E l e c t r on i c mon th l y maga z i n e f o r Eu r op ean i n t e g r a t i on - No . 2 8 , J anua ry 2 0 0 8

European pulse

AANNAALLYYSSEESSIs the conflict of theMontenegrin governmentwith European parliamentdetrimental to Montenegrinposition in Brussels

FFOOCCUUSS OOFF TTHHIISS IISSSSUUEE

Government ofMontenegro is

preparing for theInstrument forPre-Accession

Assistance

IINNTTEERRVVIIEEWWDr Vi{nja

Samard`ija fromthe Institute

of InternationalRelations in Zagreb

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TTEESSTTIINNGG TTHHEEGGOOVVEERRNNMMEENNTT

Early January brought excellent news:104 young people, more than a half of

them with a doctorate or a master degreesigned themselves into the database of na-tional experts who are willing to offer assis-tance to the government's agencies to pre-pare for the gradual association of Mon-tenegro to EU. Many of them completedtheir undergraduate and graduate studies atuniversities in Europe, specialising in Euro-pean integrations, economics, agriculture,transport, environmental protection, securi-ty... Two of them were already contacted bythe Ministry of Tourism and Environmentand Ministry of Justice to prepare a com-parative analysis of legislative harmonisationwith Acquis communautaire. It seems,therefore, that the CDP (Capacity Develop-ment Programme), a joint project by thegovernment, UNDP office in Podgorica andOpen Society Foundation is on the righttrack. It will certainly help the government,but it will also test its readiness to acceptnew, European practice and benefit fromthe knowledge of those who are not brand-ed as the loyal followers of the ruling party.The latter is, among other, the key reasonthat the state administration lacks adequatecadres, and the motive behind EuropeanCommission's stubborn insistence on "de-politicisation" of public administration.

More good news appeared in Dece-mber and should come into force thismonth: based on the Law on salaries of civilservants, ministers received a permission toissue rewards and bonuses to those whohave the most knowledge and show mosteffort. This approach should prevent outflowof the best cadres from public administration,mostly young people who speak foreign lan-guages, and without whom Montenegro willhave a hard time keeping up the pace ofaccession to the club of EU members.Another test for the authorities: if they con-tinue to reward the loyal and the ineffective,it will be obvious that the government isincapable of learning. And that it values theparty more than the state. NN..RR..

C O N S T I T U T I V E S E S S I O N O F T H E I N T E R I MC O M M I T T E E F O R T H E I M P L E M E N T A T I O N O FT H E I N T E R I M A G R E E M E N T O N F R E E T R A D E

BBrruusssseellss ttoo ooffffeerr ttrraaiinniinngg pprrooggrraammmmeess

Exchanges between Podgorica andBrussels are becoming ever more tan-

gible - on 22 January in Brussels the firstmeeting took place of the temporarycommittee for the implementation of theInterim Agreement on trade and relatedissues between European Community (EC)and Montenegro.

The Committee adopted a book ofregulations and proceedings governing thework of sub-committees in EC andMontenegro. Among them are sub-com-mittees for trade, industry, customs, taxa-tion and cooperation with other candidatecountries, agriculture and fisheries, inter-nal market and competition, economicand financial issues and sub-committeefor transport.

Director of the Enlargement Dire-ctorate in the European CommissionPPiieerrrree MMiirreell and deputy Prime Minister ofthe Montenegrin Government GGoorrddaannaa\\uurroovvii}} presided over the first session,which was attended by the all the com-mittee members - representatives of ECDGs and Council of EU, as well as repre-sentatives of the relevant Montenegrinministries and agencies of the Mon-tenegrin government.

According to the Government's com-munication, Mirel said that Montenegromade important achievements in affirmingits European perspective, that he expectsthe ratification of the Stabilisation andAssociation Agreement (SAA) to gosmoothly in all EU member states, andthat he hopes Montenegro will be able toimplement the agreement effectively inorder to intensify its progress towards EU.

\urovi} emphasised the importanceof adopting the parliamentary Resolutionon the fulfilment of Montenegrin commit-ments within SAA "which is a positive signof a clear, continuous political support forthe process of European integrations inMontenegro".

Montenegrin delegation reported onthe key activities in the area of legal har-monisation with EU regulations and onthe strategy for the strengthening of insti-tutional capacities of the bodies directlyinvolved in the implementation of InterimAgreement.

Members of the EC delegation wereinformed about the progress in policymaking and implementation of commit-ments stipulated by the InterimAgreement in the areas of trade, customspolicy, agriculture and fishing, transit,competition policy and the protection ofintellectual property, public procurementand state aid.

Montenegrin representatives alsopresented insights into the state of nego-tiations regarding Montenegrin accessionto World Trade Organisations, hopingthese will be completed by the end of2008. Another issue on the agenda wasthe course of implementation of CEFTAagreement. Representatives of EC delega-tion "had a positive view of the achieve-ments in implementing the InterimAgreement and offered to contribute to itsquality through their expert assistance andadditional training programmes in theareas of transit and agriculture".

NN..RR..

Gordana \urovi} and Pierre Mirel

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In a few months Montenegro willreceive its first millions from European

Union through the new support pro-gramme: Instrument for Pre-AccessionAssistance (IPA) which is a single, unifiedextension of the existing programmes(CARDS, PHARE, ISPA AND SAPARD)available to the countries striving tobecome EU members.

This is the beginning of a special tra-jectory which multiplies the funding atthe pace at which the country proceedstowards Brussels. On the other hand,Montenegro now has the chance to showwhether it has the skill and knowledge todesign and implement quality products.Namely, the European Commissionapproves only those projects where itestimates that the applicants are capableof conducting them accordingly.

Experiences of the Central and EastEuropean countries, now EU members,are far from encouraging. Those countrieswere only able to absorb up to 50% ofthe available funds. For the 2007-2013period the EC allocated some 131.3 mil-lion for Montenegro, which makes it thefirst country in the Balkans in per capitaEuropean assistance.

Montenegro, together with otherpotential candidate countries (Serbia,Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania) canlay claims to funds within two IPA pro-gramme components: transition assistanceand institution building, as well as region-al and cross-border cooperation, whilethe countries with candidate status(Croatia, Macedonia) can also use theremaining three components - regionaldevelopment, human resource develop-

ment and rural development. The fifthcomponent entails the highest fundingopportunities the most resources. If theGovernment's plans come true, Monte-negro could compete for the projects inthe remaining three components by 2009.

Transition assistance and institutionaldevelopment component is aimed atministries and their branches, while thebeneficiaries of the second componentwill be non-profit organisations: localgovernments, non-governmental sector,associations etc.

