When we decided twenty years ago, peacefully and democratically, to restore the independence of our country, we were also deciding its future. We decided that Montenegro would be a democratic country, dedicated to the European path and the values on which modern Europe is based.
Two decades later, Montenegro welcomes Europe to Tivat. The European Union-Western Balkans Summit is the most important and largest international event of contemporary Montenegro. It is a diplomatic success, a recognition of our country, its citizens and everything we have managed to build as a society.
Over the past three years, through strong diplomatic activity and a clear European orientation, we have built a new international credibility for Montenegro and renewed the trust of our European partners.
Hosting the Summit confirms that Montenegro is an equal participant in building the future of our continent. Our country today has the credibility to talk about enlargement, because it has the experience of successful accession negotiations, clear political will and strong, two-thirds support of its citizens for membership in the European Union.
That is why the goal we defined three years ago, Montenegro as the 28th member of the European Union by 2028, has become the most important state task. It is an obligation with a deadline, a plan, and responsibility.
Europe has faced serious challenges in recent years. The war in Ukraine, the security issue of the entire continent, the energy crisis and shaken economic stability have brought enlargement policy back to the very center of European politics.
In such circumstances, Montenegro has shown that it is a reliable partner, working to build independent and efficient institutions, with a consistent foreign policy, and a willingness to assume its share of responsibility.
International credibility is important because it opens up space for a better life for citizens. People in Montenegro support membership in the European Union because they want a country where courts deliver judgments quickly, fairly and without political influence, a country where healthcare is provided on time, schools that prepare children for the future and an economy where knowledge, work and honesty pay off.
A European Montenegro must be seen in the everyday lives of families, workers, students, entrepreneurs, farmers and pensioners. It must become a reality in which citizens feel security, justice and opportunity.
The conclusion of negotiations with the European Union requires a state that is transparent, solidary, decisive and courageous. That is why we must implement electoral reform, in order to restore full trust of citizens in the electoral process. Citizens should elect people with a name, biography and responsibility, through open lists, with full gender equality and with the restoration of the constitutional right that every citizen can be an independent candidate, without the obligation to belong to any party.
The Constitutional Court must be complete and efficient, because legal certainty begins with the institution that protects the Constitution. Laws must be written for citizens and the public interest. Every new law must pass the public court, must be harmonized with European standards and be particularly careful when it infringes on the rights and freedoms of citizens.
European funds must become a development opportunity for the north, for every municipality, for agriculture as a strategic branch of our economy, for small businesses, for education and for young people. This requires expertise, knowledge and responsibility.
Citizens want Montenegro in the European Union because membership creates new jobs, brings better wages, strengthens local communities, and gives young people a reason to plan their future here, in their own country.
The Tivat Summit is a recognition and an obligation. An obligation to repay the generations that fought for freedom and the right to decide our own destiny. Our generation has an obligation to transform that freedom into an orderly, solidary and economically strong state, a state in which citizens live with dignity, and institutions serve everyone equally.
Our work does not end at the EU-WB Summit. On the contrary, our work continues in the courts, schools, municipalities, hospitals, parliament and in every institution that must work better, responsibly and fairly. This is the path to the goal of 28 by 28. This is the work of our generation.
This is a job that Montenegro must complete.
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