Podgorica, (MINA) – With strong support from the EU, Montenegro has a realistic chance to close the remaining chapters by the end of the year, said director of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights Nevenka Vuksanovic, adding that the country should not miss the opportunity because of possible political disagreements.

 

She said that the plan to close all the remaining negotiation chapters by the end of the year is ambitious, but expressed belief that Montenegro has now advanced more in European integration than ever before and that, if this pace continues, there is a real possibility that the process will be successfully completed.

 

 

 

“What should not be confused is the technical closure of the chapters with the actual implementation of the reforms that the country should undergo and which should essentially be the goal of all steps in the accession process”, said Vuksanovic in an interview with the MINA News Agency.

 

According to her, the technical closure of the chapters requires compromise and political will, while the implementation of key reforms requires much deeper processes, in order to have independent, autonomous institutions, free from political influence.

 

Asked to comment on the formation of the working party tasked with drafting Montenegro’s EU Accession Treaty, she said that she sees it as a signal that the EU is “pushing” Montenegro into the next phase.

 

“It is a very important moment for Montenegro, which must not be wasted because of some possible political disagreements”, said Vuksanovic.

 

Asked what she sees as the biggest challenges Montenegro must overcome to close all chapters by the end of this year, and then prepare for EU membership in 2028, she assessed that political culture is the central problem, as well as administrative capacities. 

 

Asked if the opposition and the government would be able to reach a consensus on important issues, Vuksanovic replied that in her opinion Montenegro will not achieve national consensus, but rather partial agreements.

 

Asked if she believes that it is the government’s duty to initiate and the opposition’s to accept dialogue and show a constructive approach, Vuksanovic said that she fully agrees that the government’s role is to initiate a dialogue in order to find a compromise.

 

When asked whether the EU could initiate some sort of mediation in order to resolve the political crisis in Montenegro, she replied that Montenegro is at a stage when the EU does not want to get involved in direct mediation, “because then all our progress so far cannot be justified”.

 

When asked about the implementation of the electoral legislation reform, Vuksanovic said that the electoral reform was an excellent field that showed the real intentions of the opposition and the government. She further assessed that they did not deal with those issues for the simple reason that it is not in the interest of any of them.