Tonino Picula, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Serbia, stated that Montenegro’s leading political party, the Europe Now Movement, has formed a coalition with a pro-Serbian faction that openly opposes the country’s NATO and EU membership.

Picula remarked, “They are a pro-Russian faction and merely feign a desire for Montenegro’s progress towards the EU.”

According to Hina, he added that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, if he retains power, will not allow Montenegro to move significantly away from Serbia regarding EU membership.

He mentioned, “Serbia is the most influential among the candidate countries for membership, but with the current leadership playing a balancing act, it’s unrealistic for Serbia to join the European Union.”

Picula expressed his belief that President Vučić’s intent is not to join the EU, as doing so would require adherence to stringent EU rules concerning democracy, media freedom, and minority rights. Instead, he accused Vučić of pursuing his own agendas, as reported by Hina.

Along with Belgian MP Katlen Van Brempt, responsible for enlargement within the Social Democrats’ group, and Austrian MP Andreas Schieder, who serves as the rapporteur for Albania, Picula discussed the significance of enlargement in the geopolitical landscape.

He stated that Serbia follows a so-called multi-vector foreign policy.

“Serbia’s foreign policy rests on four pillars — the European Union, the United States, Russia, and China. It is unrealistic to expect to maintain balance with all four simultaneously. Our values and geopolitical aspirations do not align with those of Russia and China in most respects, and they align even less so with the United States,” Picula explained.

When asked if Serbia’s current leadership could lead the country into the EU, Picula responded negatively, stressing that achieving the ambitious goal of completing negotiations by the end of 2026, as claimed by Serbian leaders, would necessitate a radical shift in various policies.

“Ultimately, it is up to the citizens of Serbia to decide the type of government they wish for, and it is the responsibility of EU institutions to determine whether Serbia fulfills the necessary standards for progression towards membership,” he said.

Currently, Montenegro and Albania are at the forefront of the accession process. Serbia has not opened any new negotiation chapters in the past three years, North Macedonia faces blocks due to bilateral issues, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo lag behind, according to Hina.

Many countries are standing by for their chance to join the EU, but Social Democratic MPs caution against expecting all of them to join the existing 27 simultaneously.

The last expansion occurred in 2013 with Croatia’s accession, marking the longest stretch in the history of EU enlargement without a new member.

With each crisis, enthusiasm for enlargement has waned, although the process has gained renewed momentum following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, which placed Ukraine and Moldova alongside Western Balkan countries on the list of potential candidates.

“Enlargement is fundamentally a peace project, which is why we are committed to continuing it. We require one or two positive examples, and then in about 10 to 15 years, we can hopefully complete the process,” Van Brempt stated.

Addressing the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, MEPs praised Germany and Austria for barring entry to Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik and expressed hope that other member states would follow suit.

Picula described Dodik as a byproduct of Bosnia’s dysfunctional system, established by the Dayton Peace Agreement, and asserted that Dodik should face arrest. Regarding election law issues in the other entity, the Federation of BiH, Picula emphasized the necessity to respect decisions from the BiH Constitutional Court.

“I would advocate for more balanced relations within the Federation of BiH. The election law requires changes, and while we commend the Constitutional Court’s decisions regarding Dodik, we must equally honor its rulings on equal representation in BiH,” Picula concluded.

Schieder highlighted that Bosnia and Herzegovina lacks political alternatives focused on addressing social and economic issues, catering instead to ethnic tensions.

News