Montenegro, a small country at the crossroads of sea and mountains, tradition and modernity, is getting closer to its European goal. This can be concluded from the cordial meeting of the President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Monday at Lovcen, which they reached by gondola from Kotor.
The meeting was dominated by topics that are crucial for Montenegro's membership in the European Union - strengthening institutions, the rule of law, the fight against corruption, the development of a stable economy and the protection of human rights, Milatović's office announced.
"It is time to finish the job and for Montenegro to be a strong European state. By starting the drafting of the accession agreement, we would send a clear message that we confirm our European ambitions with actions, not words," said Milatović.
The President of Montenegro pointed out that the country's goal is to finish negotiations with the EU by 2026, and to become a full member of the Union by 2028. At the same time, it is planned that Montenegro will host the EU Summit - Western Balkans in 2026, which would demonstrate the results of reforms and political stability.
Von der Leyen confirmed that Montenegro can achieve its ambitions of membership in the European Union if it remains united and focused on the goal.
"Every time I come to Montenegro, I can feel the beating heart of Europe. You are not only committed to your European future, you are passionate about it," said Von der Leyen.
And she underlined that this can be seen in the fact that Montenegro is a "leader" in the accession process.
Popović: Montenegro is the easiest bite for the EU
The journalist of the portal "European Western Balkans" Sofija Popović assesses for "Vreme" that Montenegro has a great chance to realize its plans to join the European Union because, unlike Serbia, it has managed to maintain the continuity of reforms.
"The plan of the Government of Montenegro is to close all chapters by the end of next year and to become a member of the European Union by 2028. And indeed, Montenegro has the best chance for that. All the authorities after 2020 have shown a clear political will to implement a minimum of reforms and to get the process off the ground - and that happened," states Popović.
He adds that the European integration of Montenegro is taking place continuously, despite the criticisms that the authorities face every day.
"Of course, there are many in Montenegro who criticize the work of the current government, who say that it is the minimum of some reforms and that it should be much better. Be that as it may, they really succeeded in derailing the process of accession to the Union and that as a small country, which does not have problems with its neighbors like some other countries, it represents the 'easiest bite' for the European Union when it comes to the Western Balkan region," said Popović.
Photo: FoNet / Aleksandar BardaSofia Popović
The process of enlargement of the European Union is a political and geopolitical process. Its doors are not opened easily and often, but when those doors are opened - "only those who are ready can enter".
"Montenegro is also an excellent example of that," said the "Vremena" interlocutor.
And Serbia long ago lost the title of leader in the European integration process in our region.
"The question is whether Serbia even meets the basic criteria for EU accession"
"Albania also overtook us during the summer, because they closed more chapters than Serbia. In the meantime, the question arises for Serbia as to whether it even meets the conditions to be in the accession process, given the criteria for full membership, because in our country there are neither independent institutions nor the division of power. Serbia is deeply trapped in that process, and we have not opened a single new negotiating chapter for four years. The question is also whether this will happen at all in the near future, given that it doesn't do anything when it comes to internal reforms," said Popović.
She concluded that Serbia is not harmonizing with the regulations of the European Union, and that Serbia's European integration is very uncertain.
Albania opens all chapters by the end of autumn
After Montenegro, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, headed to Albania, where she met with President Bajram Begaj and Prime Minister Edi Rama.
At a media conference in Tirana, she said that Albania "in the eyes of Brussels has made extraordinary progress on the way to membership in the European Union", and that is why it is planned to open all the remaining chapters by the end of this fall.
Von der Leyen attended the First Investment Forum of the European Union for the Western Balkans (EU Western Balkan Investment Forum).
There she said that, thanks to the agreements that will be signed within that forum, the region could receive up to four billion euros of investments.
The President of the European Commission will pay an official visit to Belgrade on Wednesday.
Serbia is moving further away from the EU
So far, Serbia has opened 22 out of a total of 35 negotiation chapters in the process of accession to the European Union, and closed only two.
The last chapter was opened in December 2021, after which there were no new openings due to a change in the rulebook to initially focus on the rule of law.
While the European Union expects continuous reforms in the areas of the rule of law, the fight against corruption and media freedom, the regime of Aleksandar Vučić has not shown readiness to implement the necessary changes, so Serbia is actually moving further and further away from joining the European Union.
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