The first component carries sizeableamounts of funds, way ahead of theregional and cross-border cooperation. In2007 Montenegro received 27.5 millionthrough IPA for transition assistance and

institutional development, while the proj-ects in the second component accountfor some 3.9 million.

The greatest worry for both theGovernment and the non-governmentalorganisations is the ability of the localgovernments and other non-profit organ-isations to absorb funds in the second IPAcomponent. Most of them lack adequatehuman resources, especially those locat-ed in the border areas such as BijeloPolje, and they also appear indifferentand disheartened, assuming in advancethat their projects will not be accepted.

Projects within the first IPA compo-nents are divided into political, socio-economic and European integrations-related projects.

G O V E R N M E N T O F M O N T E N E G R O I S P R E P A R I N G F O R T H E I N S T R U M E N T F O R P R E -A C C E S S I O N A S S I S T A N C E

TTrraannssppoorrtt iinnffrraassttrruuccttuurreeffiirrsstt iinn tthhee lliinnee ffoorr mmoonneeyy

by Vladan @ugi}

PROJECTED IPA FINANCINGFOR MONTENEGRO 2007-2010 (MIL. €)

COMPONENT 2007 2008 2009 2010 TOTAL

Transition assistance andinstitution building 27.5 28.1 28.6 29.2 113.4

Regional and cross-border cooperation 3.9 4.5 4.7 4.8 17.9

TOTAL 31.4 32.6 33.3 34.0 131.3

Secretariat for European Integrations and the Government are preparing for theadoption of Decentralised Implementation System (DIS) for IPA funds.This means that in the future Montenegro will be working entirely on its own

to implement the comprehensive cycle spanning identification, programming, imple-mentation and monitoring and evaluation of the projects financed from EU funds.

For the time being, most responsibilities lie with the centralised managementsystem under the aegis of the European Commission, responsible for procurement,contracting and financing of project activities.

The purpose of DIS is to prepare the countries that aspire to become EU mem-bers to gradually acquire competences fro the management of European funds afterjoining the EU.

GGGGEEEETTTTTTTTIIIINNNNGGGG RRRREEEEAAAADDDDYYYY FFFFOOOORRRR DDDDIIIISSSS

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While planning the projects, appli-cants must take into consideration evalu-ations and commitments of Montenegro

from the Stabilisation and AssociationAgreement (SAA), Progress Reports andEuropean Partnership. The basis for IPA

2009 will be the National Plan forIntegrations (NPI).

Ministries and their agencies submit

IPA 2007 - PROJECT PROPOSAL (MIL €)I. Transition assistance and institution building 26.10

AREA PROJECT TITLE1. Political requirementsCivil society / Media ""Support for Development of Civil Society in Montenegro" 1.00Fight against corruption / Police reform "Fight against organised crime and corruption" 3.00Judiciary / Prison conditions "Judicial reform" 2.00

TOTAL POLITICAL REQUIREMENTS 6.002. Socio-eeconomic requirements Development of human resources /Employment / Education /Social policy and services

"Support for development of national qualificationsframework in Montenegro (NQF)" 1.50

Education and higher education Tempus 0.80

Erasmus Mundus 0.70

Private sector / SMEs / State ownership "Support for implementation of the development strategyfor small and medium enterprises, 2007-22010" -

Transport (infrastructure & acquis) "Strengthening infrastructure and managementintransportation sector" 6.20

Energy (acquis) "Harmonisation with energy markets" 1.50

Nuclear safety 0.20

TOTAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC STANDARDS 10.90

3. European standards

Preparation for DIS / EU integrations "Support for EU integrations structures: legal harmonisation" 1.10

Agriculture / Phytosanitary policy / Veterinary "Strengthening veterinary administration" 1.30

Statistics "Strengthening institutional capacities of theMontenegrin statistcs office - MONSTAT" 1.00

Customs 1.92

Public finance / Taxation / Public Procurement "Strengthening administrative capacities for greater efficiency andeffectivenes of Tax Administration in line with EU standards" 0.80

Single Market - Public procurement "Further development of the public procurement system inMontenegro" 1.25

Single market - quality infrastructure "Further development of quality infrastructure in Montenegro(standardisation and metrology)" 2.00

TOTAL EUROPEAN STANDARDS 9.37

II. Cross-bborder cooperation 3.90

New Adriatic cross-bborder programme 0.73Other cross-bborder cooperation programmes 3.17Basic resources for technical assistance 0.63RESERVE 0.60

TOTAL 31.40

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their projects to the Secretariat forEuropean Integrations, which then for-wards them to the European Agency forReconstruction (to be taken over fromnext year on by the EuropeanCommission Delegation in Podgorica).What remains at the end of this processare the best and most urgent projects.

These are then sent to the EuropeanCommission in Brussels for approval.Once the funding is approved, the coun-try signs a Financial Agreement with EC,and receives the money within four to sixmonths.

European Commission approved IPA2007 financial package for Montenegro inNovember last year. The Montenegringovernment should soon meet to discussthe financial agreement and initiateimplementation of the projects.

The biggest amount of money fromIPA 2007 will arrive for the project"Strengthening the infrastructure andmanagement of the transportation sector".This includes a mini-bypass circlingPodgorica (4 million), strengtheningadministrative capacities in the Ministry ofTransport, Directorate for civil air-traffic,harbour and marine directorates (2.2 mil-lion).

IPA 2007 also contains a clausebinding the potential candidate countryto finance parts of the project.

The government defined proposalsfor IPA-related projects in 2008, and iscurrently waiting for the green light fromEC. According to the project proposal,the larges share of the funds should go tostrengthen administrative capacities inlocal self-governments and upgrade theAgency for the Protection of Environmentand the construction of small infrastruc-tural objects related to environmentalprotection.

Within the second component -cross-border and regional cooperation -whose goal is to erase the borders in thelong run, Montenegro participates in 7projects, 5 with the neighbours and 2transnational ones.

The former are joint projects withCroatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Albania, as wellas the Adriatic project of cross-bordercooperation with Italy. Until 2009 theseprojects will receive 600 000 euros,except for the joint project with Croatia(100 000 less).

The two regional projects are SouthEast European Cooperation project (SEEC)and the Mediterranean project involvingCroatia, Montenegro, and several EU

members. Projects in the second IPA compo-

nent is still waiting for EC approval andthe signing of the Financial Agreementwith the Montenegrin government.

The next step is to establish jointcross-border structures. Among others,Kotor will host a joint technical secretari-at whose purpose is to offer assistance topotential applicants for projects of inter-est to both Montenegro and Croatia.

Potential applicants must have apartner in the neighbouring countries (inthis case Croatia) in order to receivefunding for the project.

