Brussels – Montenegro appears to have finally achieved stability after years of political and institutional upheaval. Despite continued turbulence, Podgorica has remained steadfast on its path towards European Union membership and the goal now appears to be moving even closer on the horizon. “We are working very hard and I think it will be monumental to have 28 member states by 2028.», Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milojko Spajićunderlines in an exclusive interview with Eunews in Brussels, on the occasion of the inauguration of the “Members candidate for enlargement” initiative of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).
Mr Prime Minister Spajić, to what extent do you think it is possible for Montenegro to participate – in five years – in the next European elections?
“We will be ready before 2028. But we understand that EU enlargement is a two-way process: we will do everything possible to conclude the accession negotiations in 2026 and leave until 2028 until all member states ratify the accession treaty. Since the EU already has 28 members, there is no need for a prior internal review of the EU treaties before we join the club. It would be historic if Montenegrin politicians stood in the elections for the renewal of the European Parliament in 2029.”
What type of partner is Montenegro for the European Union?
“Relations with the European Union and other Western Balkan countries are the highest in history, but we still need to improve them. Regarding investments, we invite companies, businesses and European institutions to rebuild infrastructure. We also want to increase trade between Montenegro and the European Union, as well as opening more businesses in Montenegro and vice versa. I think it’s also a great opportunity for Italy, for example. Montenegro – like all the Western Balkans – is low-hanging fruit, because our citizens love Italy and consider it a model in terms of society and EU membership. We want more Italian companies in Montenegro, as well as in other EU countries.”
However, in recent years, Montenegro has caused much concern in Brussels.
“The biggest problem in Montenegro was that in 2020, when I became Minister of Finance, almost 60% of tourism came from countries outside the European Union, the region and NATO countries, and the Infrastructure was 100% financed by external countries and entities. this political space, and 90% of investments also came from the East. At the same time, geopolitically, we are a member of NATO and want to become a member of the EU, we are 100% aligned with the EU’s common foreign and security policy. So we were in a sort of bipolar situation, in which we were geopolitically aligned on one side, but economically completely isolated from the European continent, and we were acting like a Central Asian nation. In four years – I was initially Minister of Finance and now Prime Minister – we have completely changed the economic trajectory of Montenegro.”
How concerning is Chinese influence in the country’s economy?
“We inherited the loan from the China Investment Bank, we managed to hedge ourselves and we reduced the exposure from 27% of GDP to 7/8%. Now it’s quite manageable and negligible, it’s just one of the loans in our portfolio and it doesn’t worry us much. We want infrastructure funding in the future to come almost exclusively from our regional allies, the European Union and NATO. We are finally adjusting the economy and geopolitics in the right way.”
Regarding NATO, are you concerned by Donald Trump’s assertions that the United States cannot defend its allies who fail to meet their defense spending goals to counter possible Russian aggression?
“I would risk joining the American political campaign if I commented on this statement. I want to understand it as a crucial message from all of America, not only from Trump but also from Biden: they want to see more active contribution from all NATO partners. We heard this message: Montenegro wants to be a credible NATO partner for all allies. The government took office on November 1, 2023 and we didn’t have much time: the previous draft budget forecast spending on NATO at 1.8% of GDP, but we managed by only one month to increase them to 2.01%.
Become one of 18 NATO members that reached the minimum threshold of 2% defense spending relative to GDP this year.
“It shows how committed we are. After Russian aggression against Ukraine, we see how important security is, not only in theory, but also in practice. It is unimaginable that a NATO member would be invaded and conquered by a foreign power, as Russia did with Ukraine.”
You can find more information about the Balkan region in BarBalkans Newsletter hosted by Eunews
English version by Withub translation service