Cikotić: Without substantial cooperation between the government and the opposition in parliament, there can be no further progress on the European path

Without substantial cooperation between the government and the opposition in parliament, there can be no further progress on the European path, especially when it comes to tasks within Chapters 23 and 24, said European Union (EU) representative Amina Cikotić, adding that the ruling majority is currently not showing any willingness for dialogue.

In an interview with the MINA agency, Cikotić said that the proposals to introduce open lists, which have been discussed in recent months, are part of political competition and devoid of the essential will to actually implement it.

Commenting on the results of a recent survey, according to which the ES has the support of 4.6 percent of citizens, Cikotić stated that the ES is focused on field work and communication with citizens.

"Our focus is on fieldwork and communication with citizens about their specific problems and expectations," said Cikotić, adding that they want to transform the European Socialists, as a non-partisan political platform, into a broader social movement.

"The EC is currently talking to several political structures and non-political associations, as well as a large number of non-partisan and independent individuals who are prominent in our society, and we believe that in the next two months some of these conversations will actually turn into a concrete agreement," said Cikotić.

She emphasized that their goal is to offer a serious alternative option on the opposition side and within the sovereigntist bloc.

"We do not expect that we can be the largest entity on this side that I am talking about, but I think that we can be the most progressive, best and highest quality part of the opposition political scene today in Montenegro and that is our ambition," Cikotić stated.

According to her, it is logical for Montenegro to enter the European Union (EU) with a government that will include the European Parliament, because the parties that make up it have been carrying European ideas through their programs since their very foundation.

Montenegro in political crisis, without cooperation between the government and the opposition there will be no progress on the EU path

When asked whether Montenegro is in a political crisis or, due to the progress it is making on its path to the EU, in a stabilization phase, Cikotić assessed that the country is in a deep political crisis because the ruling majority is failing to establish the kind of contact it should have with the opposition so that Montenegro can truly continue its European path and lead to the stabilization of all processes.

"We are witnessing a completely contradictory thing - Montenegro is a leading country in European integration and the ruling majority boasts about the number of closed chapters, while on the other hand, a part of that ruling majority essentially wants to stop the European path," said Cikotić.

She criticized the way the laws were adopted in parliament, stating that the amendments to the Law on Internal Affairs and the Law on the National Security Agency (ANB) were solutions that crossed "red lines", which, as she recalled, was the reason for the opposition to leave the parliamentary committees.

"I do not think that it is possible to complete any process related to EU membership without close cooperation between the government and the opposition. For some chapters, especially chapters 23 and 24, which are crucial on our European path, it will not be possible to implement the things that the Union requires without cooperation between the majority and the opposition," Cikotić warned.

As she added, the ruling majority, despite this, has no desire to cooperate with the opposition.

"We will not vote for any legal solution proposed by the ruling majority unless they express a willingness to improve relations, that is, to resolve all these problems that have occurred due to the adoption of controversial laws in the field of security," said Cikotić.

She said that there have not yet been any open initiatives by the ruling parties to initiate dialogue.

"This cannot be done in the way they have in practice - to invite the opposition to talks through the media or statements. A broader conversation must be opened for this so that we can truly agree and see the sincere intention of both sides to unblock this situation and end the political crisis," Cikotić stated.

She also said that she does not see the will for this among the ruling majority at this moment, adding that it seems as if only pressure from the international community could help the ruling majority understand that without the opposition they cannot adopt many legal solutions, especially those related to chapters 23 and 24.

Proposals for the introduction of open lists at the beginning of the election campaign

When it comes to electoral reform, Cikotić assessed that the proposals for open lists are part of political competition devoid of any substantial will to actually implement this solution.

She said that the EC supports the introduction of open lists and is ready for it, but also assessed that she does not believe that the introduction of open lists can happen within the timeframe that would mean that the 2027 elections can be held according to that model.

"All the electoral law proposals that have come from political structures in the previous period seem to me to be just a political race for a few more political points without any substance. I do not believe that these laws will be voted on and I think that citizens will once again and for the umpteenth time be deceived in this regard," said Cikotić.

When asked whether this means that political parties, or at least most of them, have already entered the campaign for the next elections, and that they have put the continuation of electoral reform on the back burner, Cikotić answered in the affirmative.

"They absolutely are, and I would say that they are actually using these election law proposals and everything related to open lists as the start of their campaign," said Cikotić, adding that it can be seen that the parties are already slowly positioning themselves on the political scene and the race has already begun.

Many successes since the restoration of independence, the formation of a state governed by the rule of law is the greatest challenge

Commenting on the situation in Montenegro on the occasion of marking twenty years since the restoration of independence, Cikotić said that Montenegro has achieved important foreign policy and strategic goals since 2006, but that the key challenge remains building a state based on the rule of law.

"Just as there would be no independent Montenegro without the parties that make up the European Parliament today, full EU membership will not be possible without us in power," said Cikotić.

Despite the fact that in 20 years of renewed independence, Montenegro has achieved important goals such as NATO membership and charting its European path, Cikotić believes that the most important missed opportunity is the building of a state governed by the rule of law.

"What I see as the biggest challenge today is the formation of a fundamentally legal state with strong institutions that would pull this country forward. When you have strong institutions, it is completely irrelevant which political structures come to power, because strong institutions will level it all out," said Cikotić.