Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-12-12-Speech-3-303"
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"en.20071212.29.3-303"2
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".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, it is now accepted that the future of the Balkan countries lies in Europe; that was confirmed by the Thessaloniki European Council in 2003 and has been endorsed by ourselves in this House on a number of occasions, marking an end to any further discussion of the issue.
The environment deserves a special mention: the previous Constitution defined Montenegro as an ecological republic, the first in the world to give itself such a label. Nature has been kind to the country, from the beautiful coastline to the natural Bay of Kotor and the Durmitor mountain massif which is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. That heritage must be safeguarded by specific legislation which is in many cases already in the statute book but not strictly applied, often for lack of financial resources.
The country derives considerable income from tourism, but unfortunately tourism itself may have an adverse impact on the environment, as the facilities available do not have appropriate systems for managing the major influx of tourists from an ecological point of view. For that reason, we asked Commissioner Rehn in another forum to focus the Commission’s attention on promoting environmental policies, especially as regards renewable energy sources, waste and water management and coastal protection. Montenegro is aware of the problem and is continuing to work towards proper management of natural resources. The spatial plan regulating construction work so as not to spoil the coastal landscape has recently been approved.
Montenegro is undoubtedly in pole position on the road towards accession to the European Union, as the facts show: following independence from the Union with Serbia in 2006, declared democratically after a proper referendum and duly agreed with the Serbian Government, the negotiations for the country’s own Stabilisation and Association Agreement were re-opened and concluded in the space of slightly more than two months. The agreements were initialled on 15 March 2007 but, unfortunately, some technical problems then arose which slowed down further progress, although the end is now in sight. The Commissioner has just announced that an office has already been opened in Podgorica – which we commend – and that everything is now in place for ratification of the agreement.
Montenegro’s progress in the last year, the commitments into which it has entered vis-à-vis the European Community and ongoing reform work, even in the last few days, all lead us unhesitatingly to endorse the favourable opinion on the conclusion of the agreement. Clearly, however, that is not the final goal, but is no more than a starting point.
Montenegro must now focus on implementing all the measures needed to complete the reform process which is already under way in order to fulfil the commitments into which it has entered in the Stabilisation and Association Agreement. From that point of view, we should note the good climate of cooperation between the European Parliament and the Parliament of Montenegro, which we have met on a number of occasions and by which we shall be welcomed next week in Podgorica. Montenegro has everything that it needs to bring this process swiftly to a conclusion, starting from its status as a candidate for accession.
Montenegro’s economy has continued to grow in recent years and that has helped to attract huge foreign investment, partly as a result of fiscal policies favourable to enterprises. As a result, unemployment has dropped sharply from 33% to 12%.
Some months ago, the new Constitutional Charter was adopted, a clear sign of the extent to which the country is strengthening the democratic prerogatives which mark it out in the Balkan area. The Montenegrin authorities are working speedily to bring themselves into line with European standards. The most recent news has led us to table five amendments to take account of recent developments.
In the last few days, a cooperation agreement with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has been signed in order to regulate technical assistance in respect of that Tribunal. We should bear in mind that unconditional cooperation with the ad hoc tribunal in The Hague is of crucial importance for all the states emerging from the break-up of Yugoslavia. We should also bear in mind that Montenegro has never shirked its international obligations, and indeed has always been praised for its efficient cooperation with the legal and foreign authorities.
Montenegro needs to make further efforts to combat and put an end to organised crime in the area of illegal cross-border trafficking. The European Parliament also considers that corruption in the public administration and the judiciary needs to be combated: the country is responding positively to the European authorities and signs of this can be seen in the new Constitution which introduces mechanisms to protect the autonomy and independence of the judiciary.
The capacity of the ruling class will also be developed by participation in Community twinning programmes and exchanges with the Member States. Some of these programmes will foster the development of younger people and researchers. Promoting the free movement of people, in particular students and researchers, is a goal which is being pursued among other things by simplifying the procedure for the issue of short-stay visas in respect of which specific agreements were signed last September with the European Union; the final goal is fully to liberalise visas in order to make freedom of movement effective, another major point of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, and to open up channels fostering growth and education. We consider that cultural bodies should be allowed to flourish, for instance by promoting the voluntary sector and protecting the representatives of civil society. Freedom of thought must be ensured as must the right to information."@en1
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