OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, PODGORICA — Montenegro’s chances of moving rapidly towards accession to the European Union are “great” and “realistic”, President Filip Vujanović told the OSCE Magazine in early October. By the end of this year, Montenegro expects to sign the European Union’s Stabilization and Association Agreement — the first legal step towards its accession.

The country has world-renowned natural scenery that is attracting tourists and investors, a sound economic development framework, and — with just 630,000 inhabitants — a favourable demographic profile.

“In countries with relatively small territories and populations, it is faster and easier to undertake reforms,” said the 52-year-old head of State, who was elected in May 2003 for a five-year term after having served as Acting President for six months. Earlier, he also held the post of Prime Minister for four years.

In contrast to the long road to the EU, entry into the OSCE [1] took only 19 days. After the referendum on Montenegro’s legal status as a State on 21 May and the declaration of independence on 3 June, the Government made known its wish to join the OSCE before any other organization. Less than three weeks later, on 22 June, Montenegrin Ambassador Vesko Garcevic took his seat in the Permanent Council.

On 1 September, a related momentous event took place in Finland. The Prime Minister of Montenegro at the time, Milo Djukanović, signed the Helsinki Final Act in Finlandia Hall — where the Yugoslav leader, Marshall Tito, had signed the landmark document 31 years earlier.

President Vujanović said the fast accession of Montenegro to the OSCE was “the best evidence of the good co-operation between us”, adding: “This kind of attitude is highly appreciated.”

He said he regarded the Organization as a supportive partner of Montenegro as it continued on its challenging reform path. “The OSCE can help us in our efforts to adopt standards set by the EU,” he said. “So far, we have received extraordinary assistance from the Organization in all areas of reform — whether it relates to public administration, the judiciary and the police, or the media. We expect this support to become even more intensive as we carry the processes through to their full completion.”

In the recent past, the political landscape in Montenegro was dominated by a debate about whether the Adriatic republic should become independent or stay in a union with Serbia. That debate culminated in a referendum, which was observed by the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

“We are very proud of the way we conducted the referendum and its outcome,” President Vujanović said. “The process that the people of Montenegro went through in solving a sensitive, crucial, strategic and historic issue demonstrated their democratic maturity.”

The President also remarked on how the messages conveyed by the referendum exercise on the one hand, and by decades of conflicts within the region on the other, could not have been more drastically different.

“It gives me particular joy that the country managed to prove that it can offer a good ‘space’ for democracy, with both the State and its citizens committed to further democratization.”

With the independence issue settled, the country has been able to turn its attention to tackling other challenges: The unemployment rate is almost 30 per cent and the per capita GDP, estimated at 2,648 euros in 2005, lags behind that of other former Yugoslav countries.

“Our priority is to improve the social and economic climate,” President Vujanović said. “Our responsibility is to maintain macro-economic stability, continue encouraging investment flows into Montenegro, and create competitive conditions for the development of entrepreneurship.”

OSCE Magazine December 2006

*Mrs. Susanna Lööf is Press Officer in the OSCE Secretariat’s Press and Public Information Section.