WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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SOURCE: TV E / AUTHOR: M.J. GDNUS
Montenegro must not delay the adoption of the necessary laws on the way to the European Union, but they must be well prepared. If this is not the case, it will definitely slow down Montenegro's path towards the European Union. Therefore, one must work seriously, because the adoption of European standards is a painstaking, long-term job. And it's not just about the adoption of laws, but the entire government and administration at all levels should be trained to implement these laws in the right way, said Tomislav Sokol, a member of the European Parliament, for 24 Hours of Television E.
- What we will pay attention to is whether there are concrete actions behind the rhetoric, which is the most important thing. Therefore, it is not enough to just call ourselves a sounding name and say "we are Europe now and we are pro-European oriented". In practice, we need to show that we want to meet European standards and we want to become part of the European story - says Sokol.
Dual citizenship
Sokol is one of the four European deputies who asked the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borelj, for a specific response regarding the changes to the Law on Citizenship in Montenegro. The MEPs stated, among other things, that the adoption of the right to dual citizenship could have serious and long-term consequences for the decision-making processes and the country's identity. While Borelj's answer is awaited, Sokol notes that if the acquisition of dual citizenship is indeed made possible, in the long term, it means a change in the entire political situation in Montenegro.
"I will be very open, this literally means that the elections will be managed from Belgrade, so that in Montenegro the government and the majority will always answer to Belgrade. There are few voters in Montenegro, and the population is slightly more than 600,000. Manipulation of dual citizenship can really change the entire political picture, because people who live in Serbia and are originally from Montenegro, or so they claim, will acquire voting rights through dual citizenship. And then you will have a situation where the government of Montenegro will be elected not in Montenegro, but in Serbia, which is absolutely unacceptable. It is not only a question of the European path of Montenegro, but of the long-term survival of Montenegro as an independent state. Therefore, Montenegro as an independent state, oriented towards the West, and not another eye in the head of Serbia", emphasizes Sokol.
Brussels illusions
According to the European parliamentarian, there are a lot of unknowns and illusions in Brussels about the role of Serbia. He believes that Europe must position itself more firmly in relation to Serbia's actions in the region, for which it has mechanisms.
"The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, is such a character that he perceives any concession as a sign of weakness, which he will take advantage of and act even stronger. Through my work in the new convocation of the European Parliament, I will continue to advocate and influence Serbia to return to the pro-European path from which it has deviated since Vučić came to power", says Sokol.
Fig leaf
He reminds that Montenegro had an ally in Croatia, which maximally supported and continues to support Montenegro's European path and entry into the European Union. However, he says, relations have recently been damaged by the Resolution on Jasenovac.
"We should be aware of that. I emphasize that it is not a question of condemning fascism, that is absolutely not contested and Croatia has declared itself very clearly. It is about a game conducted from Belgrade in which, unfortunately, the ruling majority in Montenegro proved to be a front for Serbian politics, with the aim of destabilizing relations in the region and spreading Serbian influence. The fact is that Serbia used Montenegro as a fig leaf after the Resolution on Srebrenica, in order to somehow compensate and direct attention to the other side.
I emphasize once again, the problem is not the condemnation of fascism, but the fact that Montenegro, unfortunately, has shown that its government is largely a pawn of Belgrade, which is absolutely unacceptable," says Sokol.
The government in Montenegro, Sokol believes, must clearly state in which direction it is looking - towards the West, towards Europe, or towards the East, i.e. Serbia and Russia.
"If it wants to look towards the West, Croatia will continue to help Montenegro. At the end of the day, it is also in Croatia's interest that Montenegro really continues on its European path, but that means adopting all European and Western standards, and not being a puppet on the string of Belgrade or Moscow," concluded Sokol.
