'I can not tell you the date of membership, it depends on your efforts'

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said today in Podgorica that he is a natural place for the Western Balkan countries in the European Union, but that membership will depend on the efforts of each country individually.

At a news conference after talks with Prime Minister Dusko Markovic, Juncker said on the date of joining the EU that he did not come to Podgorica for "blank promises". When asked whether journalists can be more precise about the date of Montenegro's entry into the EU, Juncker said "when everything is ready, it will be ready". "I can not tell you the date of membership, which depends on your efforts and the fulfillment of the criteria," said Juncker.

He said that in 2025, mentioned in the Commission's strategy on the Western Balkans, "it is not a date, but only a perspective" to be followed. Juncker said that the EU has requirements for membership, among which is that territorial disputes must be resolved before joining the Union and assessed Montenegro as a good model and example in the region. The head of the European Commission praised the reforms that Montenegro has taken on its path to membership, but said that more needs to be done.

The Montenegrin prime minister said that there are many challenges on the road to the EU in both Montenegro and the region. Markovic said that Eurointegration and the stabilization of the economy were the goals of his government and that he would focus on chapters 23 and 24 on the rule of law, the fight against organized crime and corruption. He assessed that the most important message of the Commission's strategy for the Western Balkans is that this region will be part of Europe and that it gives the prospect of enlargement. He said that it is good to talk about the time frame for the first time and added that Podgorica believes that this framework is realistic.

He called the opposition to return to the Parliament of Montenegro

Juncker urged the opposition to return to the Assembly and said it was important to establish a dialogue and a "new freshness" about the goal of joining the European Union. "Internal political dialogue is needed more than ever now when your country has made significant progress on its path to the EU ... It's not a moment to lose the enthusiasm that you have shown in the last decades, "said the European Commission President. There were no representatives of the opposition Democratic Front who had returned to the parliamentary seats late last year, as well as representatives of the civil opposition who boycotted the Assembly since the October 2016 elections.

Juncker presented the EU Enlargement Strategy for the Western Balkans within the Balkan tour in Podgorica today, met with Prime Minister Duško Marković and addressed the members of the Parliament of Montenegro. He said that he did not come to Montenegro to "give empty promises and to hold lessons although the EU likes to teach lessons to everyone on the planet". He assessed that Montenegro, in less than 12 years of relations with the Union, shows "a strong will that exceeds a mere technical approach".
"This is a deep engagement, and this is confirmed by the support of the opposition, when it comes to the EU. This engagement should not be weakened, but the speed and quality of reforms, especially crucial ones - reform of the judiciary, the fight against corruption and organized crime - should not be confused, and respect for the independence of the media. Independent media is a pillar of our values and we really attach great importance to them, "said Juncker. He said that the European Commission will now more than ever "closely follow the way in which this legislation is applied."
"And the moment of your entry into the EU will depend on these responses and to that extent there are some inconvenient moments, some judicial issues, when it comes to money laundering affair, whether corruption is treated in an independent framework, whether the media is independent. .. These are all issues that are not exclusively related to Montenegro, but to all candidate countries. And sometimes, I must admit, to some countries that are already EU members, "Juncker said. He said that in 2014 he said that his mandate at the head of the Commission would not be enlargement, and that he "can now say that in the coming years the EU will have more than 27 members."

Juncker said that the EU's trade with the Balkan countries was worth 43 billion euros, thus illustrating the dynamics of economic relations.

• 27 Feb, 2018
• 1016 views

• 1 comment

Studiram kakvu sposobnost nesposobni ima da unisti onog stoje sposoban. Sto covjek okusi vise gorcine ima vecu ceznju za slascu. Volim prirodne i normalne stvari.. Ljubav brzinom stecena je kratkog vjeka zato nezurite... :)

• 4 Mar, 2018 at 14:46

Ma Jebla te UN.... Eluminatska Banda i hladnokrvne ubice. sta to ima tuj da se uclanuje. treba to razjebat sve i razorit