Podgorica, (MINA) – Ireland supports Montenegro’s ambition to close all negotiation chapters with the European Union by the end of the year, and during its presidency of the Council of the EU, it will advocate that enlargement remain a priority, said the country’s ambassador to Serbia with non-resident accreditation to Montenegro, Kevin Colgan.

 

In an interview with the MINA News Agency, he said that welcoming new members for Ireland is about strengthening Europe as a whole, adding that a credible enlargement process is an investment in permanent peace, stability, security and shared prosperity across the continent.

 

Colgan said that Montenegro is the clear frontrunner for the next EU member and that the progress made to-date, in particular over the past year, was breathtaking.

 

“This hard work truly created a real sense of momentum behind Montenegro”, Colgan said.

 

According to him, at the beginning of its presidency, Ireland has made it clear that they stand ready to assist Montenegro’s accession in any way they can.

 

“We support Montenegro’s ambition of closing all negotiation chapters by the end of the year. There is a lot of hard work yet to do, but we believe that it is possible if Montenegro continues to deliver”, Colgan said.

 

Speaking about the reforms that should be the priority for the Montenegrin authorities over the next six months, Colgan said that Montenegro has already completed a huge amount of legislative work required for the EU acquis, including the process of constitutional changes launched last week.

 

He emphasized that joining the EU requires cross-societal buy-in and that it was encouraging to see that EU membership has become a shared national objective in Montenegro, across the political divide.

 

“It will be important for Montenegro to build on this unity by delivering further crucial reforms as it approaches the final strech of the accession process”, Colgan said.

 

According to him, it is natural for member states to want to be joined by countries that share the EU’s core values, including democracy, equality, human rights and the rule of law.

 

Those fundamental and shared values, according to Colgan, cut across all the EU’s activities, and are set out in laws and agreed upon by all member states.

 

“This includes an independent judiciary, continued progress in tackling corruption and organized crime, and strong and accountable institutions”, Colgan said.

 

Asked about Ireland’s expectations regarding the pace of Montenegro’s progress by the end of the year, Colgan said Ireland hopes to see Montenegro continue the strong progress it has achieved over the past year.

 

When asked about future intergovernmental conferences, he stated that Ireland, as Presidency, will do everything it can to ensure the process moves forward efficiently if Montenegro is ready and there is agreement among member states.

 

Speaking about the role of Presidency in case of political obstacles or even blockades by individual member states, Colgan said that the task of the Presidency is to bring member states together.

 

“Ireland will act as an honest broker, working impartially to build consensus and help the EU deliver on the issues that matter most to its citizens”, Colgan said.

  

Colgan said that Ireland as the Presidency can select the areas of priority for discussion and reform.

 

“With this in mind, we will ensure that enlargement of the European Union remains a priority. We welcome the serious momentum behind enlargement currently and we want to build upon it”, Colgan said.

 

According to him, welcoming new members for Ireland is not simply about expanding the Union, but about strengthening Europe as a whole.

 

Blocking EU membership process can create opportunity for malign actors 

 

Commenting on Croatia’s opposition to Montenegro’s attempts to provisionally close Chapter 31, Colgan recalled on the experiences when bilateral issues blocked the progression of some candidate countries.

 

“Ireland believes in a merit-based process. We do not believe that bilateral disagreements should influence progress towards EU membership”, said Colgan.

 

He warned that blocking progress on EU membership can create an opportunity for malign actors to spread anti-EU sentiment, which, according to him, could have negative consequences for the region.

 

“It is important for countries to reflect on the wider implications of the bilateralization, particularly in the current geopolitical context”, Colgan said.

 

EU membership national project, important broad support

 

Speaking about the importance of preserving broad political consensus on European integration in the country, Colgan remarked that EU membership is a national project and that it is most successful when it enjoys broad support across political parties, institutions and society.

 

He assessed that it is encouraging to see broad support across Montenegro for European integration.