The referendum on the EU would pass easily, but everything depends on the MPs

It depends on the Montenegrin MPs whether the decision on admission to the European Union will be made in the assembly hall or in a referendum.

The government says that the decision on this matter will be made when the main part of the work is finished, while the opposition and the civil sector believe that there is no better solution than consulting citizens regarding this issue.

"The issue of EU accession, which the Constitution treats, will certainly come up for consideration after we have completed the most important part of the work, which is the comprehensive reforms of the entire society," the Office for European Integration told "Vijesta".

In the part of the Constitution that concerns relations with other countries and international organizations, it is prescribed that the members of parliament decide on the way to join the EU.

The Office, headed by chief negotiator Aleksandar Drljević, also noted that comprehensive public opinion surveys are conducted every year, which show the stable support of Montenegrin citizens for EU accession.

Thus, the latest research by the EU Delegation in Podgorica showed that almost 81 percent of Montenegrin citizens would circle "yes" in the referendum on accession.

"We will continue to provide quality information to citizens and monitor support for EU membership, so that we have a clear picture of what they think about it all the time during this process," the Office said.

The Center for Civic Education (CGO) believes that the referendum should be held immediately after the closing of the negotiation chapters.

"I believe that the optimal period for holding a referendum on admission to the EU would be when Montenegro closes all negotiation chapters and before the signing of the EU Accession Treaty. Therefore, by calculating the further integration path that was defined through the credible perspective of membership by the European Commission from February 2018, Montenegro would have to legitimize its political decisions before 2023", assessed the associate of CGO, Dr. Vladimir Vučković.

The condition, he adds, is that the government continuously achieves credible and measurable results in the key criteria for joining the EU, that is, that it is truly committed to the European agenda.

Montenegro currently has 31 open chapters, three of which are temporarily closed.

Vučković believes that the referendum consequently resolves two very important issues for the further continuation of the integration process. The first, which concerns trust in the institutions of the system and their effectiveness, especially when it comes to the independence of the judicial system and the effective fight against ubiquitous corruption. And the second, no less important in his opinion, concerns the problem of strong Eurosceptic tendencies that are increasingly present among citizens.

"Vijesti" interlocutors from the opposition agree that the situation from last year must not be repeated, when the decision on membership in NATO was made by members of parliament and not citizens.

The former head of the Parliamentary Committee for European Integration, Slaven Radunović (Democratic Front), however, agrees that this decision should be confirmed in a referendum as soon as possible.

"For a truly sovereign state, the interest and will of its citizens must be more important than the interests of other states and the will of their elites. That is why a referendum with a question on this topic should be organized as soon as possible, and certainly no later than before the member states begin to declare themselves on this issue, in accordance with their legislation. The declaration of Montenegrin citizens after the green light has already been given in the EU countries would be an inappropriate pressure on our voters and bring it almost to the fore," he told "Vijesti".

Former deputy of the Socialist People's Party, Vasilije Lalošević, says that the issue of EU membership is an issue above political parties.

"Regarding joining the EU, the result of the referendum, in my opinion, would be known at the start, because almost all political parties advocate joining the Union. So any date of maintenance would bring a positive result," said Lalošević.

Both Radunović and Lalošević agree that the conditions under which a referendum is held, as well as the question on which it is declared, should be such as to enable the free expression of the will of the people. They believe that the scenario that is happening now in Macedonia must not happen.

At the referendum on September 30, Macedonians will answer the question "Are you in favor of membership in the EU and NATO with the acceptance of the agreement between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Greece?".

The agreement between the two countries was signed in June and, among other things, stipulates that the name of the country will be the Republic of North Macedonia for use within the country and in international relations.

"The part of the question concerning EU and NATO membership only serves as a 'carrot', in order to get a positive answer to the delicate question about the name change," said Radunović, assessing that it was manipulation.

Bogdanović: DPS would deliberately lose the EU referendum

MP of Democratic Montenegro Boris Bogdanović believes that, overall, European integration is a point on which there is no significant dispute, but that a referendum should not be held.

"In the previous period, we witnessed that the Montenegrin government did not want to organize a referendum on any of the issues that deeply divided the citizens and Montenegro at all seams, and for this reason we believe that a referendum on Montenegro's membership in the EU, given the broad social consensus , was an unnecessary waste of money and overall social energy," said Bogdanović for "Vijesti".

He said that certain parties, above all the Democratic Party of Socialists, are only declaratively advocating for European integration.

"Because otherwise, they would call a referendum where they would try to trick our European partners through blackmail, pressure and buying voters because of the fear of the law and European standards in the rule of law," he said.