08 May 2019 - The EU needs to integrate the Western Balkans quickly to safeguard its future as well as protect the buffer region from Russian and Chinese influence, Montenegro's president Milo Đukanović said on Wednesday.

Pro-European Union Đukanović is his country's longest-serving politician. He led it into NATO in 2017 and is steering its EU membership bid in the face of fierce Russian opposition.

Moscow, through politics, and Beijing, via loans, aims to "prevent NATO and EU expansion in the Balkans," Đukanović told Reuters in an interview.

That meant the region needed to be "the zone of the European Union's responsibility and its strategic interest".

"Unless the EU realises that, I am afraid its future might be in jeopardy," he said, speaking a day before verdicts are due in the trial of alleged participants in a 2016 coup plot against him.

Out of six Western Balkans' EU aspirants, the tiny Adriatic state and neighbouring Serbia are next in line to join, though neither is likely to become an EU state in the foreseeable future.

They have been told they must root out organised crime, corruption and nepotism and reduce red tape first, and the political elite in both countries is deeply divided between pro-EU and pro-Russia camps.

Both governments have this year faced a wave of protests over alleged corruption, cronyism and abuse of office.

Meanwhile, the EU is cutting funding to the Western Balkan countries along with the World Bank and other western lenders, leaving China to fill the gap.

"Third parties, such as Russia and China, are making gains due to a lack of a concrete EU activity in the region," he said, citing enlargement fatigue and internal political tensions as factors in the latter's shift towards a more hands-off approach

A Chinese loan for the first phase of a new highway link with Serbia has sent Montenegro's debt soaring and forced its government to raise taxes and partially freeze public sector wages to get its finances in order.

"Why don't the European financial institutions offer the same conditions," said Đukanović, defending the deal.

He said that reforms he was trying to pursue - including structural ones to maintain strong economic growth - had led to protests, but said foreign powers had also played their part.

The 2016 election day assassination plot that Đukanović survived was designed to bring a pro-Russian party to power.

"Divided societies are the remnants of the wars of the 1990s. The politics of nationalism has been defeated but not buried, and some of these people are trying to revive it and cannot accept the fact that our place is in the EU," he said.

Source: Reuters (Reporting by Maja Zuvela; editing by John Stonestreet)

08 May 2019 - The EBRD held its 2019 Annual Meeting and Business Forum in Sarajevo on 7-8 May, throwing a spotlight on the economic opportunities in the Western Balkans, where the EBRD is a major investor.

About 2,000 delegates attended the conference, which focused on the business outlook for Western Balkan economies and on how growth in the region can be strengthened. The leaders of the six Western Balkan nations – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia – attended the conference, taking part in a high-level panel discussion that underscored the importance of regional cooperation.

Regional cooperation and integration played a key role at the Annual Meeting and Business Forum, where the theme this year was Connecting Economies for Stronger Growth. Particularly in the Western Balkans, the EBRD has placed a very high priority on promoting connectivity via its investments, to promote both physical infrastructure links as well as ties between markets that strengthen trade and improve the business climate as the countries continue on their path towards EU approximation.

The EBRD is a leading investor in the Western Balkans, providing a record level of finance of €1.1 billion in 2018, and supporting their economies’ goal of membership of the European Union.

The EBRD expects continued steady economic growth in the six Western Balkan countries in 2019, despite a cooling international economic environment which may see the pace of growth slowing in some countries in the region.

Presenting its latest economic forecasts at the EBRD’s Annual Meeting in Sarajevo, the Bank reports that Montenegro and Serbia were the fastest growing economies in the region in 2018, with both countries enjoying strong investment flows.

Commenting on the regional outlook, EBRD Lead Economist Peter Tabak said further reform efforts and stronger investment activity are needed to deliver growth required for sustainable convergence with European Union income levels. “Stronger regional integration, including through the abolition of remaining tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade would open up new growth opportunities for domestic companies and foreign investors,” he added.

In Montenegro, growth surprised on the upside. In 2018, the economy expanded by close to five per cent, on the back of highway construction, real estate projects at the coast, an exceptionally strong tourism season and a further rise in private consumption.

As concluded at the Annual Meeting, the completion of large investment projects and continuing fiscal consolidation will lead to a significant slowdown in growth to 2.8 per cent in 2019 and 2.6 per cent in 2020.

The Annual Business Forum provided a platform for high-level discussion on themes ranging from boosting small business to the effects of migration on labour markets, the opportunities and pitfalls of tourism and ways to connect local and regional economies to the wider global economy.

Source: EBRD

May 8, 2019 - At the tenth civil protest ODUPRISE, the organizers condemned Luko Kaznic (Onion Punishment), with a doll representing the state's special prosecutor, Milivoje Katnic, for life-long ban from public life, and burned it in front of the building of the Presidency. Organizers joined a large number of free citizens to "sow together the seeds of freedom, and once again said that there is a lot of injustice and that continuous resistance is a prerequisite for common sense!".

May 6, 2019 - The US organization Freedom House classified Montenegro as a partially free state and assessed that President Milo Djukanovic and his Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) used an extensive network of corruption, including allegedly linked organized crime, to remain in power for nearly three decades.

