Podgorica, (MINA) – Montenegro is genuinely accelerating in European integration process, rather than just making progress, assessed adviser to the Deputy Parliament Speaker and Europe Now Movement (PES) official Stevan Kandic, warning that the stalemate in the electoral reform sends a bad message for the country’s EU path.

In an interview with the MINA News Agency, he said that Montenegro’s progress is particularly evident in the regional context.

“Serbia, for example, temporarily closed two chapters, while other candidate countries have not entered the closing phase at all”, Kandic said, adding that Montenegro’s European path can no longer be viewed as an abstract perspective, but as a process with concrete results.

He emphasized that the legislative work of the Parliament has been intensified, pointing out that 201 laws were adopted last year, of which more than 120 were directly related to the EU agenda.

Kandic said that the Parliament has already adopted more than 70 laws this year, mostly EU membership related, while more than 40 are currently in the process, adding that he expects a new record in the number of adopted laws by the end of the year.

“That’s why I believe that today Montenegro has the result, energy, and the momentum to bring its European story to completion. The most important thing is to maintain this pace, because citizens finally see that progress is being made not only in words, but also in numbers, laws and closed chapters”, Kandic said.

Speaking about political relations, Kandic noted that tensions do not contribute to the integration process, but that they must not be an excuse for slowing down Montenegro’s European path.

Commenting on the decision of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) to withdraw from certain parliamentary bodies, Kandic pointed out that the rest of the opposition still participates in parliamentary work, and that “we should not create an impression of a complete institutional blockade where it does not exist”.

Speaking about the reform of the electoral legislation, Kandic said that part of the key reforms have already been implemented, but that the remaining issues are still awaiting political agreement.

He recalled that in July 2025, through the work of the parliamentary committee, three significant amendments to the Law on the Election of Councilors and Members of Parliament were adopted, which, he said, have already changed the electoral framework.

Speaking about the work of the Parliamentary Electoral Reform Committee, Kandic said this parliamentary working body is in a blockade because some opposition political subjects are not satisfied with the further reform of the electoral legislation. 

Kandic, who is also a PES councilor in the Capital City Assembly, said that, despite the political changes in the local government, the functioning of the Capital City is not under threat, and that key projects are being implemented without interruption.

Commenting on the withdrawal of the Democratic People’s Party (DNP) from the ruling coalition in Podgorica, Kandic said that “there was a lot of political noise”, but that the essential system is functioning.

Speaking about the possibility of forming a new majority, he pointed out that it is a matter of political responsibility of other actors, but that the European Movement will not participate in such processes now.

“Anyone who believes they can form a new majority should do so. As far as we are concerned, the date of the election is set for June 13, 2027. Until then, we will focus exclusively on work, results and projects that change the face of Podgorica”, said Kandic.