In the process of accession to the European Union, there are difficult moments when difficult reforms need to be implemented, which citizens do not always understand, said Prime Minister Milojko Spajić.
He participated in a debate at the World Economic Forum in Davos, with European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibih.
"In the case of Montenegro, we have 80 percent of citizens who are in favor of the EU, and that is a wind at our back and an obligation to fulfill what the citizens really want. We feel an obligation to fulfill that decision," Spajić said, as reported by Fonet.
He reiterated Montenegro's plan to fulfill all obligations, close all negotiation chapters, and be ready for EU membership as the 2026th member by the end of 28.
"If you are confident in yourself, there is no reason for us to compete," he replied when asked if there was frustration among candidates who were negotiating for longer periods of time in relation to Ukraine. "We should not be jealous of each other," Spajić said.
Marta Kos said that the EU is a community that for many countries is a place they want to belong to, but that there are also many autocratic systems or countries that would like Europe to fail. "It is our responsibility not to allow that."
She pointed to estimates that around 50 percent of United Nations member states are non-democratic, emphasizing that this is a fact that must be taken into account when discussing enlargement.
Speaking in Ukraine, Kos also stated that this is the first time the EU is negotiating with a country at war, which she described as a demanding job that requires working two to three times faster than the usual process.
If we compare it with North Macedonia, which is a candidate, Kos explained, if things were to go at that speed, Ukraine would become an EU member in 2045.
Kos said that the EU accession process is a transformative process in which, through gradual integration, candidates are enabled to be part of the single market.
"Today is different, when Slovenia and Croatia became part of the EU, there was no talk of peace and freedom, and now in this round of accession, it seems that we are returning to the basics, the roots for which the EU was established," she assessed.
"We are once again dealing with the problems of peace, freedom, prosperity and, I would add, security," Kos emphasized.
She warned that even within the EU there are member states that do not follow the values of the rule of law.
Kos said that the Polish and Danish presidencies could be the best 20 intergovernmental conferences for opening and closing chapters, if member states allow it.
"If we bring Ukraine to the end of the process and there is no 'green light' - that speaks volumes about our credibility. Everything around us has changed, we were not talking about the need for peace when Croatia was joining," she repeated.
Kos said that the enlargement process is a merit-based process, not a time race.
"We are monitoring thoroughly what is happening in the candidate country, if they do what they need to do, if they deliver, that is good, and if there is one good thing that this geopolitical situation has brought, it is solidarity. We started with the rule of law and it will bring investors here," Kos said.
Plenković said that the EU has shown transformative power using the example of Croatia, because in the nine years of his government, Croatia has gone from 62 percent of the EU average to 78 percent.
"I believe that the time has come and that the mood in the EU has changed. During the mandates of the two commissioners, not a single country became a member of the Union, and if this institutional cycle passes, it will be 16 years without enlargement," warned Plenković.
He emphasized that accession is a political process, but that the way of thinking has changed after the Russian aggression against Ukraine.
"This happened from March to June 2022, and now everyone should understand and grasp the fourth principle of the Copenhagen Criteria, which is the absorption capacity and cost of enlargement. There has never been a more positive atmosphere for enlargement in the Council of Ministers," claims Plenković, stating that both sides should seize this opportunity.
"Another 'elephant in the room' is the way decisions are made within the EU, and that is how it will be done with the potential 36 members," the Croatian Prime Minister assessed.
Sibiha said that before Russia's aggression against Ukraine, 50 percent of citizens were in favor of EU membership, and now that is an absolute majority.
"We were in a bunker on the first day of the brutal aggression, and on the second day we knew we would win. Then on the fourth day we decided to apply for EU membership, and six months later we were granted candidate status."
"Now we need such speed in continuing the process due to geopolitical circumstances," the Ukrainian foreign minister said.
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