Montenegro must approach the negotiation process with the European Union (EU) more responsibly and with much more institutional maturity and political breadth, said the director of the Center for Civic Education (CCE), Daliborka Uljarević, emphasizing that the chance the country has is not a guarantee of membership.
In an interview with the MINA agency, Uljarević said that in Montenegro, a consensus on EU membership exists in the narrative of political actors because it is socially acceptable and politically profitable, but that it is not visible through their actions and practices.
When asked whether there is still a danger that Montenegro will remain outside the EU despite the current geopolitical and circumstances within the Union, Uljarević pointed out that Montenegro has a great opportunity.
"We should keep in mind and constantly emphasize - a chance is not a guarantee," Uljarević emphasized, adding that it depends on the actors in Montenegro whether the chance will be fully utilized or not.
"Governments in the EU are changing. We see that the elections are bringing to power many who express skepticism about the enlargement process. The fact that the European Commission is committed to showing that the enlargement policy towards the Western Balkans is one of its best policies does not mean that it will receive full support in all member states," said Uljarević.
Therefore, he believes, the negotiation process should be approached much more responsibly, with more institutional maturity, political breadth and openness towards different actors.
When asked whether there is still a political and social consensus in Montenegro today about membership in the Union, Uljarević said that it existed to a significant extent until all stakeholders understood what the essence of European integration was and that it would "pull the rug out from under their feet at a certain point."
Then, as she pointed out, everyone started playing for their own games, rather than for a common team.
"Today we don't have that consensus on what the content should be. We have it in the narrative, because it is socially acceptable, politically profitable, but it is not visible through the activities of different actors," said Uljarević.
She believes that the insistence on European standards, principles and values lives on most in the civil sector, among a small number of intellectuals and certain segments of political actors, but not as a dominant narrative and practice within the government itself.
"We have actors within the government who are skeptical, but also media that are close to those actors and have been running a campaign for some time that should point out to us that the EU is not the only option and that Montenegro should consider other paths," Uljarević said.
Uljarević believes that Montenegro's membership in the Union in 2028 would be an ambitious goal, even if there were undivided political support and commitment in the country, as well as the capacity of the negotiating structure in the technical part.
"It seems to me that all of that is missing. We have very different voices within the ruling majority and often those who are de facto veto players on that path. I don't see any particular focus of the government, and it has completely excluded all other actors," Uljarević said.
However, according to Uljarević, Montenegro's membership in the EU within the given deadline is not impossible because the process of joining the Union has become dominantly political and trade-based, and much less based on criteria.
"Much less attention is paid to one important aspect, at least from the perspective of civil society, and that is the value component," said Uljarević.
She emphasized that the quality of the process should also be taken into account, adding that the path to the EU itself is important, because it should regulate society, ensure that institutions function, that citizens are equal before the law, and that they have basic services.
Recalling that Montenegro has been negotiating with the Union for 13 years, Uljarević stated that, with seven closed chapters, about 80 percent of the work remains to be completed in less than a year.
"And we should keep in mind that the new government, out of those 13, had five years of opportunity to show that it is fundamentally committed to the European process, that it wants us as a whole society to go there, and that it is not just a populist-promotional story," said Uljarević.
She said that she has the impression that at this moment, Montenegro is being pushed into the EU much more by the Union itself, rather than by internal drive and internal work.
When asked what certain actions and obstructions by a part of the parliamentary majority say about intentions when it comes to membership in the Union, Uljarević said that she is not sure that one can speak only about a part of the parliamentary majority, because there is no clear opposition from its other - declared pro-European - part.
"This parliamentary majority is clearly fixated on itself, that is, its party, particular interests, and it is more concerned with how to distribute it, how to keep everyone fed, than with the public interest that is at the heart of the European integration process," Uljarević assessed.
She emphasized that European integration should be above all party structures.
When asked whether a possible government reorganization is desirable during this period of the European integration process, Uljarević said that it would make sense if it led to more compact stability and greater commitment to the Europeanization of Montenegro.
"However, everything indicates that we are talking about something that should only be a party and political realignment to control the chaos that exists in this very complicated and broad coalition, and not for the sake of something that would truly change society and bring in actors who know their job," Uljarević stated.
As she added, sooner or later it will become clear that the Government does not have enough strength to implement some things consistently and in accordance with the EU's value framework.
Speaking about the chapters that are crucial after receiving the IBAR, Uljarević said that this "gift from the EU", which was a historically important turning point, was not adequately received in Montenegro.
As she explained, the government then realized that it had permission to continue to do even worse and to simulate the process even more instead of actually implementing reforms.
"We are now also having this reflection regarding Chapter 27, which is one of the most complicated and expensive," Uljarević said, adding that the problem with the construction of the Wastewater Treatment System in Botun is also a populist approach of the current government.
When asked whether the issue of building the Wastewater Treatment System could be an obstacle on the European path, Uljarević said that she believes some kind of agreement will be found.
"The only question is how much Milan Knežević's Democratic People's Party will raise the bar, or rather how Knežević and that party will compensate for any loss of votes," said Uljarević.
She said that there have been similar situations before and that the fact that Knežević is not threatening to leave power at the national level means that he is leaving room for agreement.
"But this whole story sends a different kind of message that also has its mark on the credibility of the state of Montenegro," Uljarević assessed.
When asked about unresolved bilateral issues with Croatia, Uljarević assessed that bilateral issues are something that undoubtedly must be resolved before membership in the Union, adding that part of the government in Montenegro is deliberately trying to spoil these relations.
"That bar has now been raised - it is no longer just a question of how to irritate some of the Croatian politicians, but rather attempts are being made to act in various ways to irritate Croatian citizens," Uljarević said.
She pointed out that in Montenegro, on one side, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is conducting negotiations with Croatia, while on the other side, there are continuous undermining by some other government actors.
"And of course, that can't go well, because trust should be the basis of every negotiation process. I think that trust doesn't exist right now," said Uljarević.
Uljarević, pointing to the claims of the ruling parties that they inherited a mountain of problems from the previous period, said that this was not true and that a significant part of the problems currently in the negotiation package with Croatia were created by the authorities after 2020.
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