Some 15% of IPA 2007 funds will beallocated to the establishment of techni-

cal secretariats, and the rest for projects.Projects will be selected by a Joint

monitoring committee, consisting of sevenmembers from each country.

Kotor's Secretariat is hoping toannounce its first Application package inthe beginning of the summer, stipulatingthe conditions for applications. Secretariatfor European Integrations, in cooperationwith the European Movement inMontenegro and Centre for Developmentof Non-Governmental Organisationsorganises special trainings for employeesof local self-governments to enable themto transfer their knowledge to the locallevel in order to motivate more partici-pants for the future.

Commenting on the fearsthat municipalities and

non-profit organisations willnot be able to use the moneyfrom the second IPA compo-nents, secretary of the Se-cretariat for European Inte-grations Ana Vukadinovi} saysthat the main goal of theregional and cross bordercooperation is not to ensurerational allocation of resourcesbut to establish cooperationwith the countries of theregion.

"The primary goal is tomotivate all subjects - munic-ipalities, non-governmentalorganisations, universities andother non-profit organisationsto create projects that would benefit the community in that region. It is ofutmost importance to have these organisations cooperate with similar organi-sations abroad, to work together on projects that would advance economicissues, tourist potential and stimulate the overall economic growth.Implementation of these projects will span not half, but two to four years. Ourintention is to use these projects to forge lasting partnerships. The final goal ofthese projects and funds for regional development is to suspend ethnic bor-ders in Europe and its surroundings", says Vukadinovi}.

Asked whether Montenegro has sufficient capacities to use these Europeanfunds, considering that East and Central European countries barely managed tosecure some 50% on average, Vukadinovi} answers that Montenegro, accord-ing to EAR which was responsible for the CARDS projects so far, has the lead-ing position in the region with regard to the extend of utilisation of such funds.

"There is readiness and ability in Montenegro to implement the projectswell, and we hope to achieve the best results in the future projects",Vukadinovi} said.

EESSTTAABBLLIISSHH CCOOOOPPEERRAATTIIOONN WWIITTHH OORRGGAANNIISSAATTIIOONNSS AABBRROOAADD

Ana Vukadinovi}

phot

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JEST

I

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EU accession process is moreimportant than the membership

itself. This is the period of deep,demanding reforms that should beimplemented as well as possible.Becoming a member without beingtruly ready for it is neither in theinterest of the candidate countrynor in the interest of EU, says DDrrVVii{{nnjjaa SSaammaarrdd`̀iijjaa from the Institutefor International Relations inZagreb.

In the interview for Europeanpulse Samard`ija explained that thekey task for Montenegro is to conducta successful, quality reform processand fulfil the membership criteria,instead of trying to shorten the dead-lines in the accession process.

IInn wwhhiicchh aarreeaass ddiidd CCrrooaattiiaahhaavvee mmoosstt ddiiffffiiccuullttiieess ttoo aaddaapptt ttooEEUU ssttaannddaarrddss??

Changes are necessary in virtu-ally all areas, but not all of themare equally profound and demand-ing, and their costs are different.Agriculture is one of the mosttroublesome sectors. EU legislationis abundant in this area, it requirescreation of a new managementsystem, and on top of that youneed to work on making yourproducts more competitive, enlargethe land holdings (given the tinysize of average holdings, diversifi-cation of activities in family-ownedfarms etc.). It also requires institu-tion building, fostering marketmechanisms and capacities forimplementation of rural develop-ment policies.

EEnnvviirroonnmmeenntt??Environmental protection is

one area where EU regulations areparticularly demanding, not to

mention the sizeable investmentsnecessary for adequate waste man-agement, sewage filters, safetystandards. This was equally difficultfor the new EU members, especial-ly in financial terms. In addition tothese single-area reforms, however,the most important are the hori-zontal measures.

CCoouulldd yyoouu eellaabboorraattee oonntthhaatt??

For instance, implementing freemarket mechanisms on all levels.One of the steps that Croatia musttake in order to allow for freecompetition is to lower the level ofstate subsidies, which currentlyamount to twice the Europeanaverage. The structure and purposeof the subsidies must also change,phasing out support for individualindustrial branches and directingthem towards the horizontal sup-port mechanisms, through develop-ment programmes. Finally, it is nec-essary to speed up restructuringand privatisation, especially in thesteel and shipbuilding industries.

WWhheerree wwaass hhaarrmmoonniissaattiioonn

eeaassiieesstt??Croatia has preliminarily closed

two negotiation chapters, where Ibelieve the harmonisation processwas the easiest. These are Scienceand Research and Education andCulture chapters. I would add afew more where I cannot see majordifficulties for Croatia: statistics,industrial policy, small and mediumenterprises and common foreignand security policy.

WWhhaatt sshhoouulldd CCrrooaattiiaa ddoo nneexxttttoo mmaakkee tthhee pprroocceessss ooff hhaarrmmoonniissaa-ttiioonn wwiitthh EEUU ssyysstteemm aass qquuiicckk aannddssuucccceessssffuull aass ppoossssiibbllee??

Harmonisation with the com-munity law is much broader thanthe issue of purely legal harmoni-sation. It means harmonising thewhole system with the EU one,including legislation, policy andinstitutions. In the last few years wefocused on the legislation and insti-tution building, and we ought tocontinue in that direction, but wemust see that this formal harmoni-sation is reflected in the policies.Broadly speaking, we must work onimplementation, which is the onlything the European Commissionreally cares about. This is especial-ly important with regard to the factthat Croatia as future member ofEU will have to implement acquisin all areas from the day it gainsmembership - there will be nomore exceptions and transitionperiods.

WWhhaatt wwaass CCrrooaattiiaa''ss ssoolluuttiioonnttoo tthhee pprroobblleemm ooff wweeaakk aaddmmiinniissttrraa-ttiivvee ccaappaacciittiieess??

Strengthening institutions thro-ugh administration and cadre is thefirst prerequisite for successful

D R V I [ N J A S A M A R D @ I J A F R O M T H E I N S T I T U T E O F I N T E R N A T I O N A L R E L A T I O N SI N Z A G R E B

Vi{nja Samard`ija

Educating experts is the top priority

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implementation of regulations andthe guarantee of effective imple-mentation of all commitments.Legal harmonisation should be par-allel to the establishment andadjustment of the institutionalinfrastructure to EU structures. Thefirst step in building up own capac-ities was to foster human resources.CARDS-based projects were veryhelpful in building institutionalcapacities in the very beginning, aswell as PHARE and IPA later on.

WWhhaatt aarree yyoouurr rreeccoommmmeenn-ddaattiioonnss ffoorr MMoonntteenneeggrroo??

