Montenegro needs concrete actions for its membership in the European Union (EU) by 2028, said the adviser to the president for European affairs, Miloš Radonjić, stating that he is encouraged if Barometer 26 hints at a change in bad practices so far.
In an interview with the MINA agency, Radonjić said that the process of accession negotiations is burdened by certain negative trends.
"It is encouraging if Barometer 26 hints at a change in previous bad practices. In this context, I believe that instead of proclamations, hyperproduction of strategic documents and declarations, it is much more important for the Montenegrin public that the competent institutions devote themselves to face the challenges on the European path," said Radonjić.
He added that it is important for the public in Montenegro to hear details about the dynamics of closing chapters.
When asked how he comments on the current moment in the accession negotiations, i.e. whether the country is progressing with the dynamics needed to become a member of the EU in 2028, Radonjić replied that Montenegro, after a full seven years, has a good chance of closing four negotiation chapters.
Asked whether he expects this to happen at the Intergovernmental Conference at the end of December, Radonjić said that he is optimistic about this issue and that he thinks that the conditions are being created for such a thing to happen, especially in light of the fact that in June Montenegro received a positive Report on fulfillment of temporary criteria.
"However, I would maintain a certain amount of caution, primarily due to the fact that we have complicated things for ourselves with a move that was definitely not in the state interest of Montenegro, and the issue is the disruption of good neighborly relations with Croatia," said Radonjić.
As he said, the European Commission is an EU body that prepares negotiating positions and all other relevant documents from the accession process, but the final word in that process is given by the member states, including Croatia.
"Which means that in the end, when it is decided whether Montenegro will close these four chapters, we will also need the voice of Croatia," said Radonjić.
Closing the four chapters, as he stated, would really represent a kind of step forward on the European path.
"On the other hand, we must remind ourselves that the total number of negotiation chapters is 33 and that, in addition to the potentially closed four, we will have seven closed chapters at the end of the year. This means that in the last two years of negotiations, we will have to close a total of 26 negotiation chapters", said Radonjić.
As he said, it is necessary to significantly intensify reform efforts in order to reach the set goal, which is Montenegro's membership in the EU by 2028.
Asked if he thinks that Montenegro has a Government and a parliamentary majority that are dedicated to fulfilling the obligations from the accession process and that can achieve that goal, he said that it is most correct to return to statistical indicators.
Radonjić stated that the degree of realization of obligations from the EU accession program of Montenegro after the third quarter is slightly below 62 percent, which, as he assessed, is significantly below the expected level of realization and expectations of the general public.
"If we translate this into numbers, we will come to the fact that a total of 100 obligations from the EU accession program of Montenegro have not been implemented within the planned period. Additionally, out of that figure, 50 legal texts were not implemented within the given deadlines, be it new laws or amendments to the existing ones", said Radonjić.
According to him, that figure alone shows what the measure of compliance with obligations from the European agenda is.
The process of accession negotiations, as he assessed, is burdened by certain trends that characterize the current parliamentary majority and the Government, and it is precisely this behavior that creates room for fear that Montenegro will not be able to meet the set deadlines.
According to Radonjić, the worrisome trends that cast a shadow on the overall process of accession negotiations relate, among other things, to the increase in the number of public officials, party employment and the bulky nature of the Government.
He pointed to the value and ideological aspect of the whole process, stressing that Montenegro should offer the EU the best and most authentic that it has.
"And those are the three items I would single out. Primarily anti-fascism, which is embodied in the view of Ljub Čupić, who defies the occupier and death, then pacifism and multiculturalism, which is embodied in the actions of Admiral Barović, who prefers to commit suicide rather than bombard Croatian cities, and finally the last value, which is civic spirit and respect for diversity", stated Radonjić.
He also pointed out the importance of respecting the activities of the civil sector.
"We are witnessing that a part of the parliamentary majority is not in the background of these values and, in that sense, it can be a burden for the conclusion of the accession negotiations", assessed Radonjić.
Speaking about the analysis of the president's cabinet "The democratic progress of Montenegro must not stop", he said that the goal of that document was actually to send a message to the general public that the essence of the process should not be ignored.
"Primarily the rule of law, which is the core of the integration process, but also other priorities from the negotiation process, such as public administration reform and economic management," Radonjić said.
The analysis, he said, pointed out the need for fundamental reform of the judiciary, as well as the necessity of respecting democratic procedures, such as consultation with the professional public.
Radonjić said that the analysis also pointed to negative trends, such as the disruption of good neighborly relations with Croatia, a fairly pronounced tendency of political influence in the functioning of institutions and political appointments and dismissals that are not in accordance with the law.
He warned that these are all phenomena that, if ignored, could represent a problem in the continuation of the process, and said that a more responsible attitude of all actors on the political scene of Montenegro, primarily the Government and the parliamentary majority, is necessary.
"One of the things we find in our analysis is the almost alarming situation in the judiciary, bearing in mind the conditions in which the holders of judicial functions, judges and prosecutors work," said Radonjić.
As he said, this is followed by a potential reduction in the number of judges in the Special Department of the High Court in Podgorica, bearing in mind that there are over 160 cases in the field of the fight against corruption and organized crime in the work of that department.
Asked whether he expects Montenegro to elect the president of the Supreme Court by the end of the year and solve another issue burdening the Montenegrin judiciary, Radonjić said he was optimistic.
"I really want to believe that it will be like that, especially due to the fact that, after a number of failed attempts, now we finally have the opportunity to successfully resolve this issue," stated Radonjić.
He reminded that as of the end of 2020, Montenegro does not have a full term president of the highest judicial instance.
"As I said, I am optimistic that we will successfully solve this issue and that we will show a sufficient level of responsibility as a society," added Radonjić.
He said that he is not saying this only because of the accession negotiations and the fact that, among other things, the appointment of the President of the Supreme Court is a prerequisite for the withdrawal of financial resources from EU funds.
"I am speaking because of what we discussed earlier, which is the very essence of the process, i.e. the functioning of the rule of law, the achievement of the European standard of the rule of law in which we want to live and the provision of legal security, both for the citizens of Montenegro and for all economic entities," he said. is Radonjic.
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