The European future of Montenegro depends on how willing it is to subordinate party interests to serious reforms, said the Minister of European Affairs of the Government in technical mandate, Jovana Marović.
Marović told the MINA agency that, as the vice-president of URA, which is one of the governing parties, she shares the responsibility for the fact that key names in the judiciary have not yet been chosen.
According to Marović, it is the fault of all political parties, some less, some more.
She stated that society has been suffering for too long due to the unstable political situation and that everyone should take responsibility.
"But, what is more important, is to start a dialogue, for everyone to do what they can for the system to function normally, for institutions to be independent, for the rule of law to exist in practice," added Marović.
Asked how realistic is the story about obtaining the final benchmarks for chapters 23 and 24, by June of the following year, and after the fall of the 43rd Government, Marović stated that this narrative about obtaining the final benchmarks as soon as possible was imposed by the Government in the technical mandate and she as Minister of European Affairs.
"This is due to the fact that Montenegro has been negotiating membership in the European Union (EU) for ten years, that we received the transitional measures in chapters 23 and 24 eight years ago, and that this government was formed to speed up the process of European integration," said Marović.
As she stated, receiving first the report on the fulfillment of the transitional benchmarks, and then the final benchmarks, would be a concrete indicator that this intention was succeeded.
On the one hand, as Marović said, it was ambitious, especially taking into account that the previous governments unsuccessfully tried for a long time to make progress in the rule of law, and that they were not even close to getting the final benchmarks.
"In simple words, we tried to do in a few months what was not possible in a period of several years, decades," said Marović.
On the other hand, Marović added, she is not one of those who make predictions and promises lightly.
"And I think that with decisive cuts, it is possible to make key advances and get those benchmarks during the next year," Marović said.
The sequence of steps and conditions, as she added, are known.
"Appointments in the judiciary are one side of the story, the fulfillment of priority transitional measures, such as changes in media laws, improvement of the work of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, and others," said Marović.
She said that this means that "as soon as we reach a broad social consensus on the most important issues, obtaining the final standards will be certain."
Marović, answering the question of how threatened the European future of the country is after the latest events, said that it was something that could be heard during the previous days.
"However, the chance to speed up the process of European integration is still there, if the political circumstances allow it, and here we have to take into account that this Government created that chance, and the geopolitical circumstances also had a significant impact," Marović believes.
According to Marović, there can be no question that something "that was left to us as a legacy" was gambled away.
She stated that the most important thing is that the Government works responsibly in the technical mandate, as well as that it neutralizes political upheavals and that everyone works in the interest of the state and society.
"Montenegro's European future depends on how ready we are to subordinate party interests to serious reforms," said Marović.
She reminded that almost 80 percent of citizens want to join the EU and added that political parties cannot and must not give up on the European path.
"Finally, Europe's future is threatened by decades of corruption and crime, and in this context, this government has made great efforts in a short time to create a stimulating environment and support the work of independent institutions, primarily the Special State Prosecutor's Office, to deal with these problems." , said Marović.
Asked if it was irresponsible of the URA to refuse to negotiate a new government at the time of the coming crisis, Marović said that the party did not a priori reject any possible scenario for getting out of the crisis.
"At this moment, quick elections are closer to us as an option, but we are not running away from other solutions either," she added.
Marović believes that offering a solution is the biggest responsibility of those parties that overthrew the government.
"That's why our attitude is reserved and skeptical, because that solution is not even in sight, and least of all is offered by those who overthrew the government," said Marović.
She said that the most important thing is that all this has as little impact on the European integration process as possible and that the reforms do not suffer because of it.
"URA will act accordingly and strengthen the dialogue around key appointments in the judiciary and the European agenda in general," she added.
Marović, when asked about the URA's rating and how the events surrounding the Basic Agreement and the fall of the government will affect that party, said that the party's rating has been stable for some time and is influenced by a number of factors.
"I don't expect any big changes in that sense, and depending on when the next elections will be, there is room for improvement or deterioration of the rating, depending on our political moves," Marović said.
She stated that the URA's priorities remain the fight against corruption and organized crime, green policies, economic development, and I expect only an increase in support.
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