However, he believes that the current situation is not long-term.
Conclusions of the EU ministers about the WB enlargement were suspended yesterday, and ministers didn’t adopt conclusions as expected.
European ministers only slightly touched upon draft conclusions about WB, while putting to the side the issue of opening negotiations with Albania.
Commenting on such EU decisions, Mr Picula says that enlargement policy gave green light in the first half of 2020.
He believes that the current situation will not take long.
“Blockages are messages for the candidate countries, they have discouraging effect and open space for even greater influence of West-European factors that don’t share the same values. Regardless of the current circumstances, Montenegro must maintain the focus on reforms”, Mr Picula said.
According to him, the EU has no formal lever to unblock veto as it needs unanimous decision of member states for that.
He said that EP “is trying to exert political pressure as much as it can”.
Bed of roses
EC President’s spokesman, Mr Eric Mamer, said that accession was not “a bed of roses” and there would always be difficulties in the enlargement process.
“There will always be obstacles in the enlargement. EU membership is not a bed of roses for anybody, but that doesn’t deny the fact that WB enlargement is priority for Mrs Von der Leyen and the Commission”, Mr Mamer said yesterday.
Germany is not hiding disappointment with the fact that more hasn’t been done during its presidency.
New chapters with the negotiations with Serbia won’t be open before the end of this year, as member states haven’t reached consensus.
