Varhelji met Mandić and said the EU door is open for Montenegro, he doesn't mind that he denied the state of BiH with Dodik

(Patria) - European Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelji visited Montenegro today and met with the Speaker of the Parliament of Montenegro Andrija Mandić, who had previously hosted Milorad Dodik, President of Republika Srpska. In a statement to the media after the meeting with Dodik, Mandić denied the statehood of BiH and its sovereignty and territorial integrity, stating that "Montenegro respects Republika Srpska, which, together with the Federation of BiH, created BiH." Dodik also presented Mandić with a proposal for an agreement on special ties, similar to those Republika Srpska has with Serbia.

However, such statements by the heads of institutions of a country aspiring to EU membership about another independent state apparently do not bother Varhelji.

He announced today that the doors of the European Union (EU) are wide open for Montenegro and that he sees a coalition in Montenegro "that is producing results, and a majority that is stable and trustworthy".

“The impact is already there. With the new Government, with the new coalition in power and the new parliamentary majority, we have seen results in reforms. This has created a completely different atmosphere in Brussels. Montenegro has shown that it is not only willing but also capable of achieving results,” Varhelji told TVCG.

He believes it was crucial that the most difficult decisions regarding the rule of law have already been made by the parliament and the government.

“We still have numerous issues that require results, which we call the provisional benchmarks for Chapters 23 and 24. This means that if Montenegro wants to move to the next phase of negotiations, which means completing them and gaining membership, there is still work to be done in the judiciary, some appointments are missing, some laws… And there is a need to fight organized crime and corruption,” the European Commissioner added.

“Anything that could jeopardize this would also slow down Montenegro's chances of moving quickly to the next phase of negotiations in the summer. Montenegro needs to be united in its need to be the next member of the EU,” Varhelji emphasized.

When asked about the dates for enlargement, Varhelji said:

“The accession process is based on merit, and the question is when Montenegro can become a member. It could be 2027, 2028, 2030. The question is when Montenegro can fulfill all the conditions, we will help Montenegro, now we see that things can be completed.”