In these early periods youshould invest in educating expertswho will then be able to cope withthe challenges issuing from theintegration process. One advantagefor a country which is a latecomerto the process is that it can learnfrom other countries which arenow ahead. This advantage shouldcertainly be used: learn from thebest practice and avoid similar mis-takes.

HHooww aarree SSAAAA nneeggoottiiaattiioonnssddiiffffeerreenntt ffrroomm mmeemmbbeerrsshhiipp nneeggoottii-aattiioonnss??

Stabilisation and AssociationAgreement (SAA) is focused on asmaller, limited area of acquis.Membership negotiations, on theother hand, comprise the full span

of acquis, divided in 35 chapters. Iwould emphasise that in both casethe term "negotiations" is somewhatmisleading. The process simplyinvolves agreeing on the means andmodalities of the adoption of thisbody of legislation which is manda-tory for all EU members. No coun-try can change the conditions pro-posed by EU, all that can be "nego-tiated" are certain delays or excep-tions, transition periods for imple-mentation. SAA negotiations consistof agreements on the transitionperiods with regard to liberalisationof trade in industrial and agricul-tural products, and the scope oflegal harmonisation is limited to theSingle Market acquis.

AAnndd tthhee mmeemmbbeerrsshhiipp nneeggoo-ttiiaattiioonnss??

In those negotiations legal har-monisation is gradually expandedto all 35 chapters of the communi-ty law. The result of membershipnegotiations are transition periodsstipulated for the implementationof EU regulations, certain protectiveclauses or derogations, but there isno avoiding the commitment of theadoption of acquis. Negotiationprocess is continuously upgradedand the countries in the stabilisa-tion and association process canmake use of the new methods that

did not exist before. Such are thebenchmark criteria introduced bythe EC when necessary whichdecide whether the country is at allready to open certain chapter.

CCoouulldd yyoouu ddeessccrriibbee tthheesseeccrriitteerriiaa??

They usually involve creation ofseparate strategies or action plans,restructuring programmes for cer-tain branches, administrative ca-pacity building. This goes to showthat in such a process having strictdeadlines makes little sense, be-cause it is so difficult to planahead. On the other hand, thepublic must know this, and oneshould never raise too high andunrealistic expectations.

HHooww ddoo yyoouu sseeee tthhee ppeerr-ssppeeccttiivvee ooff tthhee WWeesstt BBaallkkaannss??

It is slowly becoming a reality.The Reform Treaty in Lisbon solvedthe problem of institutional capac-ity of the EU to accept new mem-bers. The stabilisation and associa-tion process is still the main frame-work for integration of this regioninto EU. Lately there has been sig-nificant progress in establishinginstitutional links between EU andthe region, including Montenegro.Slovenian presidency gives greaterpriority to the EU policy towardsWestern Balkans which is also verygood for the region. What is mostimportant for every country is,however, to fulfil the membershipcriteria and make the implementa-tion process faster and more effi-cient. Solving the Kosovo problemis certainly an important prerequi-site for lasting stability in theregion, and will require a lot ofunderstanding and diplomaticmaturity. In any case, I am an opti-mist with respect to European per-spective of the region, provided thereforms are not slowed down andthat all criteria are observed.

PPaauullaa PPEETTRRII^̂EEVVII]]

How do you see the European perspective of Montenegro?After having signed the Stabilisation and Association Agreement in 2007,

Montenegro is on the right road to membership in the EU. Ensuring success-ful implementation of SAA once it comes into force is a huge task, but in themeantime you should concentrate on the Interim Agreement which is in forcefrom this year. The example of Croatia shows that implementation of reformsand fulfilment of criteria is the only way to membership. Every country will beassessed on its own merit, and the speed of the accession process depends onindividual progress. European perspective of Montenegro is it your own hands.The key to making this perspective come true is to adopt European standardsand laws and develop human resources with European orientation, people whounderstand that the road to Europe leads through changes on the domesticgrounds.

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Reminiscent of their "genial" ability to keepsawing a bone of contention among the

leaders of the Montenegrin opposition foralmost two decades, leaders of theDemocratic Party of Socialists succeeded topit against each other members of the EPDelegation for South East Europe. Exchangeof fire and wit from Podgorica, althoughmuch of it reeks of cheap theatre of absurd,inflamed some of the hearts in Strasbourgtoo, except we still do not know what is tobe gained by that. Is Montenegro's positionin Brussels getting better or worse, is thegovernment in Podgorica ready to face thechallenges whose outcome may really deter-mine the European future of Montenegro, ordoes everything, in the final count, comedown to using all means available in orderto stay in power. Is Podgorica turning itspotential allies into adversaries and is sweep-ing under the carpet the glaring shortcomingsof Montenegrin everyday life the best possi-ble road to European membership? Simplyput, what do we gain from polishing thereality and where is Montenegro heading ifthe only concern of its authorities is to pro-tect the figure and oeuvre of the head of theruling party, instead of working on establish-ing an order governed by truly European val-ues. Does it pay of to start a fight with oneof the three most important EU institutions,even if we find some of the comments in itsDecember resolution a notch too daring? Orare we fighting for national dignity? Or is italready undermined by the fact that amajority of EMPs voted for a Resolutionwhich says that the Italian investigation relat-ed to organised crime may result in an arrestwarrant? If it is undermined, is that the faultof the EP or of Montenegro itself, whose for-mer Prime Minister allowed himself duringthe '90s to befriend some faces from thewanted circulars?

Such are the questions plaguing theMontenegrin public after a sudden visit paidto Podgorica in mid-January by MarcelloVernola, EP representative for Montenegro,who flu over to inform the public that he willdo his best to oblige MEPs to reject earlierspeculations over the arrest of Montenegrinofficials on charges of cigarette smuggling.

Vernola, representative of former ItalianPrime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forzadubbed "unfounded" paragraph 7 of the res-olution, which urges Montenegro to cooper-ate with Italian judiciary and mentions "inter-national arrest warrant"...

In a press conference where he sharedthe floor with the head of the ForeignRelations Committee of the MontenegrinParliament, Miodrag Vukovi}, Vernola said

that there has been no warrant, and thatMontenegrin prosecution offered its assis-tance to the Italian colleagues, who are sus-pecting several Montenegrin citizens, amongwhom former PM and president of DPS,Milo \ukanovi}, of mafia-like organisationand organised crime.

He added that EP will adopt a "deci-sion on error" in its next report on theMontenegrin progress in implementing theStabilisation and Association Agreement andreject paragraph 7 after he presents to theMEPs in Strasbourg the proofs collectedthrough personal "investigation".

On the very same day came the retortof his boss, president of the Delegation forSouth East Europe Doris Pack and herdeputy Hannes Swoboda that they have noknowledge of Vernola's trip to Podgorica andthat whatever he said on this visit could onlybe his personal opinion, not an official posi-tion of the European Parliament.

