Kos: I hope to see the opposition in parliament; Of the opposition MPs in the hall, only Pejović was present

The session began with a minute of silence in memory of the tragedy in Cetinje.

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Kos addresses the Parliament of Montenegro, Photo: Boris Pejović
Kos addresses the Parliament of Montenegro, Photo: Boris Pejović
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.
Ažurirano: 17.01.2025. 14:32h

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Cos said today that she hopes to see opposition in parliament.

She emphasized that the path to EU membership is challenging, and that she hopes to see teamwork and opposition in the Parliament.

"I see parliament as a place where not everyone thinks the same. The Assembly is a place where we can all deal with the diversity of ideas and work towards a common goal," she said, adding that in her country there was an agreement among political parties not to discuss European issues, and that there was a similar case in Croatia.

She added that, symbolically, when Montenegro enters the European Union (EU), she will climb the highest peak in Montenegro, Bobotov Kuk.

"Europe is my house, I think it will soon be yours too. Our common home. Europe is with you," Kos emphasized in the Parliament of Montenegro, at a special session.

The session began with a minute of silence in memory of the tragedy in Cetinje on January 1st, in which 13 people were killed.

Of the opposition MPs in the hall, only the independent MP Jevrosima Pejović was present, while some of the opposition MPs were in the Parliament.

Parliament Speaker Andrija Mandić said that he was pleased that Kos was in the Montenegrin parliament today, and that he was proud of the 28th convocation of the Parliament, which, as he said, "achieved historic results when it comes to EU integration."

He added that he was sorry that some of his colleagues from the opposition were not present.

"Let's put our differences aside and come together around a common goal, which is EU integration," Mandić said.

At the beginning of her presentation, Kos expressed condolences for the crimes in Cetinje.

"My thoughts were with you at the beginning of this year. Tomorrow I will go to Cetinje to pay tribute to the victims. I hope that January 1st will never happen again," she stressed.

She said that her visit was intended to talk about chances and possibilities, and about the foundations of the European idea.

She stressed that peace, prosperity and freedom on the continent depend on Europeans, and that the EU must be bigger and stronger.

"A window of opportunity has opened. Montenegro has a chance to become the first next member and that is why I am here today - to acknowledge your achievements and to promise you that together with my team I will invest my experience and energy to advance the accession negotiations so that you can join the EU as quickly as possible," Kos said.

She added that she and Mandić were born in the same year and EU membership is the aspiration of their generation.

"My dream is for the entire Western Balkans to be integrated into the EU and for borders and conflicts to disappear, as they have disappeared in many other parts of the continent," Kos said.

She said that she dreams of "everyone being equal in the European family," and that she knows that this dream is shared by all citizens of Montenegro.

"You all play a key role in making this dream a reality. EU enlargement needs success, and Montenegro is exactly that - a success story. You are fully aligned with the EU's common foreign and security policy, you have started closing chapters, and you plan to close them all by 2026. So far, six have been closed, with 25 more to go. It is a big job, and you can show the entire region that with hard work and determination it can be done," she concluded.

She added that the accession process is based on merit, and that her mandate began with the closure of three chapters,

She pointed out that in the last ten years, out of the eight chapters closed by all candidate countries, six were closed by Montenegro.

Mandić said that "these are messages that are clear to everyone."

He thanked Kos's predecessor, Oliver Varhelyi, for his contribution to Montenegro's EU integration.

Branislav Nenezić, representative of the European Union, announced earlier today that the seats of Social Democrats (SD) deputies at the session, during Kos's presentation, will be decorated with the flags of Montenegro and the EU.

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