{"id":25490,"date":"2024-10-04T11:34:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-04T10:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/news\/2bs-forum-2024-priorities-and-challenges-for-the-western-balkans\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T12:14:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T11:14:48","slug":"2bs-forum-2024-priorities-and-challenges-for-the-western-balkans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/news\/2bs-forum-2024-priorities-and-challenges-for-the-western-balkans\/","title":{"rendered":"2BS Forum 2024: Priorities and Challenges for the Western Balkans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The unsurpassed legacy of Yugoslavia remains the biggest challenge for Western Balkan countries, but the region faces a historic opportunity that should be seized. This message was conveyed at the panel Priorities and Challenges for the Western Balkans<\/em> at the 2BS Forum in Budva, emphasizing that the EU accession process cannot be completed on autopilot; it requires results. <\/p>\n\n

Miroslav Laj\u010dak, the EU Special Representative for the Western Balkans, assessed that the current situation in the Balkans is unprecedented in the last 15 years, with noticeable movement and progress. He believes Montenegro has the best chances of joining the EU. However, he noted that the biggest challenge is that the region has not yet overcome Yugoslavia\u2019s legacy. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThere is still too much focus on the past in present-day life, and too many politicians are building their careers on interpreting the past rather than preparing for the future. There is no sense of reconciliation and justice, and I also believe there are too many ethnic and religious elements hindering progress,\u201d said Laj\u010dak.<\/p>\n\n

When asked if there is a discrepancy between political views and reality in the Balkans, Laj\u010dak stated that such a discrepancy has existed in recent years. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe EU has stated that it is committed to the region, but this has not been felt in European capitals. Therefore, it is now necessary to convince the region that this time it is real and that it is a genuine perspective. We are also interested in how the Balkan countries will seize this moment. Montenegro is in the best position, but this process will not happen on autopilot; it requires results\u201d, said Laj\u010dak. <\/p>\n\n

Speaking about the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Laj\u010dak said, \u201cWe have a new situation\u2014momentum for the Western Balkans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThis is an opportunity for all politicians who declaratively speak about commitment to demonstrate it in practice. This process transforms society, and Bosnia and Herzegovina is invited to begin accession negotiations, which is a significant step by the EU. However, there need to be concrete steps from BiH as well. There are several challenges, and Milorad Dodik is one of them, but not the only one. A key issue is how to modernize the Constitution, as it is not compatible with European processes. This should be a key priority, and constitutional amendments should be made to facilitate progress,\u201d Laj\u010dak assessed. <\/p>\n\n

Montenegro\u2019s Minister of Defense, Dragan Krapovi\u0107, speaking about the priorities of his government, stated that full membership in the EU is the foremost priority.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cObtaining a positive IBAR has given us momentum to continue with the task that will result in closing at least four negotiation chapters by the end of the year. The second priority is credible membership in NATO, which we have confirmed by increasing defense spending, demonstrating that we carry our share of the burden within the Alliance. If you don\u2019t carry your share of the burden, it means someone else has to. The third priority is good neighborly relations,\u201d Krapovi\u0107 said. <\/p>\n\n

Speaking about threats to Montenegro\u2019s efforts, Krapovi\u0107 cited political and institutional instability, which they have witnessed in recent years due to facing the challenges of democracy and political pluralism. He also pointed out the danger of third-party influence, primarily from Russia, and the pursuit of its interests in the Balkans, as well as the reflections of the war in Ukraine. Krapovi\u0107 urged the EU and NATO to remain focused on the Balkans and to keep the region high on their agenda. \u201cIf we leave a vacuum, we will open the space for third parties,\u201d he warned. <\/p>\n\n

When asked about the adoption of the resolution on Jasenovac, which complicated relations with Croatia, Krapovi\u0107 stated that \u201ceverything the government does and the decisions it makes are aimed at reconciliation within society.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\u201cI believe that on our EU path and in our approach regarding the acceptance of the dark pages of history, no decision was made with the intention of harming anyone, especially not Croatia as one of our closest allies. The goal was solely an expression of democratic maturity and readiness to give each of the dark pages an adequate character and framework. This is, in part, principled behavior, to call every crime and genocide by its proper name,\u201d said Krapovi\u0107. <\/p>\n\n

The Minister of Defense stated that they are not at all interested in what anyone in Serbia or any other country thinks about it. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cWe make decisions independently, and this is a decision of the Montenegrin Parliament. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovi\u0107 has the right to his perception of that decision, but it is not directed against Croatia; it is about principled behavior,\u201d added Krapovi\u0107. <\/p>\n\n

When asked whether the participation of pro-Russian forces in the government affects the credible fulfillment of obligations within the Alliance, Krapovi\u0107 stated that Montenegro is fully committed to fulfilling its obligations arising from NATO membership, as well as those concerning the country\u2019s reputation in the collective defense system. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cNATO does not operate in such a way that non-fulfillment of obligations would logically carry certain sanctions; however, this is not the case within NATO. Nonetheless, credibility is important,\u201d Krapovi\u0107 emphasized. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The unsurpassed legacy of Yugoslavia remains the biggest challenge for Western Balkan countries, but the region faces a historic opportunity that should be seized<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25394,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[68,72,80],"class_list":["post-25490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-2bs-en","tag-montenegro","tag-region-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25490"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25490\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25491,"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25490\/revisions\/25491"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}