Montenegro, being the NATO member state, do not have a backup agenda. We believe that our European perspective represents the main trigger for reforms, a guarantee of stability, democracy, further economic development and competitiveness of our region. That is why the EU membership represents our main foreign policy and strategic goal and we do not see other alternative, Montenegro’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Srđan Darmanović, tells in an interview with Pobjeda daily.
He also says he can’t imagine the European Union, EU, would give up its most successful enlargement policy. According to him, the candidate countries must prove they are able to carry out reforms in their societies in line with the European standards, but the EU must know what it desires and then show it by clear policy in the Western Balkans, WB.
Here are the highlights of the interview with Minister Darmanović…
POBJEDA: French President Emmanuel Macron recently noted that now is not a moment to talk about the EU enlargement to the WB, because the EU member states themselves cannot reach an agreement. Many interpreted this statement as a current dissatisfaction of the French President with the election of EU leaders, but this is inevitably a bad message for the WB. Is this an announcement that the enlargement process will definitely be halted?
DARMANOVIĆ: President Macron indeed made this statement in a very specific moment, just when it seemed that the EU leaders, due to their own disagreements, were too far from electing the representatives of the highest positions in the EU. In that sense, it is possible that the statement came because of a certain resignation, but also as a pressure on partners so that the process of electing the EU high-ranking officials speed up.
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On the other hand, the results of the European election are quite encouraging. Nearly two thirds of the European Parliament make up parties supporting the European perspective, and the idea of the united Europe means the EU enlargement to the WB. We believe this would be the EC approach. However, it is not enough just to believe.
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However, things need to be more broadly seen. This is not the first time that the EU has dilemmas over internal reforms or enlargement. Recent history has shown that, despite debates on this topic, both of these processes have always run in parallel. The reform of the Union was constant, almost as an uninterrupted process, just as the policy of enlargement was constant.
POBJEDA: How can a certain slowdown in the enlargement process and the latest messages of European officials, like Macron’s, affect the authorities, as well as the citizens of the Western Balkan countries? Is it telling us that EU membership does not depend solely on them and the reforms they implement?
DARMANOVIĆ: Technically speaking, there’s no such thing as slowdown in the enlargement process. The countries negotiating for membership continue to do so, with the implementation of reforms and adapting to the European legal order. In reality, there are those facts about how things look in 2019 when it comes to the enlargement. It has always been clear that the reform processes in candidate countries represent core of European integration, since their ultimate goal is achieving European standards in all segments important for a society striving for membership in a high club such as the EU.
Nevertheless, European integration is not the only the issue of meeting criteria. After all, we come to political decisions. The EU enlargement is not a matter that some expert commissions should decide upon, but rather politicians, foreign affairs ministers, prime ministers and presidents. And when you have leaders of the countries involved, political assessments and motives dominate, and there’s nothing wrong about it.
POBJEDA: Is the choice of German Defense Minister, Ms Ursula von der Leyen, an indication that the European Commission and, in general, the Brussels bureaucracy, will be advocating for “Greater Europe”?
DARMANOVIĆ: The choice of Ms Ursula von der Leyen to lead the EU Commission, if approved by the European Parliament, would be interesting from many aspects.
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There’s no doubt Ms von der Leyen is an agile person, full of energy, oriented towards European and Euro-Atlantic perspective, and we believe she possesses courage and decisiveness to deal with numerous challenges currently before the EU.
It is expected that the new EC set-up will continue to advocate for, as you called it, ‘Greater Europe’, and that it will continue to support the enlargement policy as a reliable guarantee of stability in the WB.
There are signs of improved relations with Russia
WINDOWS: How are you assessing the relations between Podgorica and Moscow now, having in mind that after the delivered ‘coup’ verdict, there were no strong reactions from official Russia?
DARMANOVIĆ: One can say that the trend of worsening our relations, which culminated in the times of coup attempt in 2016 and over 2017 when we officially entered NATO, has come to an end. There are also some symbolic signs of better relations over the previous year. A positive signal in relations between the two countries is good cooperation in the areas of tourism, air transport, student exchange, but also some forms of cooperation in the field of education and culture.
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