He stressed that the Greek crisis would affect Serbia much more than Montenegro.
“Montenegro is small and economically efficient, with a small population without tendency to migrate. It takes the accession negotiations very seriously. All time it behaves as a country that seriously accepts the values of the obligations arising from membership in the EU. It is too small to disrupt the balance of power within the EU, and, additionally, it remains a success story. All others are in trouble and currently all others have the weakness of Greece, therefore being unwelcome in the EU,” the Croatian analyst said.
The Chief Negotiator for Negotiations on Accession of Montenegro to the EU, Aleksandar Andrija Pejovic, said that generally speaking, the Greek crisis could not have a negative impact on the process of the EU enlargement.
“It will not be stopped because of that. However, developments in Greece have already led to changes in the eurozone in terms of increasing control over implementing the established rules and institution functioning. This may lead to further consolidation of fiscal policies, including possible establishing of the EU fiscal union. These new moments will certainly bring new obligations to candidate countries, in the area of the strengthening economic governance, as well as in the direction of fulfilling the conditions for using Euro, once they become the Union member states,” Pejovic said.
Serbian analyst, Dusan Janjic, argued that Montenegro had opened more than half of the chapters, and that the Greek crisis would have much more impact on the countries waiting for the opening of chapters.
“The states on the Balkans are not in the same position. Some of them are at the beginning, and Montenegro has passed over a half of its path. I think the real effects of the crisis will be felt in two or three years and Montenegro will be at the brink of the EU then. The rest of the countries will probably be at the beginning of negotiations and they will face a strong wave of Euroscepticism,” Janjic said.
He stressed that for Greece as well as for the EU and the Balkans, it would be much better if the country left the eurozone as soon as possible.
