The Party of European Progress (SEP) points out that Montenegro has been leading a demanding and long process of European integration for years.
“This is not the result of one government or one political group, but the continuity of several administrations and institutions that carried out most of the technical and reform work. Today’s government is trying to catch up with the new momentum of the European Union’s enlargement policy, aware that in that process it can count on stronger support from Brussels,” SEP said.
The messages coming from the European Union, as they say, are encouraging, but at the same time they are a clear warning.
“The new rules and mechanisms in the accession treaties show that the EU will no longer tolerate the formal fulfillment of obligations without the real application of values. There is no more room for “Trojan horses” within the Union.
For the first time, the introduction of protective clauses into the accession agreement of Montenegro – mechanisms that would allow the European Union to react if the country does not ensure the actual implementation of the standards after formal progress – is being openly discussed. These mechanisms are not a surprise: their introduction was announced and then formalized last year. However, only now, after they were emphasized again in the latest messages from Brussels, it becomes clear that their application will be concrete and immediate,” SEP said.
And while, as they say, we receive encouragement from the outside, we receive a warning from the inside.
“Instead of talking about rising standards and improving the rights of employees on the days of the International Labor Day, we are faced with the fact that a large number of workers in Montenegro are still without basic protection. The warnings coming from the EU Delegation in Montenegro are not a diplomatic phrase – they are a precise signal that the state is not fulfilling its essential obligations. It is clearly stated: without a measurable strengthening of the social dialogue, there is no progress in the negotiations, especially within the framework of Chapter 19. This is not a technical issue – it is a test of maturity states,” SEP said.
That is why, SEP says, the message is clear: the European Union wants Montenegro, but it will not accept a weak system.
“Joining the EU is no longer a question of “if”, but only “how”. Will we enter as an orderly society with strong institutions, protected workers and real social dialogue – or as a country that has formally closed chapters, but essentially remained unfinished?” asked SEP.
The Party of European Progress warns that the way we regulate labor rights, institutions and social dialogue today will be directly reflected in the conditions of our membership and the position of Montenegro within the European Union.
“The European path is not a political slogan. It is a daily test of responsibility. And we are not passing that test – currently – well enough,” concludes SEP.
