Montenegro will not compromise on the quality of reforms because of the pace at which it is progressing, Prime Minister Milojko Spajić stated at the panel "The Geopolitical Imperative for Enlargement", held in Brussels at the European Union (EU) Enlargement Forum.
Alongside Spajić, the panel included the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos; the Prime Minister of Moldova, Alexandru Munteanu; the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas; and the European Commissioner for Defence, Andrius Kubilius.
Spajić said that European integration is a process requiring two sides, and that Montenegro is very pleased that developments are accelerating.
"As EU candidate countries, we do not receive any special treatment; we are not saying that we do not have to do the things required of us. It will not happen that, because of the speed at which we are moving forward, we fall short in the quality of reforms," he said.
He assessed that this is the right moment for EU enlargement and that Podgorica wants to take advantage of it.
"We need ‘doors of opportunity’, not a ‘window of opportunity’, in order to make full use of what is being offered. We want to close all chapters in record time, but this would not be unprecedented – other countries that are now members have done the same," he noted.
The European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, said that it is possible for Montenegro to be admitted even without internal changes in the Union. "Do you know how small Montenegro is? It is the size of one third of Vienna, like Toulouse or Stuttgart… Of course we can integrate Montenegro; in 2004, seventy million people joined the EU and we managed to integrate them," she explained.
Kallas: The doors open, then close
The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, referring to Spajić’s statement about the "doors of opportunity", said that if one looks at the history of negotiations between candidate states and the EU, the doors open, then close.
"For the citizens of member states, it is important to explain why enlargement matters, but now we come to the question. We find ourselves in a world where the geopolitical situation is changing rapidly, and we are already struggling with some member states that do not see the situation the way we do. That is why we ask candidate countries – are you with us?" Kallas asked.
Speaking about the frozen EU accession negotiations with Türkiye, Kallas said that Ankara is needed in Brussels, and that the EU wants to cooperate with it, noting that there are various areas where their interests align.
"We are trying to balance the interests we have while also raising questions about the values we stand for," she added.
The European Commissioner for Defence, Kubilius, said that the enlargement process is extremely important, and that the successful integration of the Western Balkan countries, Moldova and Ukraine could inspire hope in societies such as Belarus or Russia.
"Our aim is to create peace on the European continent; we do not want to ‘keep looking over our shoulders’ because of Russia and its President, Vladimir Putin," he added.
(EUpravo zato)
