China’s investments in Southeast Europe do what Europe should but fails to do, said the President of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović, in an interview with the ORF correspondent (Austrian public broadcast), Christian Wehrschütz.
If Europe keeps its door open and retains the existing enlargement rules, there’s no doubt Montenegro would be the next EU member state, emphasized Đukanović, adding that he’s afraid the Europe might be suffering from enlargement fatigue after the 2019 European parliamentary elections.
“The only good direction for the European policy is its complete unification. I’m not saying this because of the Balkans’ interests – I undoubtedly believe the Balkans’ interest is to become part of the EU – but because I consider it’s high time for the Balkans to return to their European roots. Montenegro has been trying to become a role model. After restoring independence, we have worked hard to adopt the European standards which, for now, qualified us for the NATO membership and as a leader in the negotiation talks with the EU,” Đukanović said.
The President of Montenegro is convinced one negotiation chapter will be opened by the end of the year and another one next year, after which follows the process of closing the chapters.
Đukanović continued: “The most challenging requirement might be meeting standards referring to the environment even though the EU now raised expectations when it comes to the rule of law.”
“Montenegro is a country which is developing its capacities on a daily basis. Let us not forget that we restored our independence 12 years ago and we’re already a NATO member state, which required meeting some extremely challenging standards. But we managed to do it on our own. Our capacities have been continuously increasing and I don’t doubt we would be able to fulfill what’s required from us in the administrative procedure,” emphasized President Đukanović.
On the idea of adopting European values, Đukanović pointed out to difference between a politician and a statesman, stressing that a politician will always follow public opinion without confronting the public, while a statesman will make decisions that the majority maybe doesn’t support in that particular moment but in which he/she firmly believes.
He also noted that it’s very significant to have good transport, energy and IT relations with the Western Europe: “No country of the Western Balkans can do it all alone, i.e. it definitely needs assistance from the European funds and European financial institutions. European officials are always asking “Why is China investing heavily in Southeast Europe?” – And you know what China’s doing? – What Europe should but fails to do,” Đukanović said.