"He voted for the last version of the

Resolution, paragraph 7 included, but thenthe embassy of Montenegro put pressure onhim so he changed the opinion. That is hispersonal choice, but be serious about suchthings. The embassy has the right to lobby,but he must take this seriously", Svobodasaid.

After having criticised his colleaguesSwoboda and Jelko Kacin for "meddling" inthe internal affairs of Montenegro, Vernola

responded that he came to Montenegro offi-cially, in order to present the EP Resolution,as he could not make it in December. Hishost, Miodrag Vukovi}, agrees.

"All communication was very official,this is not my private party", Vukovi} said.

At the moment, the situation is as fol-lows: Montenegro wants to join EU. In orderto do so, it has to show determination tochange for the better and accomplish at leastsome visible results. The government hasbeen insisting that Montenegro should not betreated as a part of the regional "package"(Serbia, BiH...), and demanding that everycountry should be treated by its own merit,and not wait until the others fulfil the mem-bership requirements. Provided the reformsare really implemented, Montenegro will stillneed powerful allies in the European centresto accomplish this ambitions goal. Is MarceloVernola the one?

N. RUDOVI]

IIss MMoonntteenneeggrroo''ss ppoossiittiioonn iinn BBrruusssseellss ggeettttiinngg bbeetttteerr oorr wwoorrssee,, iiss tthheeggoovveerrnnmmeenntt iinn PPooddggoorriiccaa rreeaaddyy ttoo ffaaccee tthhee cchhaalllleennggeess wwhhoossee oouutt-ccoommee mmaayy rreeaallllyy ddeetteerrmmiinnee tthhee EEuurrooppeeaann ffuuttuurree ooff MMoonntteenneeggrroo,, oorrddooeess eevveerryytthhiinngg,, iinn tthhee ffiinnaall ccoouunntt,, ccoommee ddoowwnn ttoo uussiinngg aallll mmeeaannssaavvaaiillaabbllee iinn oorrddeerr ttoo ssttaayy iinn ppoowweerr

I S T H E C O N F L I C T O F T H E M O N T E N E G R I N G O V E R N M E N T W I T H E U R O P E A NP A R L I A M E N T D E T R I M E N T A L T O M O N T E N E G R I N P O S I T I O N I N B R U S S E L S

TThheeaa tt rr eeooff aabbssuurrdd

Marcello Vernola and Miodrag Vukovi}

phot

o VI

JEST

I

9Eur op ean pu l s e N o 28

J anua ry , 2 0 0 8 Po l i cy

Ensuring the smooth ratification of theEU's new Reform Treaty, pushing

ahead with ambitious energy and cli-mate goals and stabilising the WesternBalkan region, notably through theprospect of EU accession, will beamong the top priorities for Slovenia asit takes over the reins of the 27-coun-try bloc for the coming six months.

The Government of the Republicof Slovenia and the European Com-mission met in Brdo near Kranj on 8January for the traditional meeting thatmarks the start of each EU presidencyin order to discuss the key challengesfacing the EU in the first half of 2008.

According to Prime Minister JanezJan{a, Slovenia's presidency will seek toensure the smooth ratification of therecently-signed Lisbon Treaty so that itcan enter into force by January 2009,ahead of European Parliament elec-tions. Jan{a urged member states toweigh up carefully which path theychoose for ratification, as a number ofcountries, including Portugal, whichhanded over the rotating EUPresidency to Slovenia on 1st January,are still considering holding potentiallyrisky referenda on the document.

"Europe is very much intercon-nected and we have to ask ourselveshow events in one country influenceevents in another country where thesituation may be somewhat different,"he said, urging governments to "bearthe broader perspective in mind, not

only the domestic issues but also pan-European issues".

The Slovenian Presidency will alsobe working hard with the Commissionto finalise the energy-climate package,including the details of how to share

out the burden among member statesfor implementing the EU's goals in cut-ting greenhouse gas emissions and rais-ing the share of renewable energy.

"This will probably be the mostdemanding task of the SlovenianPresidency. There are also some very

demanding negotiations ahead of us inthe relatively limited period betweenthe publication of the EuropeanCommission's proposal on 23 January

and the European Council in March,"said Jan{a.

The prime minister also said thathis country would work towards fullyimplementing the objectives of the lastthree-year cycle of Europe's Lisbon

strategy for growth and jobs, but cau-tioned that the European economy islikely to face a rougher ride in 2008than in 2007, notably following thefinancial market turmoil that followedthe US sub-prime mortgage crisis thissummer.

"It would be unrealistic of us notto expect certain problems, because ofthe issues that we have witnessed inthe financial markets, because of therising price of oil and food and theimpact of these price increases on theeconomies of the EU member states,"he said, adding that he intended toraise "the problems of the financialmarkets" during the spring summit, aswell as "the measures that need to beadopted as a follow up to the situation,in order to prevent such situations inthe future."

In terms of foreign policy, thefuture of the Western Balkans was highon the agenda, with Slovenia stressingits commitment to helping countries inthe region join the EU. "We need to

find solutions that will stabilise theregion in the long term," Jan{a said.

Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupelalso said he believed Serbia shouldsign a pre-membership pact as soon aspossible. But the Commission andother EU members object to signingany agreement until Serbia cooperatesfully with the UN war crimes tribunaland extradites former war criminalssuch as Ratko Mladi}, the formerBosnian Serb military commanderwanted on genocide charges.

N.R.-V.[.

JJaann{{aa uurrggeedd mmeemmbbeerr ssttaatteess ttoo wweeiigghh uupp ccaarreeffuullllyy wwhhiicchh ppaatthh tthheeyycchhoooossee ffoorr rraattiiffiiccaattiioonn,, aass aa nnuummbbeerr ooff ccoouunnttrriieess,, iinncclluuddiinnggPPoorrttuuggaall,, wwhhiicchh hhaannddeedd oovveerr tthhee rroottaattiinngg EEUU PPrreessiiddeennccyy ttoo SSlloovveenniiaaoonn 11sstt JJaannuuaarryy,, aarree ssttiillll ccoonnssiiddeerriinngg hhoollddiinngg ppootteennttiiaallllyy rriisskkyy rreeffeerr-eennddaa oonn tthhee ddooccuummeenntt

IInn tteerrmmss ooff ffoorreeiiggnn ppoolliiccyy,, tthhee ffuuttuurree ooff tthhee WWeesstteerrnn BBaallkkaannss wwaasshhiigghh oonn tthhee aaggeennddaa,, wwiitthh SSlloovveenniiaa ssttrreessssiinngg iittss ccoommmmiittmmeenntt ttoohheellppiinngg ccoouunnttrriieess iinn tthhee rreeggiioonn jjooiinn tthhee EEUU

