For the past six months, the Parliament has declined to include a proposal to send members of the Montenegrin Army to the European Union Support Mission to Ukraine (EUMAM) in its procedures, thereby neglecting its European obligations as a candidate for membership, the Center for Democratic Transition (CDT) reported.

Jovana Đurišić, who serves as the editor for research and digital projects at CDT, remarked that this reflects Montenegro’s reluctance to fully embrace its European commitments and core values held by EU countries.

She noted that Montenegro’s actions indicate a desire not to align itself with nations that promote shared values and aspire to cooperation.

“To the EU countries that openly declare that aggression against Ukraine has occurred and take substantial measures to offer this nation political and material support,” Đurišić stated.

She reminded that the EUMAM mission was created by the European Council in 2022 in response to Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, aimed at assisting the affected country.

According to Đurišić, in September 2023, Montenegro officially requested to join the EU mission that involves military support and training for Ukrainian soldiers.

“A year later, the Defense and Security Council submitted a proposal to the Parliament regarding the participation of Montenegrin troops in this mission. However, the legislative body, led by Andrija Mandić, has yet to introduce the proposal into parliamentary procedure, let alone debate or vote on it,” Đurišić highlighted.

She mentioned that the Assembly has not responded to the CDT’s inquiries about the absence of action and any potential timelines.

“The six-month delay starkly illustrates Montenegro’s lack of political vision or the capacity to adopt a policy in line with the EU and its members, suggesting an inability to implement even the initiatives for which it has applied,” Đurišić assessed.

She also recalled that during the last Intergovernmental Conference with the EU in December, Montenegro failed to close Chapter 31, which concerns foreign, security, and defense policy—a goal that the government had aimed to achieve in the previous year.

“If this so-called ‘efficient and dedicated’ fulfillment of obligations under this chapter continues, and if political maneuvers coupled with calculations regarding principles and values persist, this chapter could remain an unattainable aspiration for the current state leadership,” concluded Đurišić.

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