Podgorica/London, (MINA) – Montenegro is making steady progress in adopting the European system of values and better quality of life for its citizens and it will be the next country to join the European Union, Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic has stated.
During his visit to London, Djukanovic delivered a lecture at the Oxford Union on the topic of ‘European Perspective of the Western Balkans – Montenegro’s Experience’.
Addressing the event, the President said that only a united Europe is a stable Europe and that Montenegro will be the next country to join the EU.
“We are not asking for any shortcuts to EU membership. It is not the status that is important for us. What is important is the quality of life. We want our citizens to live like EU citizens do. We want the EU accession process to run normally, without rushing things unnecessarily and to make sure that everything that is done is done well,” Djukanovic explained.
He remarked that the integration of the Western Balkans is critical for Europe.
The President, however, said that he understands those who are calling for the consolidation of Europe.
“Every system needs to be consolidated after a crisis, but the best consolidation of Europe is its unification. That is why these processes need to run in parallel, by both consolidating Europe and by helping it to recover its architecture that has proved to be insufficiently solid in times of crisis, while also not jeopardizing the visions of further unification of Europe,” Djukanovic said.
He remarked that in the past 15 years Europe did little towards its cohesion.
“For too long Europe has been drawing the motivation for its unity from the peace that has been secured, which is the EU’s greatest value after the Second World War. However, there are new generations today who no longer remember those wars and who may not even care about them,” Djukanovic said.
He added that, therefore, leaders at the national and European level need to reinvent the cohesive factor of the future European integration.
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