S L O V E N I A O U T L I N E S ' D E M A N D I N G ' E U P R E S I D E N C Y P R O G R A M M E

BBaallkkaann ttooppss tthhee aaggeennddaa

Ljubljana

10Eur op ean pu l s e N o 28

J anua ry , 2 0 0 8 Eur op ean ba r ome t e r i n Mon t en eg r o

One photographThe month of the announce-

ment of presidential elections beganwith a firm decision to finally, on theeve of the fourth decade of mysojourn on this Earth, I try my luckwith putting the apartment in order.Bearing in mind my intimate, consis-tently reaffirmed European orienta-tion - you could say you are speak-ing to a Brussels fanatic, hooligan,skinhead of the Partnership for Peace- I naturally stirred clear from the FarEastern housing spells of the order offeng shui. If I already decided not tospend the rest of my tenant days asa "Balkanisches schwein" but, armedwith a vacuum cleaner and aGhostbusters soundtrack, to bravelyface the ghosts of a quasi-bohemianBalkan past incarnated in the chaosof a single's Block V quarter - I hadto do the job pro-Europeanly.Something like the positive campaignof Sir Andrija Mandi}.

No wander than that mysparkling clear kitchen door woke upone day adorned with a portrait ofIngman Bergman, to me more thana tiny black and white homage toEuropean cinematography.

What I mean is a portrait of theartist as a young man, a thirty-yearold. Drinks coffee and wears a beret,finally a young Bergman, usuallyappears in the papers as an elderlysorcerer. Portrait from a new angle,somehow in tact with the fresh polit-ical burlesques. European politiciansin a new light, like no one has seenthem before, or at least those of uswithout access to satellite channels. Itall began with an exchange of fire

between Strasbourg representativesin Montenegrin newspapers (excel-lent for polishing window panes, thelatter!). Rejecting, sabotaging, under-estimating each other... But let usstart from the beginning, from theheights of theory.

Two Brussels "People ought to understand

that there are two Brussels, onepurely administrative-bureaucratic,without subtle understanding of spe-cific environments, whose cold-blooded formulations are forged on

the basis of hearsay. There is anoth-er Brussels of the real flesh andblood humans, people who com-municate with reality in a realisticmanner. When you receive informa-tion from some secretariat, it is dryand dull, burdened, crippled by thefacts that are taken out of context.When you speak to these people,however, they will tell you that theydo write such things, but that ineffect they think differently".

No, it is not Jacques Derridaspeaking, this is the inspired solilo-quy by Miodrag Mi{ko Vukovi},head of the DPS parliamentary com-mittee. So there are two Brussels,and cooperating with one of them iseasier and closer. This we call lobby-ing. Choosing the partner best suitedto own purposes. There are twoMEPs whose last names nearly rime:Hannes Swoboda and MarcelloVernola. Opposition chooses the for-mer, government the latter. On hiswebsite, Svoboda sports the frontpage of the independent daily"Vijesti", Vernola of the state-owned"Pobjeda". Myth of a coherent EUpower slowly vanishes into thin air. Itremains standing only as a fictionharnessed for the purposes of theupcoming presidential campaign.

There, we will have no doubtsas to who is lying: Vernola when hesays he came officially or Doris Packwhen she claims he went as a pri-vate person. There will be no men-tion of the disgraceful Paragraph 7bringing up some long-forgotteninvestigations. Nor the cheekyreporter Vernola who comes toannounce it six months later inPodgorica, exhilarated like he just

by Brano Mandi}

Old Bergman and New Europe

EElleeccttiioonnss mmaayy llaacckk tthhee hhiissttoorriiccaall gglliimmmmeerr ooff tthhee SSeerrbbiiaann oonneess,, bbuutttthheeyy wwiillll cceerrttaaiinnllyy sseett iinn mmoottiioonn aann iimmppoorrttaanntt rreeggiioonn-wwiiddee ttrreenndd::eennllaarrggeemmeenntt ooff ppoolliittiiccaall bblloocckkss iinn MMoonntteenneeggrroo

11Eu r op ean pu l s e N o 28

J anua ry , 2 0 0 8 Eur op ean ba r ome t e r i n Mon t en eg r o

discovered the hiding mo-nastery of Karad`i}. Italian in acircus. He gets to play the roleof a clueless harlequin wavingpapers. Vila Gorica became thefair booth for an illusionist act.The trick was the following: "Iwill tell you something youalready know, but in such aneat way that you forget aboutit and accept my word asnews". Some media caught onthe bait, among them somefinanced by taxpayers' money.The grim moral: politics isalways and everywhere playedby the same rules. On the onehand, it is healthy to de-mysti-fy European politics. On theother hand, the local partysheriffs could use it to disparage thedecisions and political will of ourcrown partners. And their will is theResolution of the European Parlia-ment on Montenegro. And its para-graph 7, with or without the bless-ing of the DPS presidency.

Three sombrerosIn the meantime, the said pres-

idency decided to go to electionswith the good old Filip Vujanovi},candidate with luxurious losingpotentials, which should gladden thehearts of the opposition, if we hadany. Instead, we have AndrijaMandi}, the Big Serb and patriotwho is more willing to forget the twodecades of crimes against his peopleby the odious DPS than to forgive hisopposition colleague Medojevi} hisweakness regarding the Constitution.Principled to the bone, like a truerevolutionary uninterested in powerand social change, Mandi} willmobilise his potentials of a huntbeater to gather all the miserable ofMontenegro who believe their inter-ests could be best represented by adude who was pronounced a ^etnikduke. On the other hand, thenumbly benign figure of Vujanovi},morphinely absorbed in thought andlongingly dumbfounded at all the

dirty laundry of this world couldmake every aunt of all meridiansdeclare him as the good guy.Between (fiery) Mandi} and (watery)Vujanovi}, Medojevi} can choosewhether to burn or drown. PoorMedo can do little but make fun ofthe campaign. And agree with every-thing his opponents say, for takingMandi} seriously as leader of theopposition is equally laughable asclaiming that Vujanovi} representssome authority.

Rhetoric of the Movement forChanges has its date of expiry.

Medojevi} knows that the electionsmight be the last chance to shed hisreputation of an eternal young talent,especially as DPS offers a politicallydull opponent, ceremonial bore andmaster of phrases unlimited - never-theless the current president ofMontenegro.

Elections may lack the historicalglimmer of the Serbian ones, but theywill certainly set in motion an impor-tant region-wide trend: enlargementof political blocks in Montenegro.Those parties on the edge of censuswhich did not dare to offer a presi-

dential candidate lost a chanceto test their rating and handedtheir voters over to the others'campaigns. It will all be a littleboring without prima-ballerinasof the local business and politicson billboards.

