” about it, stating that it is forgotten that the process of EU integration is also a process of emancipation of society. “I think that this process would move faster if we were part of a wider community, one in which there would be no dilemmas at least when it comes to issues of foreign and security policy,” he stated.
The presentations of the panellists were followed by a lively discussion involving diplomats, representatives of the academic community and civil sector from Montenegro and the region.
Tonight’s session, which gathered over 70 participants, was moderated by the Strategy and Outreach Director of the CCE, Zvezdana Kovač.
MINA News Agency