05 May 2019 - On the second day of the Sedona Forum, President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović spoke at the panel on "Why is US Leadership Still Important?", whose introductory was made by former Arizona State Senator Jeff Flake. In addition to President Đukanović, panelists were John Rood Under Secretary of Defence for Policy, and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse from Rhode Island. The discussion was moderated by former Senator Kelly Ayotte from New Hampshire.

Opinions on the importance of the American leading role in defending democracy and achieving prosperity and security in the world were shared, as well as ways to preserve the Euro-Atlantic advantage in global and regional geopolitical matches.

On that theme, President Đukanović referred to the historically important role that the United States played in the Western Balkans in the nineties and apostrophized the importance of maintaining US attention to the region, together with the EU, with a view to successfully resolving open issues that burden its European and Euro-Atlantic path. He drew attention to the growing challenges facing the North Atlantic Partnership in the modern era, to the significance of Euro-Atlanticism for America, Europe, and the whole world, and called for determination in defense of the Euro-Atlantic system of values.

Immediately after the panel discussion, President Đukanović handed over posthumously the Order of Montenegrin flag first degree to Senator McCain's wife Cindy McCain, who was awarded for a remarkable contribution to Montenegrin independence and the achievement of key foreign policy priorities of Montenegro, primarily NATO membership. President Đukanović recalled, among other things, the words of Senator McCain that the Montenegrin independence referendum was perhaps the most important democratic project in Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He also pointed to the senator's implicit understanding of the security and political challenges facing Montenegro and the Western Balkans.

"He encouraged us to be a bright example for the region and to continue to promote the ideals of Western civilization and transatlantic values," said Đukanović.

Receiving the Order, Mrs. McCain thanked the President for the fact that Montenegro cherished the memory of Senator McCain and pointed out that he was always a great friend and supporter of the Montenegrin people and Montenegro.

"Thank you for honoring his life, and for continuing the ideal he advocated for," said McCain.

At the margins of the Sedona Forum, President Đukanović had a series of informal meetings with senators, congressmen and other participants of the Forum.

04 May 2019 - President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović attended the opening of the "Sedona Forum" in the town of Sedona, at the invitation of Kurt Volker, executive director of the "McCain Institute for International Leadership" on his first day in Arizona.

The Forum was opened by the Executive Director, Volker, who recalled that this significant security-political event, organized for the seventh time, traditionally brings together political leaders, thinkers and business and academia representatives, with the aim of seeking answers to all the more serious modern challenges in the world.

He stressed that this year the responsibility of the participants is greater, as the forum for the first time will not hear thoughts from the man who inspired it, as Senator McCain passed away last year. At an official dinner for leaders, where President Đukanovic was among the most distinguished guests, participants paid respect to the deceased senator, while guests were welcomed by the governor of Arizona Doug Doucey and the rector of the State University of Arizona Dr. Michael Crow.

President Đukanović had an open and very contentful bilateral meeting with the executive director Kurt Volker, who conveyed the greetings of the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, as well as the support for Montenegro in addressing the challenges facing Montenegro on the road to achieving strategic goals.

The President informed Volker about current processes in Montenegro, the massive results achieved following the renewal of independence on the internal and international plan as well as projections for further economic and democratic development and progress in the negotiation process with the European Union.

The interlocutors also exchanged views on the current situation in the region and agreed on ways to tackle the remaining open issues, with the assessment that the presence and joint action of the European Union and the United States of America are crucial for this as well as for the European perspective of the region.

Otherwise, calls to the "Sedona Forum" are addressed to a limited and selected number of participants, and discussions on all issues are of a closed type and can not be cited and published.

This year’s Sedona Forum was opened by Mr Volker, who reminded the participants that this extremely significant security and political event, organized for the seventh time, traditionally gathered the political leaders and representatives of the business and academic community, to seek a response to tough and major challenges in the world.

President Đukanović also attended the special gala dinner along with the most respected high officials and was welcomed by the Arizona Governor, Doug Ducey and the President of Arizona State University, Dr. Michael M. Crow.

President Đukanović also attended the special gala dinner along with the most respected high officials and was welcomed by the Arizona Governor, Doug Ducey and the President of Arizona State University, Dr. Michael M. Crow.

Mr Đukanović had a bilateral meeting with Mr Kurt Volker, who conveyed greetings of the U.S. State Secretary, Mike Pompeo, and expressed his support to Montenegro in facing challenges on its road to achieving strategic goals.

During the meeting, President Đukanović put forward the current events in Montenegro and also talked about significant results that the country has achieved since the renewal of its independence, both – on the internal and the international level. He also mentioned the projections for the further economic and democratic development of Montenegro and progress in the negotiation talks with the European Union.

They both exchanged opinions on the current situation in the region and agreed on the method for resolving the remaining open issues, noting that the situation itself and the European perspective as well, needed joint action of the EU and the USA.

“Moreover, the Sedona Forum is invitation-only and discussions on all issues are held at closed meetings, that is, they cannot be cited or published,” Đukanović’s office concluded in a statement.

Text by CdM on May 4, 2019, read more here.