The accession of another country to the European Union would inspire a spirit of optimism among its member states, nearing in mind that it sends a strong message that the EU remains a place to aspire to.
„This could toughen its role and encourage greater integration within the Union“ stated Montenegro’s Minister of European Affairs, Maida Gorčević, in her speech at the panel “Montenegro: Secure on the Path to European Integration?”. Panel was held as part of the Forum 2000 in Prague.
Discussing with the Czech Republic’s Minister of European Affairs, Martin Dvořák, Minister Gorčević emphasized that Montenegro must not miss the moment when the enlargement policy is once again active and there is positive sentiment among member states.
“We adopted key laws for closing four chapters a few days ago. This is the first time in the last seven years that Montenegro is temporarily closing chapters. We expect to close those chapters at the Intergovernmental Conference with the EU by the end of December, which will be the third IGC this year, after a two-year period in which none were held,” Gorčević explained.
She reminded the audience that this progress required the right moment. After several years of enlargement fatigue at the EU level and a lack of interest in joining the EU among Montenegrin decision-makers, things have changed on both sides.
“Montenegro received a pro-European government with the highest parliamentary support ever, about a year ago. The expanded to two-thirds of the parliament this summer. The government, of which I am a part, decided to seize this potential and intensify efforts in this direction, considering that 80% of our citizens support Montenegro’s accession to the EU,” said Gorčević.
She added that to complete this process Montenegro needs EU support. Assistance should be addressed to building institutional capacities, accelerating economic growth, and implementing reforms in a sustainable way. “We need the EU’s determination regarding the enlargement policy and I believe that the appointment of an Enlargement Commissioner from Slovenia could be a positive signal for Montenegro.”
She emphasized that Montenegro advocates for a merit-based approach, as the efforts of each candidate are individual. Minister Gorčević concluded that the decision on their membership should reflect that.
Minister Gorčević also had a bilateral meeting with Minister Dvořák and met on the sidelines of Forum 2000 with Jaroslav Zajíček, Director of the Department for Foreign Policy in the Office of the President of the Czech Republic, and Tomáš Pojar, National Security Advisor in the Office of the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic.
The interlocutors agreed that the merit-based principle is the best approach and that they see Montenegro as an opportunity for the enlargement process. They also discussed specific areas for intensifying cooperation, such as Czech expert support in the negotiation process, attracting investments from the Czech Republic, and cooperation in the field of defense.