25 October 2018 - Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković on the occasion of conference held by Chamber of Economy of Montenegro assessed that the country has completed the most difficult part of the process of European integration, that the closing of negotiation chapters represents an easier part of the integration process and that our country will definitely join the European Union before 2025 or in 2025.
"Over the past thirty years, the European perspective of the Western Balkans has never been more certain, and the Balkans have never been in a better position. This does not mean that we are not exposed to risks. Instabilities come as a result of different processes on the global scene. A very rapid increase in protectionism and populist ideas, but also developments such as the tensions between big economies such as China, the United States and the EU. In this context, the Balkans are implementing its European agenda, and Montenegro and Serbia are the front-runners on this path. However, Montenegro is not rushing with the date of its membership and we think it should have been faster, but that does not depend on us. We consider this process as an opportunity to adopt European values. The aim of our European perspective is not the membership in the EU, but our European values. Regarding the deadlines, the process of closing the chapters will be easier than the first one. We will be in the European Union before 2025 or maybe in 2025," Prime Minister Marković said at the beginning of the panel "Economic and European Perspective of the Balkans".
Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia Rasim Ljajić and Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia Kocho Angjushev also took part in the panel. The panel was hosted by journalist of the Austrian state television ORF, Christian Wehrschütz, an expert in the Balkans region.
Answering the moderator's question about the obstacles to the faster and better progress in the Western Balkans, Prime Minister Marković said that the biggest obstacle is precisely the countries of the region, certain governments, i.e. prime ministers because they act contrary to the undertaken obligations.
"The Berlin Process began as a diplomatic initiative. Today, its content and the spirit are mostly economic issues. ... Through the Berlin Process, an important document has emerged – an Action Plan that should provide the implementation of the connection plan. We signed it in Trieste – the prime ministers of six countries. Let me be open among my friends and colleagues: We haven't completely met this commitment. We need to change the way we behave in the Region when we make a commitment we need to meet it. It should be our standard. None of our partners should remind us. Not all governments have seen the process in the same way. We have the precise tasks of overcoming the economic barriers and administrative constraints. And then, in the midst of these activities, not to talk about the needs of our economies, we behave differently: some countries impose taxes on imports of agricultural products. Montenegro shows full responsibility, and I think that we have fulfilled the obligations from the Action Plan to the details," the Prime Minister concluded.
