The announcement that the European Union could enlarge by 2030 was particularly well received in Montenegro. The president of the country that has made the most progress so far in the enlargement process, Jakov Milatović, is convinced that Montenegro could be ready to join the EU before 2030. He considered that the important conditions for intensification of the reform process, particularly those related to the rule of law, have been respected since the democratic changes that took place in Montenegro three years ago. “We can really be ready well before 2030 to become a new member of the EU,” Milatović said.
Even before Michel’s speech at the Bled Strategic Forum, where it was emphasized that mutual preparation for enlargement must be achieved by 2030, European leaders had been repeating for years that Montenegro was in the front line for future membership to the EU.
“Montenegro is the most advanced candidate for membership, an important ally and a future member. This is why I would like to emphasize that you are the first on the list and the most advanced candidate for membership,” EU High Representative Josep Borell said in May.
Despite being a pioneer in the process, since the start of accession negotiations in 2012, Montenegro has managed to open all chapters of the negotiations, but has only closed three temporarily.
Due to insufficient progress in the area of the rule of law and an institutional and political crisis in the country, Montenegro’s European path has been blocked for two years now, since the last intergovernmental conference.
The stagnation of European integration is evident in the fact that for more than six months, the Parliament of Montenegro has not adopted any laws relating to European integration. All eyes are now on the new government, which has not yet been formed three months after the elections. Prime Minister-designate Milojko Spajić, leader of the pro-European movement “Europe Now”, prioritizes progress in the process.
Milena Mukresearcher at the Alternativa Institute in Podgorica, tells European Western Balkans that the new government does not need much creativity to establish priorities in terms of European integration.
“The list of outstanding obligations is long enough to fulfill the government’s work programs for the coming years, especially since more than 11 years after the start of negotiations, Montenegro has still not fulfilled the provisional criteria for chapters 23 and 24, which are a prerequisite for meeting the final criteria for these chapters and for progressing into other chapters,” notes Muk.
According to her, although Charles Michel recognized that the EU sometimes takes advantage of the lack of progress in candidate countries to avoid confronting its own desire to accept new members, the main obstacles to Montenegro’s accession are found in Montenegro itself.
“All relevant actors in Montenegro, especially the political parties as drivers of the process within the government and Parliament, have shown a kind of unity in their inability to reach political consensus and move on from ‘from technical alignment to a demonstration of the agility and coherence necessary to achieve consensus. sustainable results where they are most needed: in judicial reform, the fight against corruption and organized crime, and other aspects of the rule of law,” Muk emphasizes.
More than three missed years
The first significant setback in the European integration process began as early as 2017, under the government of Duško Marković, when the pace of reform processes slowed down. However, in European Commission reports from this period, the assessments were much better than they were after the change of government in 2020.
Despite expectations that the country would accelerate its European integration efforts following democratic changes, the process has stalled due to a constant political crisis and polarization. The political majority formed after the August elections has long struggled to reach political consensus on appointments to judicial bodies. Over the past three years, institutional instability has significantly hampered technical alignment with European standards.
The European Commission’s non-paper on the rule of law warns that Montenegro has lost focus on key EU reforms, particularly in the area of the rule of law. The document states that there has been no progress in the investigation, prosecution and trials of past cases of violence against journalists and media workers. As stated in the informal document, Montenegro’s top priority should be to address the critical gaps identified in the temporary criteria of Chapters 23 and 24 of the negotiations.
The functioning of the entire justice system is said to have remained in a deep institutional crisis. The non-paper believes that many institutions continue to suffer from a lack of appointments or are operating in an interim state.
“This has significantly limited the ability of the justice system to function, with little or no sense of direction and strategic planning/vision, which has affected Montenegro’s ability to administer justice,” the document said.
It is worth recalling that the Assembly appointed three judges of the Constitutional Court in February, which ended the unprecedented institutional blockade of Montenegro, which left the Court without a quorum to make decisions between September last year and February of this year.
Montenegro has not yet amended the Law on the Judicial Council and Judges, nor the Law on the Prosecutor’s Office, in accordance with the recommendations of the European Commission and the opinions of the Venice Commission.
In the report of the Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) of the European Parliament, adopted on Wednesday, MEPs call for political stability and substantial progress in key EU-related reforms, particularly in electoral and judicial reforms, as well as in the fight against organized crime and corruption. They believe that Montenegro’s progress towards EU membership is running out of steam.
“MPs expect the formation as soon as possible of a pro-European government, which will clearly and unequivocally support European policies and values, in line with the expectations of a significant majority of the country’s citizens,” said Tonino, rapporteur of the European Parliament for Montenegro. Picula.
The path to European integration remains within reach, provided Montenegro seizes this opportunity. It all depends on the new Montenegrin government, which will have the opportunity to prepare Montenegro to meet all the necessary criteria in the coming years. Unlike neighboring countries, Montenegro does not have bilateral conflicts with its neighbors that could further complicate future membership. All political obstacles within the country could be overcome if there is political will among its leaders.
