Montenegrin President: Countries Not Genuinely Committed to the EU Values Shouldn’t Join the Union

Jakov Milatovic (BETAPHOTO/STA/Daniel Novakovic)

Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic in Warsaw on Oct. 13 said that the European Union (EU) must not create some sort of waiting room, but stressed that candidate countries which fulfill their obligations regarding reforms and policy alignment must become full-fledged members, while those that are not genuinely committed to the EU values should not join the bloc.

“Gradual integration must be a bridge to membership in the EU. The EU must not create some kind of waiting room for countries that have fulfilled their obligations. The goal must remain clear, as well as membership itself and the membership criteria,” Milatovic said at the Warsaw Security Forum.

The Montenegro president stressed that among all candidate countries, Podgorica has advanced farthest on the EU path, closed the largest number of chapters and has followed EU policies, while not seeking any shortcuts or privileges.

Milatovic warned that a country which does not sincerely respect the EU values and does not fulfill its obligations must not join the EU, because such a country would bring instability to the Union and strategic vulnerability and may threaten the resilience of the entire EU.

He also warned that during accession negotiations, the EU members should not present some bilateral issues as obstacles to candidate countries or make their admission conditional on resolution of such issues.