After ten years as Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union (EU) and High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), Mr. Javier Solana announced in beginning July this year that he will not apply for a new mandate, which ends on October 31st, 2009.

As part of a three-day farewell trip in the Western Balkans that already conducted him in Serbia (Belgrade; July 13), FYR Macedonia (Skopje; 14 morning) and Kosovo (Priština; 14 afternoon end), today, this Wednesday July 15, 2009, Mr. Solana visited the coastal town of Kotor where he was welcomed upon arrival by the President of the Parliament, Mr. Ranko Krivokapić (SDP), before holding talks with him in the Yellow Salon of the Maritime Museum (11:00am). During a very open and friendly conversation, Messrs. Solana and Krivokapić exchanged views on foreign policy priorities, political and economic situation in Montenegro, with an emphasis on Montenegro-EU relations, the future challenges on the country’s road to the EU and its work agenda for fulfilling its European obligations, especially underlining that the primary motive of Montenegro’s accession to the EU was not clearly of an economic nature, but rather on sharing common political values responding to regional peace, security and development issues.

Subsequently, Mr. Solana went to the building of the Municipality, welcomed by Mrs. Marija Ćatović, Mayor of Kotor and Representative in the Chamber of Local Authorities of the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. After an encounter with Mayor Ćatović and representatives of the Municipality during which he warmly congratulated them upon their successful management of the city, Mr. Solana had there two separate meeting with T.Exc. the Minister for Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mr. Milan Roćen, (11:45am) and with the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Mr. Milo Đukanović (01:15pm), followed by a joint press point and working lunch.

In comments to reporters, Mr. Solana said: “I have come here today on a very important day for your country and for the region. The decision on visa liberalisation is very significant and will be of particular benefit to the young and business people. We will continue working to get your country closer and closer to Europe. The European perspective is a reality!” Regarding the European Commission’s questionnaire to be sent in the coming days to the Montenegrin authorities, Mr. Solana encouraged the latters to work closely with the Commission to ensure that Montenegro meets the conditions for candidate status, urging the country to continue to make good progresses with the necessary reforms and capacity-building, while however praising that “in comparison with other countries that want to join the European Union, Montenegro is the more advanced...”

As for them, both the head of the Montenegrin diplomacy and the Prime Minister successively thanked EU High Representative Solana for continuously providing support to democratic processes in Montenegro, as well as for promoting European policy in the country and the entire Western Balkan region. Being the first of the potential candidate countries for EU membership given the green light for application, Prime Minister Đukanović assured Mr. Solana that Montenegro will respond to the EC’s questionnaire within the set deadline and will create the necessary conditions for obtaining the status of candidate; he also assured his European interlocutor that the latest conditions to be granted visa-free regime in the Schengen Zone members [1] — among other things, the adoption of bylaws to the Law on Foreigners and an enhanced fight against organised crime and corruption — will be completed by the end of October, concluding by: “There is no doubt that in October, and after, all of our international partners, beginning with Europe, will be extremely satisfied with our results on this front.”

During his visit to Kotor, EU High Representative Solana was accompanied by H.E. Mrs. Slavica Milačić, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Montenegro’s Head of Mission to the European Communities.

Born on July 14, 1942 in Madrid, Spain, grand nephew of Mr. Salvador de Madariaga y Rojo (º1886, †1978) — Spanish League of Nations disarmament chief, diplomat, writer and European integrationist, Mr. Javier Solana entered into politics after Francisco Franco’s death (November 20, 1975) through his close personal friend Mr. Felipe González, leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE). Physicist by profession, serving as Spanish Foreign Minister from 1992 to 1995, then as Secretary General of NATO from 1995 to 1999 — in post during the offensive against Serbia in 1999, Mr. Solana has entirely personified for one decade the true face of Europe around the world.