A New Government for Montenegro Brings A Renewed Push on EU Membership

Montenegro welcomed in a new Government this week, following on from the Vote of No Confidence in the previous minority cabinet led by Zdravko Krivokapic back in February.

Montenegro welcomed in a new Government this week, following on from the Vote of No Confidence in the previous minority cabinet led by Zdravko Krivokapic back in February.

The newly appointed Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic who served as Deputy PM under Krivokapic has set EU Membership firmly within his sights and is now bound to unblock the reforms needed to join the Bloc. Still slightly tough, given that they only secured the support of 46 deputies within the Parliament, it’s still good news as a whole, as the country can move forward with the rule of law and economic development which will include the continued fight against corruption, sustainable investments, EU Integration, Environmental protection and support for children.

Having already successfully joined Nato in 2017, the next step is full EU membership, and in his first speech, since the new government was announced, Abazovic commented ‘I am a great optimist and I believe in the bright future of Montenegro. We must all make an effort so that Montenegro becomes the next member of the European Union and we must not wait long’. He went on to add that the task of uniting the country after years of political division would not be easy, but he would be committed to transparency during his tenure, focusing on the two main pillars as already mentioned – Law and Economic Development.

The new Government will have 18 ministers, of which four will be Vice Presidents. Jovana Marovic, Vladamir Jokovic, Ervin Ibrahimovic, Marko Kovac and Filip Adjic are just some of the new names taking up positions within the Cabinet.

The European Union has already welcomed Montenegro’s new Prime Minister and his Cabinet, and is very much looking forward to joint work on the EU path Josep Borrell (EU foreign policy chief) stated that ‘Montenegro is a trusted partner, fully aligned with EU’s foreign policy.

Already receiving positive PR in the Tourism and Foreign Investment sectors, which are rapidly increasing this year, this news and a quick return to focusing on EU policy and EU membership will further push Montenegro into the spotlight and onto the world stage.

07.05.2022