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European pulse E l e c t r o n i c m o n t h l y m a g a z i n e f o r E u r o p e a n i n t e g r a t i o n - N o . 5 3 , F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 0 IINNTTEERRVVIIEEWW Director of the Belgrade Academy of Diplomacy and Security Dr Andreja Savi} AANNAALLYYSSEESS Consequences of the growing suspicion that underground is influencing Montenegrin authorities EEUU CCHHAALLLLEENNGGEESS Slovenia - five years after EU FFOOCCUUSS OOFF TTHHIISS IISSSSUUEE accession Can government separate the property of the party from that of state F o r e w o r d / C a l e n d a r F e b r u a r y , 2 0 1 0 Montenegro the first after Croatia (10 February) - Montenegro will be the first coun- try after Croatia to become a full member of EU, said deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister of Luxembourg Jean Aselborn, who was in Podgorica at a meeting with his Montenegrin counterpart Milan Ro}en. 200 000 EUR to translate the Questionnaire (11 February) - On request of Centre for Civic Education (CCE), Ministry of European Integrations announced that it hired 117 people to translate the Questionnaire, and paid 137.840,20 EUR for their services. "In addition to this, there were 68 proof-readers, to whom we paid 68.895,85 EUR. The total budget for translations was thus 206.736,05 EUR. We received a donation from the Norwegian government for this project, which was 200.000 EUR, which means that almost the entire cost of translation was covered by the donation, and only CCAAPPAACCIITTIIEESS 6.736,05 EUR came from the Montenegrin Budget", said MEI. he case of [ari} revealed at least two EU to support the civil sector (11 February) - EU started a project of technical sup- Tthings that will slow down Monte- port for civil society organisations (TACSO), which offers technical assistance to non- negro's European integrations, at any governmental organisations. Head of EU Delegation in Montenegro Leopold Maurer moment that Brussels or an EU member said that the goal of TACSO was to help NGOs to overcome technical problems in the state finds it necessary. They are the lack course of project implementation. Minister of European Integration Gordana \urovi} of political will to fight organised crime said that civil society will be informed about all opportunities for applying to European and the lack of administrative capacities. funds. TACSO, which is to begin in August and last two years, targets the countries of It seems that the lack of administra- the Western Balkans and Turkey, and has a total budget of 6.7 million euro. tive capacities, in spite of having become a buzzword, needs some explanation. The first control (16 February) - The first EC expert mission for human rights began Agency for National Security (ANS) its five-day visit to Montenegro, in the framework of a consultation process which is gave a positive opinion certifying that the next step after the submission of answer to the Questionnaire. This is the first of Darko [ari}, accused for international crime of cocaine smuggling, is no securi- several missions that were announced by EC as part of the preparation of the opin- ty threat to Montenegro, which was one ion on Montenegro's application for membership in EU. of the conditions for the Ministry of Interior Affairs and Public Administration Balkan tops the list (17 February) - High EU represen- (MIAPA) to issue him a guarantee for get- tative for foreign and security policy Catherine Ashton ting a Montenegrin passport, under con- said in anticipation of her visit o Sarajevo, Belgrade and dition that he gives up Serbian citizenship. Pri{tina, that the West Balkan region was among the It seems that MIAPA didn't need any top EU priorities when it comes to foreign policy. guarantees from [ari} that he doesn't have citizenship of another country, although Reduce grey economy (17 February) - Montenegro the Law on Montenegrin citizenship needs to step up its efforts to reduce informal econo- makes no difference between Serbian and my and increase the capacities of tax administration, any other citizenship, including Slovak. focusing on tax collection, control and risk analysis, said In the meantime, the Police the head of EC Delegation in Podgorica, Leopold Directorate, which has [ari} under a Maurer, at the presentation of the project "Improves special regime of monitoring since 1993, capacities for more efficiency and functionality in the had the information about his Slovak work of Tax Administration". Catherine Ashton passport and knew what ANS didn't know, that is, that [ari} is a highly dan- gerous individual because of his links Montenegro to work on freedom of the media (21 February) - Director of the European with criminal organisations from the Commission DG