The Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Montenegro, Johan Sattler, said in an interview with TV Vijesti that Brussels expects us to close five chapters of negotiations with the EU by the end of the year.
Sattler did not want to comment on the government's decision to introduce visas for Turkish citizens, and believes that Commissioner Marta Kos' statement about a probationary period for new members was taken out of context.
When asked by a TV Vijesti journalist what Brussels expects from us in the coming period, he said that these are results in the fight against corruption and crime, and the completion of the Constitutional Court, Judicial and Prosecutorial Councils.
He also says that it is high time to elect members of the Council of the Agency for Audiovisual Media Services and legally end the saga of the election of the director of Radio and Television of Montenegro.
"Yesterday we celebrated, today we have to get back to work. The next 14 months are crucial, as we have to complete the very demanding work on the 25 chapters that need to be closed. By the end of the year, we hope to close five chapters, which then leaves us with these 20 for next year. The focus is on chapters 23 and 24, where the members will closely monitor concrete results in the prosecution of corruption and organized crime. We have seen political stability when the government and the opposition unanimously supported the necessary laws in the area of electoral reform. We expect the same in the election of judges of the Constitutional Court, members of the Judicial and Prosecutorial Councils, and the election of the Vice Governor of the Central Bank," said Satler.
TV Vijesti: In addition to these tasks, visa policy is a very important issue... How do you comment on the Government's decision to introduce visas for Turkish citizens, especially considering the reasons for such a decision?
Sattler: We had steps in the wrong direction at the beginning of the year, but that was corrected last month when Montenegro removed four countries from the visa-free regime, and then Turkey was also removed from that list. We do not comment on individual countries and we do not tell Montenegro which country should be removed from the list. That is up to Montenegro. What I can say is that for now Montenegro is acting properly in that sense and we expect that trend to continue in the coming year.
TV Vijesti: Due to alignment with the EU visa policy, Montenegro will have to introduce visas for nine more countries by 2027, which will mean a blow to its economy, since these countries include those from which significant investments come. How could this shortfall be overcome?
Sattler: We did not ask for it to happen all at once, but gradually. For us, it is a question of security. In economic terms, we are helping Montenegro diversify its economy. We did this with the visit of EC President Von der Leyen a month ago in Luštica, where we had over 300 companies and contracts signed in the field of energy, digital agriculture. These are concrete steps that help Montenegro not depend so much on tourism alone. When we talk about visas, people can still come regardless of visas.
TV Vijesti: In its report, the European Commission asks Montenegro to legally resolve the case of the director of the Public Service Broadcasting Service, whose election was declared illegal by the courts on several occasions, as well as to elect the missing members of the Agency for Audiovisual Media Services. What concrete steps do you expect from Montenegro in resolving these issues?
Satler: I understand that a new public call has been issued and it is high time we see the elected members of the AMU Council. Regarding the issue of the election of the RTCG director, you have seen what is written in the report. Our goal is to avoid extremely long court procedures and we have called for these procedures to be brought to an end and further steps to be taken depending on the court's epilogue.
TV Vijesti: Commissioner Kos hinted yesterday that these member states could be admitted on a trial basis, in order to prevent the entry of “Russian Trojan horses” into the EU. How realistic is that and will this also apply to Montenegro?
Sattler: I don't think so. By the way, I think there is some kind of media hype around this issue that is probably taken out of context. You have an agreement on the accession of a future member state to the European Union, in which you agree on certain exceptions in the transitional period. That is normal. You know, the right to vote is a fundamental thing in the EU and for it to be possibly limited you need to ensure the unanimous support of all members for it. So I don't think that is what is at stake here. We will soon have on the agenda the preparation of the accession agreement for Montenegro, which the Council will work on, but I really don't see anything in it that could possibly mean limiting Montenegro's voting rights in the EU.
TV Vijesti: You have said on several occasions that the construction of the wastewater treatment plant in Botun must begin. Is the time for construction to begin running out and what will be the consequences if construction does not begin by the end of the year, as planned?
Satler: I am happy that this process is moving forward, we had a very long period of 10, 15 years searching for a location where the plant will be built. Now, after all the permits have been secured, the most important thing is that this story is moving. 33 million euros of European taxpayers' money have been invested here. The contract with the company that will carry out the works was signed a few years ago and at some point there will be penalties if we do not start the project.
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