Photo: Vijesti/Luka Zeković
19.12.2025. 10:00h
The cards are slowly being revealed as Montenegro approaches the signing of the EU accession treaty. For years, diplomatic messages, hidden reservations and silent signals have been followed, and now all of this is turning into open support. The best example is the statement by Chancellor Merz, who clearly and loudly stated that Montenegro has the full support of Germany and that signing the treaty with the EU is a reality. Until now, we have not received such messages from high-ranking officials.
The timing was perfect for the support. Just a few days earlier, President Vučić had tried to push the story of a “common package” for EU entry again, in an attempt to tie Montenegro to its own political pace. But the reality is inexorable, countries do not enter the EU in a package to wait for those who are late, but to reward those who are progressing. The principle of the regatta comes first.
And Serbia, despite the rhetoric, is moving further and further away from European standards. The price of the four-way game between Moscow, Washington, Beijing and Brussels is becoming higher. However, Vučić is not Tito. Even larger and more powerful states cannot sit on four chairs. The model of governance that has been built for years is now clashing with European expectations. This is the moment when the political space begins to narrow, and the system enters a phase in which any resistance is an impulse to panic.
Here we come to the key metaphor: a drowning man is ready for anything. Not because he is brave, but because he has no other choice. When you are too deep in the mud, you do not look for a way out, but you look for someone to pull you down with you. And that is exactly what we are seeing today. An attempt to stop or at least complicate Montenegro’s path, because it is the only one in the region that is truly approaching the EU. Many have rushed to comment on the possibility of blocking two chapters by France. The first was Milan Knežević, to blame Đukanović and Plenković for being behind the blockade. Once interesting to listen to, now often a circus performer of politicians, Knežević is trying in every way to homogenize the electorate because, lo and behold, everyone went to Mandić. And only the Zećans remained with Milan.
Hence Botun. Hence “Ćaćilend 2.0”. Hence the increasingly aggressive outbursts of Milan Knežević. There is noise, the illusion of chaos, the illusion of strength, but there is less and less political substance. Their role in regional scenarios is increasingly visible as a peripheral means of pressure, not a real political force.
It is also interesting how the rhetoric is changing. In the past, people in Belgrade would say: “Are you going to Russia?” Today, in Podgorica, the answer is increasingly heard: “Are you going to Germany?”
Because it is difficult to wage a political battle against a country that is the backbone of the European Union, and even more difficult when trying to stop a process that Berlin and Brussels want to accelerate.
However, we need to be realistic, Montenegro faces challenges. There will be attempts at destabilization, there will be pressure, because the one who loses positions is the most ready to cross the red line. But the difference is that Montenegro now has momentum, international support and results.
Whose Montenegro is it? Milan’s or Europe’s.
The author is an economist
News
(Opinions and views published in the “Columns” section are not necessarily the views of the “Vijesti” editorial office.)