Podgorica, (MINA) - Montenegro needs national unity in order to achieve the set goals from the European agenda in the coming months, said Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorcevic, adding that it will also be a test of the real commitment of political actors to European integration.

 

In an interview with the MINA News Agency, Gorcevic said that the formation of a working party for drafting Montenegro’s Accession Treaty is a strong political signal from Brussels and announced that an expert working group will soon be formed in Montenegro to work on that document.

 

“The formation of the working party is a positive signal from the member states, not only in terms of political support, which is extremely important to us, but also in terms of recognition of everything that Montenegro has done so far”, stated Gorcevic.

 

She believes that the beginning of the drafting of the Accession Treaty, which will take place in parallel with the closing of negotiation chapters, is an important step forward not only for Montenegro, but also for the EU enlargement policy, assessing that it is a strong signal for other candidate countries as well, since it is the first time in 14 years that the drafting of the accession treaty for a new member state has begun.

 

 

Speaking about the protective mechanisms that will form part of the Accession Treaty, Gorcevic said that they will not apply exclusively to Montenegro, but to all future EU member states.

 

She said that several areas are emerging as issues of concern among member states, adding that she would communicate further on them in the coming months.

 

Gorcevic said that this could refer to compliance with the EU’s common foreign and security policy, as well as the rule of law and results in the fight against organized crime and corruption.

 

She dismissed speculations that protective mechanisms could mean limited EU membership for Montenegro or the denial of veto rights.

 

“Montenegro’s position is very clear. We want full membership in the EU”, said Gorcevic, adding that this position has been communicated to the European Commission and member states.

 

Speaking about the mood among the member states regarding enlargement, she said that the formation of a working party to draft the accession treaty shows strong support for Montenegro among the EU members, but she warned that ratification process would require serious political and diplomatic engagement of Montenegro.

 

No time for political calculations, national unity needed

 

Speaking about the political situation in Montenegro and relations between the government and the opposition, Gorcevic said that the European path must not be held hostage to party interests and pre-election calculations.

 

“I am very aware that the opposition parties must prepare for the elections, but this is not partisan or personal interests. This is a fight for Montenegro, in which we must all persevere together if we want to be an EU member”, she said.

 

Gorcevic pointed out the paradox that Montenegro has a pro-European opposition that does not want to vote on European laws, even though it is aware that adopting those laws would help Montenegro become the next EU member.

 

When asked whether the government would initiate talks with the opposition due to the situation in the parliament, she said that the government always extended a hand to the opposition.

 

She said that she understands that there are certain concerns regarding the laws on the National Security Agency and internal affairs, but pointed out that these laws are being harmonized and that, in communication with the European Commission, they will be amended again by the end of June.

 

According to Gorcevic, the period until the end of the year will represent a test of maturity for all actors in society.

 

Next chapters to close are chapters 2 and 28

 

Speaking about the dynamics of closing negotiation chapters, Gorcevic said that four chapters are before the European Commission at the moment, and that in the coming weeks, the remaining chapters will be submitted one by one, as they are finalized.

 

“Our goal is to internally prepare the most difficult negotiation chapters by the end of July, primarily those related to the rule of law and environmental protection, which means that we have a large number of obligations ahead”, she said, stressing that the pace does not depend only on Montenegro.

 

According to Gorcevic, 50 to 60 laws should be adopted by the Parliament by the end of June or July, depending on the dynamics of the Parliament’s work.

 

She pointed out that several intergovernmental conferences are expected to be held by the end of July.

 

“The next chapters to be closed are 2 and 28, and it depends on the European Commission whether it will happen at the end of this month or at the beginning of next”, Gorcevic said, recalling the plan for all chapters to be closed by the end of December.

 

As she stressed, the key challenge is communication with all 27 member states, but also the internal preparation of citizens, institutions and administration for everything that will follows after Montenegro joins the EU.

 

“When we close all the chapters, the work will not be finished, we will have to secure the political support of all 27 member states, but also to prepare our citizens and institutions for what follows”, said Gorcevic. 

 

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