Đurović: The resolution on Jasenovac and the cancellation of Michel's visit are minuses that can slow down the EU path

AUTHOR: M.J.
After recently obtaining the IBAR for Chapters 23 and 24, she achieved important progress towards the EU, and then the visit of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, to Montenegro was canceled and relations between Podgorica and Zagreb cooled due to the adoption of the Resolution on Jasenovac, the former Montenegrin Minister of European Integration, Gordana Đurović assessed that Montenegro received two "diplomatic minuses", which can affect the country's European path.
Đurović states that "one diplomatic minus is the adoption of the Resolution on Genocide in the system of Jasenovac, Dachau and Mauthausen camps, and the second is the cancellation of the official visit of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, who was supposed to visit Podgorica after Montenegro received IBAR.
According to her assessment, "the adoption of the Resolution on Jasenovac contributed to Montenegro not being included in the conclusions of the European Council on the progress of the candidate countries", which, Đurović reminds, is a key document that speaks of progress in the previous period.
- And when you are not in the conclusions of the European Council, it is as if the conference never took place. This is a big minus in the promotion of good news coming from the EU - warns Đurović.
She believes that Montenegro "opens up space for entering the zone of potential blockage of the accession process in one of its subsequent phases".
- There are known instruments that are available to EU member states, if they have some bilateral problems with one of the candidate countries - Đurović states.
According to Đurović, the resolution on Jasenovac does not contribute to the culture of memory, but, as he states, "is a necessity of daily politics in Montenegro and the collapse of the foreign policy positions of Montenegro, which has inherited good neighborly relations for decades."
Đurović also states that "Montenegro has been worsening relations with neighboring Croatia for months" and indicates that "there is no reasonable basis for this".
- Instead of reducing the number of open bilateral issues with neighboring Croatia, Montenegro multiplies that number. In this way, we put ourselves in a more difficult position, which gives us a weaker starting position for negotiations. Croatia can block the closing of a negotiation chapter, postpone the Intergovernmental Conference...Croatia is not the EU, but it is an EU member state with full voting rights, because the enlargement policy is based on consensus - Đurović points out.
She also said that she "does not see that the adoption of the Resolution on Jesenovac is something praised by Serbia".
- Hymns, sincere congratulations, or even protocol diplomatic congratulations were missing... No one from Serbia praised us for adopting the resolution on Jasenovac. We brag about how we are the only ones on the planet to do that, and now the question is what did we get out of it. We spoiled relations with Croatia, we did not improve relations with Serbia, and the adoption of that Resolution only brought additional internal political turbulence - says Đurović.
She believes that the political actors in Montenegro, after the adoption of the Resolution on Jasenovac, are in the same positions with regard to their electorate.
- Messages to the electorate that had populist and ethno-nationalist overtones are known to the internal public. Everyone is in the same position regarding their relationship with their electorate, but the situation is becoming politically radicalized, which can cause a negative domino effect. It may cause other ethnic groups to feel threatened now. We should reduce those resolutions in our Parliament and deal with European integration in the way that is expected of Montenegro - states Đurović.
She says that if Montenegro wants to successfully end the negotiation process, it must preserve good neighborly relations, create a good negotiation platform and adopt a reform agenda.
When it comes to Montenegro's EU membership, Đurović says he doesn't want to bid on dates.
- In European terminology – the window opened for us, we would go through the door. The door is not yet open, it is half-open - concluded the former Minister of European Integration of Montenegro.