Possible success of Montenegro on the way to membership in to the European Union could, according to the opinion of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), have a greater impact on Serbia rather than the freezing of accession negotiations, which some European politicians are now advocating after the funeral Ratko Mladić with state honors.
In the text published in the weekly edition, the German newspaper assesses that the effectiveness of the termination of negotiations with Belgrade should not be overestimated, since the process has practically stagnated for years, and the current stalemate has not led to a change in the approach of the Serbian authorities.
FAZ points out that it is not possible to blame European politicians for not having time to deal with every country and every issue in detail, the Beta agency reported.
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Serbia, as stated, is a small Balkan country that is neither a member of the EU nor NATO, so it is understandable that in Brussels, Berlin and Paris attention is directed to more important issues. However, the German newspaper warns that such lack of interest can sometimes have consequences.
As an example of insufficient knowledge of the situation in Serbia, FAZ cites the surprise caused in part of Europe by Belgrade's attitude towards the death of Hague prisoner Ratko Mladić. The funeral with state honors, the newspaper assesses, is a reason for outrage, but the reactions of certain politicians were as if a problem had suddenly appeared that did not exist before. For anyone who has been following the political events in Serbia for a long time, however, the glorification of a war criminal with the encouragement of the state was not unexpected.
Continuous reduction of the importance of war crimes
The German newspaper reminds that the representatives of the Serbian authorities continuously downplay the importance of war crimes, including the crimes committed by the previous Serbian authorities, but also those that are attributed to Russia today. At the same time, activists who advocate for the preservation of the memory of the genocide in Srebrenica, as stated by FAZ, also face physical attacks on the street.
According to the paper, Mladic's death only removed the curtain from a much wider problem that has been going on in Serbia for years, while the foreign world generally did not pay enough attention to it.
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That is why requests for freezing Serbia's accession negotiations with the EU can now be heard. FAZ, however, believes that such a measure would have a limited effect. Negotiations with Belgrade have practically stalled for years, and the fact that they have not progressed has not led the Serbian authorities to reconsider their course. According to the opinion of the German paper, the experience so far shows the opposite.
Montenegro's progress as an incentive
FAZ believes that a much stronger incentive for changes in Serbia could represent Montenegro's progress towards EU membership. Such a development would show that membership is not an unattainable idea and is achievable for countries that implement the necessary reforms.
However, the German newspaper warns that there is a serious obstacle on that path as well. Even if Montenegro fulfills all its obligations, it is not certain that membership would automatically follow, because the ratification process in the member states can be very complicated. FAZ singles out France in particular, where the admission of a new member would require the support of three-fifths of the deputies in the parliament, and there is also a referendum as a possibility. Given the expressed skepticism towards the further expansion of the EU in that country, the newspaper believes that such support would be difficult to secure.
As an alternative, FAZ transmits the proposal of Balkan expert Adi Ćerimagić, who believes that Montenegro, as soon as it fulfills all the necessary conditions, should be immediately included in the EU single market and the Schengen zone.
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According to that idea, such a move would not only benefit Montenegro, but would simultaneously expand the European area of the rule of law for another, small member. More importantly, FAZ believes, it could encourage political forces in Serbia that do not want to follow the path of nationalism and glorification of war criminals.
That is why the German paper concludes that the threat to Serbia to suspend the process that has already been de facto suspended may represent an insufficiently effective pressure, while the concrete success of Montenegro on the European road could have a significantly stronger effect.
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