Montenegro has passed the European exam

The European Union-Western Balkans Summit in Tivat showed that Montenegro can complete a major state task. More than 35 delegations gathered in our country, leaders of the European Union member states, heads of European institutions and leaders of the Western Balkans. It was the largest and most important international event in the modern history of Montenegro. In terms of size and importance, it can be compared to the Non-Aligned Summit organized in the former Yugoslavia. It is a great success of the state and an important political success of President Jakov Milatović.

Months of diplomatic campaigning, talks with European leaders and the creation of a new credibility for Montenegro led to this huge success. President Milatović has led European policy since the beginning of his mandate, with the goal of Montenegro becoming the 28th member of the European Union by 2028.

The President has made 19 bilateral visits to EU member states in three years. Montenegro has hosted 13 European leaders and high-ranking officials, more than in the previous three presidential terms. Visits to all remaining member states are planned by the end of the year, because in the final phase of the European journey, we must talk directly with all those who will decide on our membership.

This is how international credibility is built. Patiently, seriously, step by step. That is why Montenegro has European support that it never had before. In Tivat, leaders who decide on the future of the European Union and the future of enlargement were at the same table. This is the result of work, responsibility and political determination.

It is common that we have already forgotten what the country looked like when Milatović took office.

The state was in an institutional vacuum, the Parliament dissolved, the Government in a technical mandate, the Constitutional Court non-functional, without a Supreme State Prosecutor, and European integration halted. In the international community, Montenegro was a country stuck in its internal divisions.

The first task was to restore trust. At home, through building independent and efficient institutions, respecting the Constitution and returning focus to the European path. Abroad, through direct dialogue with European leaders. We opened doors, in order to be present in places where decisions are made. Although we made a plan and a reform policy, we had to be persistent, because building a new credibility for Montenegro does not happen overnight.

It is also important to remember how different today's position is from the period when European integration was a political front, not a real reform process. During the previous regime, Montenegro presented itself as a leader in the region, but the result was poor: three closed chapters and a balancing clause, as a clear message from the European Union that there is no further progress without results in the judiciary, the fight against corruption and organized crime.

After the changes of 2020, institutions were unblocked, reforms were initiated, laws were adopted, a positive IBAR was obtained, and then the first negotiation chapters were closed after seven years. But for this process to turn into real progress, it was necessary to build trust in the state.

This is where President Milatović's role was crucial. Through diplomatic activity, direct talks with European leaders, and statesmanlike policy, Montenegro once again became a country that could complete negotiations and become the next member of the European Union.

The difference is obvious: former presidents used to explain in Brussels why we are late; now, Montenegro is organizing the European Union - Western Balkans Summit on the finalization of enlargement. We used to have a balance clause and three closed chapters; today we have IBAR, new closed chapters, trust in partners, the Tivat Summit and a realistic goal for Montenegro to become the 28th member of the European Union by 2028.

This is political capital that must not be wasted on excuses. President Milatović has shown that international reputation is not built on justifications and deceptions, but on work, trust and results. Now all institutions must do their part: to complete the negotiations, enter the European Union and turn European success into a better life for citizens.

The days surrounding the Summit also showed that there were attempts to divert attention from the European agenda, to impose tensions and to portray Montenegro as a country that was not up to the organization, let alone the event itself. That attempt failed, as did those to present the Summit as insignificant by domestic political actors. Yet even they asked for a pass just to be seen in Tivat.

The summit is a national success. Montenegro has shown that it knows how to organize the largest international event, manage risks and send a strong European message.

We often underestimate ourselves and the strength of the state. We easily believe that we are “small”, divided and too weak for great deeds. In Tivat, we showed a different picture and reminded ourselves of our glorious history. When there is a goal, preparation and serious leadership, Montenegro can do anything it wants.

The summit also showed that Montenegro has a crucial role in the future of the entire region. When we complete negotiations and become the 28th member of the European Union, we will be an example to the entire region that the European path has a goal, that reforms yield results, and that serious work pays off.

Therein lies the essence of Milatović's European policy: Montenegro must finish the job. That job requires functional institutions, electoral reform, a judiciary that citizens trust, the fight against corruption, better administration, fair use of European funds, and development that people can feel in their everyday lives.

For citizens, Europe means better wages, more secure jobs, healthcare without humiliating waiting times, schools that provide children with knowledge, roads that connect, investments that create jobs, and a state in which rights are realized through institutions. That is the Europe that people understand.

After Tivat, there is no more room for excuses. If European leaders came to Montenegro and said that membership by 2028 is within reach, then domestic institutions must show maturity. The new international reputation should be turned into reforms, investments, projects, legal certainty and a better life for citizens.

With this Summit, President Milatović did what a president of a country must do at a decisive moment: he brought Montenegro back to the European table, built trust with our partners, and showed that the country has the knowledge and determination for the biggest European affairs.

Montenegro needs leaders who know how to work. Leaders who turn conversations into opportunities, opportunities into results, and results into benefits for the country. Montenegro has recently hosted Europe. This is proof that this country can do much more than we want to believe. Now, this success needs to be turned into membership.

Europe was in Montenegro. Montenegro must now complete its journey to Europe.

(Cabinet of the President of Montenegro)