Enlargement Michael Leigh told Montenegro that it needs to work on neighbouring countries. establishing efficient and independent judiciary, fight corruption and organised crime, Further, MIAPA's intelligence shows and protect human rights and freedom of the media if it wishes to get a positive Opinion that [ari} is resident in Pljevlja, whereas and begin negotiations for membership in the EU. "These are the questions that will be the Police Directorate claims that he is in discussed in the Opinion, and it is important for Montenegro to meet European stan- Belgrade. dards in these areas", Leigh said after the meeting on "Political dialogue EU-Montenegro", Finally, the police announced that where Montenegrin side was represented by the Foreign Affairs Minister Milan Ro}en. some ten days before the international wanted circular was published [ari} had Possible sanctions? (27 February) - Illegal migration from Montenegro is a cause of con- already illegally crossed the border, with cern in the EU, and MP of the European Parliament Hannes Swoboda proposed sus- the explanation that this part of the border pension of visa-free travel in case of continued abuse, announced Montenegrin daily is very "porous" and difficult to monitor. "Dan", citing Austrian "Der Kurier". According to the paper, specialised agencies of EU This, just to clarify things, is the same member states found that thousands of citizens of Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia border police whose capacities, among used the possibility of visa-free travel to countries members of the Schengen zone and other things, earned Montenegro access to are now illegally living and working in EU. Swoboda, an MEP of the socialist coalition, the EU's White Schengen list. V.@. called for sanctions in case abuses continue. E u r o p e a n p u l s e N o 5 3 2 A t t i t u d e F e b r u a r y , 2 0 1 0 A V I E W F R O M E U Spdlz!spbet!up!Csvttfmt //////// "European" and yet a few years away from Ethnic rivalries, corruption and pure ineffi- joining the EU, transport integration does ciency have also undermined efforts towards not appear high on the Western Balkans' regional transport integration. he late Karl W. agenda. There is growing concern about the TDeutsch, a reno- Government budgets are unable to need of increased transport integration in wned political scien- fund the planning, construction and main- the Western Balkans. The benefits of trans- tist, is probably best tenance of regional road networks, resulting port efficiency have already been recog- remembered for hav- in congested or dangerous routes, and lead- nized in Brussels, which points out that ing introduced, some ing some to doubt the completion of even transport accounts for "about 7 percent of decades ago, the highly publicised projects, such as the GDP and more than 5 percent of total concept of the "secu- Albania-Kosovo Highway. employment in the EU." In the Western National airlines are competing with Balkans, improved transport routes would by Gerasimos Tsourapas and one another when they should be entering mean that the high trade balance deficits Theodore Couloumbis into strategic partnerships, taking advantage that torment the region would be reduced, of the region's small size and potential for given that efficient transport infrastructure rity community". Given his careful study of co-operation. High ticket prices and heavy would result in increased factor mobility, the Allies' failed 1919 attempts at achieving government subsidies result in limited air higher levels of output, and better market peace through the weakening and isolation traffic which, annually, for a region of 26 accessibility. As a result, lower commodity of Germany, Prague-born Mr Deutsch pro- million inhabitants, is one fifth that of prices, new employment opportunities, and posed that it is only through successful Vienna's airport alone. faster GDP growth would follow, not to regional integration or, more ambitiously, There is no commercial rail track link- mention better conditions for the develop- through independent states' unification that "men some day might abolish war." Intraregional transport integration in the Western Balkans is necessary While the application of the security to pave the way for these countries for future membership in EU community framework to the European Union has not ceased to fascinate scholars, ing Albania to neighboring countries. ment of tourism. there can be little doubt that, as far as the Montenegro is only connected to Serbia, This doesn't mean that transport inte- Western Balkans is concerned, the progress while Skopje remains unconnected to Sofia. gration constitutes a panacea for all the of regional integration leaves a lot to be This means that to move cargo from Tirana area's troubles.