\ukanovi}, on the otherhand, chose the perverse roleof a leader of the electionteam, which is a sly way toparticipate in elections as ashadow demiurge. He demandssupport for his organisationalartistry and the candidate whois dutifully observing all theinstructions of the head ofcampaign, a.k.a. head of theparty.

His return to the positionof Prime Minister has already beenannounced as a sacrifice to the altarof homeland, which is a piece ofnews commanding a lot more salivafrom the political analysts than thechoice of future president who is toline up the guards and receiveaccreditation from the diplomaticrepresentative of Uganda in the royalcity of Cetinje.

The catharsis is again in thehands of Primus, and the politicalpublic eyes eagerly the moves of amillionaire who values money lessthan the call of homeland. Patriotism

thus acquires a new dimension: itcomes to mean an escape frombusiness, forsaking the earthly bless-ings in the name of the commongood of party members and sympa-thisers. DPS ceases to be a party, itbecomes vox populi, mentality-based measure of reality without theoption of resistance, awareness orrush. Will the worthy Chief sit at thehead of electoral campaign or gov-ernment is of marginal importance.

The author is a journalist of thedaily newspaper "Vijesti"

FFoorr ttaakkiinngg MMaannddii}} sseerriioouussllyy aass lleeaaddeerr ooff tthhee ooppppoossiittiioonn iiss eeqquuaallllyyllaauugghhaabbllee aass ccllaaiimmiinngg tthhaatt VVuujjaannoovvii}} rreepprreesseennttss ssoommee aauutthhoorriittyy

12Eu r op ean pu l s e N o 28

J anua ry , 2 0 0 8 E c onomy

By the way it looks, further tradeliberalisation between European

Union and Montenegro ensuingfrom the Interim Agreement ontrade and trade related issues withEU will bring no improvements toMontenegrin competiveness orexports towards the markets of the27 member states.

The key reason is the weakhome base - Montenegro has lowproduct diversification, making itseconomy vulnerable and amount-ing to a long-term problem.Montenegro can afford greaterexport volumes for barely threeproducts: aluminium, iron andsteel, all of which face fierce com-petitiveness on the internationalmarkets.

Only three countries accountfor 70% of our exports: Serbia,which is not an EU member, aswell as Italy and Hungary. High

export concentration is anotherhurdle to jump. Other Mon-tenegrin exports are of a too lowvolume to become serious compe-tition on the EU markets. This, inturn, could hamper motivation inlocal producers to improve theirproducts and become competitivefirst on the local and later on EUmarkets, once Montenegro has ful-filled the IA commitment to openits borders entirely for the qualityproducts from EU members.

In wood processing industry,for instance, where there is somepotential, key export items consist

of raw or crudely processed tim-ber. It entails low value added andis frequently based on inadequateexploitation of natural resources. Inthis sense, Montenegrin exportprofile resembles that of theunderdeveloped third world coun-tries.

Interim agreement in itself willdo little to mend this situationunless Montenegro changes itsexport strategy in the near future.Those companies that managed tolive up to the existing standardshad little trouble exporting to EU

even before the agreement wassigned, in line with theAutonomous Trade Measuresadopted by Brussels already in2000. Those who did not, howev-er, are up for a struggle whenfaced with tariff-free Europeanimports.

In the recent years the rate ofimports has been steadily acceler-ating against the rate of exports,propelling foreign trade accountsentirely out of balance. To anextent, this has been the trend ofthe last ten years, in consequenceof three key factors: dissolution ofSFRY, war in the neighbouringcountries and international sanc-tions, as well as drastic reductionsin economic ties to other coun-tries. At the moment we are fac-ing inability of our economy tocope with competition in theinternational markets, coupledwith re-channelling of investmentstowards the service sector. Weakcompetitiveness of the local econ-omy reflected in low quality andinadequate prices, underperfor-mance regarding internationalstandards, growing purchasingpower of the population and focuson the service sector are the keyingredients of the tide of importsin Montenegro. The most worryingis the fact that food and beveragesaccount for 2/3 of these imports,in spite of the fact that local pro-duction could be stimulated to

F O R E I G N D I R E C T I N V E S T M E N T S T O D E C R E A S E F O R E I G N T R A D E D E F I C I T

IIff tthhee eeccoonnoommyy rreemmaaiinnssuu nn cc oo mm pp ee tt ii tt ii vv ee ,, EE UUaaggrreeeemmeennttss wwiillll bbee iinn vvaaiinn

IInn wwoooodd pprroocceessssiinngg iinndduussttrryy,, ffoorr iinnssttaannccee,, wwhheerree tthheerree iiss ssoommeeppootteennttiiaall,, kkeeyy eexxppoorrtt iitteemmss ccoonnssiisstt ooff rraaww oorr ccrruuddeellyy pprroocceesssseeddttiimmbbeerr.. IItt eennttaaiillss llooww vvaalluuee aaddddeedd aanndd iiss ffrreeqquueennttllyy bbaasseedd oonn iinnaadd-eeqquuaattee eexxppllooiittaattiioonn ooff nnaattuurraall rreessoouurrcceess.. IInn tthhiiss sseennssee,, MMoonntteenneeggrriinneexxppoorrtt pprrooffiillee rreesseemmbblleess tthhaatt ooff tthhee uunnddeerrddeevveellooppeedd tthhiirrdd wwoorrllddccoouunnttrriieess

by Dr Jelena @ugi}

13Eu r op ean pu l s e N o 28

J anua ry , 2 0 0 8 E c onomy

decrease such import-depend-ence.

For the time being, Mon-tenegro lacks quality standards,price competitiveness, productionstandards and, most importantly,knowledge to cope with the EUmarket. Our companies certainlyhave products that can be placedin the EU markets, but are short offulfilling the necessary require-ments of this demanding market.

In order to decrease tradedeficit and boost quality of thelocal products, Montenegro willneed to harness the assistance offoreign direct investments (FDI).FDI can be effective and econom-ically justified only if it contributesto increased volumes of foreigntrade, export competitiveness andemployment, while decreasing cur-rent account and foreign tradedeficits.

Montenegro, however, is aneconomic phenomenon in its ownright: the more impressive ourrecord of FDI inflows the greaterthe foreign trade deficit. According

for the Agency for the Promotionof Foreign Investments, FDI in2007 amounted to some 650 mil-lion euros. In both per capita FDIinflows and FDI share in grossdomestic product Montenegroranked the first in Europe.

On the other hand, foreigntrade deficit in the first three quar-ters on 2007 topped billion euros,or one half of the projected GDP

(2.004 billion), also highest inEurope.

