The construction of a wastewater treatment plant is an issue of national importance for Montenegro, said European Union (EU) Ambassador Johan Sattler, stating that he hopes that the authorities and the residents of Botun will reach an agreement.
Sattler said in an interview with the MINA agency that Montenegro's ambitious but feasible plan to close around 20 chapters in negotiations with the EU next year requires "military discipline", clear plans and strong political discipline.
Commenting on the closing of five additional chapters at the last Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels, Sattler said that this was an important milestone for Montenegro.
"First, because of the size of the package. It's not one chapter, it's not two chapters, it was five chapters, including the difficult ones," said Satler, recalling that the last time the EU closed five chapters at once was in 2009, in negotiations with Croatia.
According to him, another reason why the closure of the five chapters is important is that the stakeholders in Montenegro, of whom there were many, fought to the end.
"At one point it didn't look good, but what we saw then was that it was going a step further," said Sattler, pointing to the efforts that were made to bring the negotiations to a close.
Satler emphasized that none of the chapters left for the coming year are easy.
"And that means you have to do your homework, but also fight to the end," Satler said.
When asked whether the French blockade that was circulating before the Intergovernmental Conference was political or technical in nature, Sattler stressed that it was clear that each chapter required a lot of work and that all 27 member states were involved.
"That means you have to be very well prepared. I think the lesson of this week is that in 2026 you have to have almost military discipline for every chapter," Satler said.
As he added, it is very important to be well prepared, and it makes no difference whether the issue of the French blockade, which ultimately did not happen, was political or technical.
"There is no difference. Ultimately, member states must be convinced that Montenegro meets all the criteria, all the requirements. That is important for progress," said Satler.
When asked about the mood among member states regarding Montenegro's accession, Sattler pointed to encouraging messages emphasizing a merit-based approach.
Satler also pointed to messages from the EU emphasizing that Montenegro has a lot of work to do next year.
“There is a huge amount of work to do for 20 chapters, a significant number of intergovernmental conferences will be scheduled next year, so keep working, monitor the situation and move forward,” Satler said.
When asked whether Hungary's blocking of the conclusions of the EU Foreign Affairs Committee had anything to do with the fact that the conclusions also envisaged the start of drafting the treaty on Montenegro's accession to the EU, Sattler replied that it did not.
"We live in turbulent times, there are many questions about Ukraine, and yes, sometimes it happens that among the 27 you cannot agree on everything. This has already happened in the past, sometimes there were no Council conclusions, but there were presidency conclusions," Satler said.
When asked whether, based on the conclusions adopted as the conclusions of the Danish Presidency, a working group could be formed and work on the draft agreement could begin, Sattler answered in the affirmative, emphasizing that the working group would begin work within the next six months.
"The Council decided to form a working group to work on an accession agreement with Montenegro. So, period, that will happen. I expect that this working group will start working within the next six months," said Satler.
According to him, this is an important job, because all agreements on different chapters must be included in the work of this working group and there is a lot of work to do.
When asked how long Montenegro could wait for the agreement to be drafted and ready, Sattler reiterated that it would begin in the coming period, adding that they had already had talks with representatives of Cyprus, which will take over the presidency of the EU Council.
When asked whether closing about 20 chapters per year was feasible, Sattler said yes.
“It is ambitious, but doable. It requires a lot of discipline, clear plans for each chapter, division of labor, deadlines, when parliament needs to act and when the government needs to act. You took a step closer to achieving the goal this week, but it is only one step,” Satler said.
Asked what he sees as the key challenges on that path, Sattler said that there are chapters that are more difficult and emphasized that these are especially the chapters that come at the end and relate to the rule of law, the judiciary, the fight against organized crime and corruption, but also visa policy and migration.
In addition, he added, Chapter 27, which relates to the environment, is obviously one of the most difficult and demanding.
When asked whether it is the EU's position that Chapter 24 cannot be closed unless the so-called Markov and Masan law is adopted, Sattler replied in the affirmative. "Yes, this reflects the EU's position. A modern and restrictive gun law is needed."
He said that at a meeting with the mother and grandmother of one of the victims of the Cetinje tragedy, Vesna Pejović, he gained insight for the first time into what she, as well as other victims and their families, are going through.
"It is important that the state is sensitive to this, that the state responds to the demands of the victims. And that is why it is so important that the restrictive gun law comes into force soon," Satler stressed.
Commenting on Chapter 27, which relates to the environment, Sattler said that it is one of the key chapters, because it is about the way of life and the environment in which we live.
"This applies to the air you breathe, the water you drink, the way you organize waste management, the way you protect ecological nature parks or national parks. So this is fundamental," Sattler said.
When asked what consequences Montenegro may face, in terms of EU integration, if the construction of the plant in Botun does not begin within the scheduled deadline, Satler emphasized the health and environmental aspects.
"This is truly an issue of national importance," said Satler, adding that it is good that it is being discussed now after, as he added, the citizens of Zeta have not been listened to for too long.
Sattler pointed to the offer and guarantees from the authorities that the residents of Botun received, which, he said, is generous and implies responding to the many complaints of the residents of Zeta.
Satler stressed that it is important to maintain the dialogue, adding that he hopes that an agreement will eventually be reached.
When asked whether, after meeting with representatives of citizens who oppose the construction of the plant, he believes there is a will to reach an agreement, Satler said that he thinks everyone understands that progress is needed.
“And there is progress. That is the essence of dialogue or compromise, that both sides have to take action. I have seen progress and I sincerely hope that it will lead to a situation where construction of the wastewater treatment plant can begin,” Sattler said.
When asked whether there will be consequences for closing Chapter 27 if construction of the plant does not begin within the scheduled deadline, Satler pointed to the benchmarks for that chapter, recalling that part of the benchmarks relates to water quality.
He explained that the benchmarks are about how a country protects water and how it cleans water, reminding that member states look at the whole picture.
Sattler pointed out that the issue is known to member states and that some of them have very strong views on environmental issues.
"Rest assured that this topic will be on the agenda when the negotiations and finalization of Chapter 27 take place," said Satler.
When asked about the transitional clauses that are mentioned as being an integral part of Montenegro's accession treaty, Sattler said that it is important that transitional clauses are always limited in nature and temporary.
According to Sattler, transitional clauses are common practice and existed when other countries joined the Union, including Austria, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic.
"Montenegro will ask for, I already know, some transitional periods, because it is very difficult to be ready for everything on the first day of membership. As for the environment, on some issues, they will ask for a transitional phase," said Sattler.
He stressed that it is important to know that requests for transitional clauses go both ways, and that they are always temporary and limited.
When asked whether there is currently enough political will within the parliamentary majority in Montenegro to successfully complete the process of joining the Union, Sattler said that his answer is clear and that he believes there is.
As he explained, the answer is yes because he saw it during the past year, which was not easy.
"But it has been shown that there is, on important issues, national unity when it comes to European integration," Sattler said.
He said that this was seen in parliament, pointing to the initiative of the Committee for European Integration on the Resolution on the European Integration of Montenegro, which was supported by representatives of all political parties.
According to him, he is convinced that the same can happen again next year, which will be decisive.
Sattler pointed out that it is good to see that the very large public support for EU membership in Montenegro has been transformed into political support from all political parties.
"There is no political party that opposes European integration. That is a good sign and gives me confidence for next year," concluded Satler.
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