Šarec: Montenegro remains the leading candidate for the EU

AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS

Montenegro remains the leading candidate in the enlargement process and has managed to maintain high public support for joining the European Union (EU), which according to some surveys reaches 80 percent, said the European Parliament (EP) rapporteur for Montenegro, Marjan Šarec, reported the RTCG portal.

During the debate in the European Parliament in Strasbourg on the EP Report for Montenegro, Šarec stressed that both coalition and opposition parties participated in the adoption of laws important for the EU path in the parliament

"This shows a high level of awareness that the European path is the only path for Montenegro, the right path and that there is no other alternative. We welcome all efforts so far in adopting the law to close the chapter," Šarec said.

He also emphasizes that despite the temporary suspension of the Croatian side's consent to Chapter 31, it is important that the bilateral talks between the two countries continue.

“I would like to briefly emphasize that bilateral issues should not stop the process, as they did not in the case of the last enlargement, although some issues are still awaiting a final solution,” Šarec added.

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stressed that Montenegro remains a leader in the EU accession process with all 33 chapters open for negotiations, of which six have been provisionally closed.

“The Government of Montenegro is fully committed to making progress on its path towards the EU, and the European Commission is equally committed to supporting Montenegro’s ambitious plan to provisionally close all negotiation chapters by the end of 2026,” Kos stressed.

Kos recalled that last year, Montenegro met the provisional benchmarks for Chapters 22 and 24 on the rule of law, which allowed for the creation of a framework for closing these chapters, and to provisionally close others.

“We hope to close Chapter 5 on public procurement later this month,” Kos stressed.

However, the Commissioner stresses that Montenegro will need to meet all the final benchmarks under the rule of law chapter in order to conclude the accession negotiations, stressing that fundamental values ​​continue to set the pace of progress.

Commissioner Kos highlighted certain difficulties.

“First, I hope for a swift resolution of the outstanding bilateral issues, which would allow for the provisional closure of Chapter 31 as soon as possible. Montenegro’s alignment with the EU visa policy is both an obligation under the Growth Agenda and a final benchmark under Chapter 24. Recent decisions to add more countries are worrying and indicate a setback,” Kos added.

She added that Montenegro needs to swiftly adopt corrective measures to ensure better alignment with the EU visa policy.

The agreements with the United Arab Emirates have dominated the political discourse in Montenegro, Kos assessed.

“I have clearly stated our position in my letter to President Milatović. Simply put, the agreement prima facie does not contain detailed provisions that would as such be contrary to EU law. However, the way in which the agreement is implemented will have to be carefully monitored. Transparency, compliance with public procurement rules, state aid, selection of investors and other requirements from the EU acquis will be of the utmost importance,” said Kos.

She concluded that Montenegro is a reliable partner in the EU’s foreign and security policy and that it has maintained 100% compliance with EU positions and sanctions.

Rapporteur Šarec stressed that Montenegro’s successes so far represent a good basis for facing future challenges, which are not few and will not be easy.

“Fighting organised crime and corruption, reforming the judiciary, enabling media freedom, preventing the influence of third countries are of the utmost importance for achieving democratic standards,” said Šarec.

Montenegro defines environmental protection as a constitutional category, which is commendable, but on the other hand requires concrete actions, Šarec said. He emphasizes that among the priorities must be the reform of electoral legislation, because frequent elections in different municipalities paralyze the work of both local communities and the state as a whole.

“Local elections must be held throughout the country on the same day. Local authorities must be constituted immediately after the elections. Montenegro is a small country and this means that the election campaign in one municipality becomes a national issue. This leads to politics being preoccupied with itself, rather than with important issues,” Šarec assesses.

According to the EP rapporteur for Montenegro, the development of Montenegro will also be positively affected by the payment of an advance payment from the European Commission from the Growth and Development Plan in the amount of more than 26 million euros, together with generous funds of more than 100 million euros from the IPA 3 program, which will enable the implementation of new projects.

MEPs will vote on the report tomorrow, after which, if it receives support, the document will receive the status of a resolution of the European Parliament.

European Parliament resolutions are not legally binding, but they express the political positions of representatives of parties from all EU member states.