The key question regardingFDI is therefore: how efficiently ithas been utilised and how much itcontributes to economic develop-ment in Montenegro?

In Montenegro, foreigners havelargely invested in real estate -according to the Central Bank ofMontenegro, such transactionsaccount for 57% of total FDI inMontenegro. Practice has taught usthat the foreigners who buy upancestral lore on the Montenegrincoast do not use the land to initi-ate production or introduce newproducts, but keep it for entirelyprivate purposes. The nationalswho sold their real estate to theforeigners for huge amounts ofmoney rarely put it to productiveuses, but channel it towards cover-ing living expenses. FDI, which isthe developmental opportunity forMontenegrin companies and thebest road to long-term improve-ments in production, employmentand living standards thus remainsthoroughly underutilised.

A country where FDI does nothelp to produce goods that wouldbe competitive first in the domes-tic and later also in the foreignmarkets is a country doomed toimport dependence and uncom-petitive exports.

Without a credible strategy toattract FDI in the recent future andto create business environmentwhich would stimulate local entre-preneurs to engage in productiveactivities, leading to higheremployment, greater competitive-ness of domestic products anddecrease in foreign trade deficit,Montenegro risks to miss out onthe potential advantages of theInterim Agreement.

TThhee aauutthhoorr iiss pprrooffeessssoorr aatt tthheeFFaaccuullttyy ooff BBuussiinneessss ""MMoonntteenneeggrrooBBuussiinneessss SScchhooooll"" iinn PPooddggoorriiccaa

Montenegrin enterprises should begin to think more seriously about intensify-ing trade with EU countries. In order to have a competitive product, they

ought to specialise and create a domestic base for a group of products that haveexport potential for the EU market. In addition to the existing export items, agri-cultural products characteristic for the region (wine, beer, strong alcoholic bever-ages, cheese, ham and water) could strongly contribute to the future export offerfor EU markets. This must be accompanied with growing product quality and pro-duction planning for each sector in addition to a quality system necessary for entryto EU markets. Montenegro should also consider expansion in the future in thesector of fish and seafood. The production volumes are currently small, but havea potential for growth.

It would be pure self-deception to believe that Montenegro can have pro-duction capacity to engage in mass production for international markets. Oneshould first focus on the competitive products that can satisfy the local market,and orient narrowly specialised products to the EU markets.

EEXXPPOORRTT PPOOTTEENNTTIIAALL IINN FFOOOODD,,AALLCCOOHHOOLLIICC BBEEVVEERRAAGGEESS AANNDD WWAATTEERR

TThhee mmoosstt wwoorrrryyiinngg iiss tthhee ffaacctt tthhaatt ffoooodd aanndd bbeevveerraaggeess aaccccoouunntt ffoorr22//33 ooff tthheessee iimmppoorrttss,, iinn ssppiittee ooff tthhee ffaacctt tthhaatt llooccaall pprroodduuccttiioonnccoouulldd bbee ssttiimmuullaatteedd ttoo ddeeccrreeaassee ssuucchh iimmppoorrtt-ddeeppeennddeennccee

14Eur op ean pu l s e N o 28

J anua ry , 2 0 0 8 Re s e a r ch

Support for membership in EuropeanUnion is the highest in the last decade,

according to the findings of the latestEurobarometer, public opinion poll con-ducted by the European commission from22 September to 3 November 2007.

Eurobarometer found that 58% ofthe European citizens, a one pointincrease compared to spring 2007 sup-ports their country's membership in EU.Exactly the same figure (58%, -1) thinksthat their country benefits on balancefrom membership.

Support for membership is highest ofall in Luxembourg (82%), with strong

results also seen in the Netherlands(79%), Belgium and Ireland (both 74%).

There are no countries where sup-port for EU membership is outstripped byopposition. The highest proportions ofrespondents opposed to membership canbe seen in the countries that traditional-ly rank lowest in terms indicators offavourability towards the EU: the UnitedKingdom (28%), Austria (26%) andFinland (21%).

Support for future EU membership isrunning very high in the Former YugoslavRepublic of Macedonia (76% think thiswould be a good thing). In the othercandidate countries it stands at 49% inTurkey and 35% in Croatia.

Overall results are very close tothose seen for spring of this year andchanges in results for individual countriesare few and low in magnitude.Exceptions are Greece, Luxembourg andFrance where support for EU increasedby 7-8%.

There is also some increase in sup-

port for future membership in Croatia:6% higher in comparison to spring 2007.

Most enthusiastic are the Irish, 87%of whom believes that their country hasprofited from membership, which is alsothe case with 83% of Poles, 81%Lithuanians and 80% Estonians andGreeks. At the other end of the scale, alow share of the Cypriot and UK polls(both 37%) think that their particularcountries have benefited.

Evolutions in the candidate coun-tries present a mixed picture: on the onehand, a majority of Croats (47%) nowthink that they would benefit from being

a future member of the EU, whereasTurkish support has dropped dramatically(from 62% in spring 2007 to 51%).

Generally, Eurobarometer showsrather high trust in EU, especially in com-parison with the national institutions.

Almost half of respondents (48%)tend to trust in the EU while 36% expressthe opposite view. By contrast only 59%distrusts national governments, while 56%does not trust their parliaments.

In most countries, the EU is moretrusted than distrusted. Exceptions to thisare the UK (53% distrust), as well asGermany, Sweden and Finland wheresome 40% trusts the Union while agreater percentage thinks the opposite.

In Turkey, as in Croatia, fewerrespondents trust in the EU (25 and32%), and some 60% do not trust. InCroatia the government and parliamentare also trusted by a low proportion (20%both), whilst in the former trust for theseinstitutions is high: parliament 64%, gov-ernment 63%.

Only in Macedonia is the trust in theEU at 63% is nearly twice as high as forthe the national government (36%) andparliament (23%).

SSuuppppoorrtt ffoorr mmeemmbbeerrsshhiipp iiss hhiigghheesstt ooff aallll iinn LLuuxxeemmbboouurrgg ((8822%%)),, wwiitthhssttrroonngg rreessuullttss aallssoo sseeeenn iinn tthhee NNeetthheerrllaannddss ((7799%%)),, BBeellggiiuumm aannddIIrreellaanndd ((bbootthh 7744%%)),, wwhhiillee tthhee ""ooppppoossiittiioonn"" pprreevvaaiillss iinn tthhee ccoouunnttrriieesstthhaatt ttrraaddiittiioonnaallllyy rraannkk lloowweesstt iinn tteerrmmss iinnddiiccaattoorrss ooff ffaavvoouurraabbiilliittyyttoowwaarrddss tthhee EEUU:: tthhee UUnniitteedd KKiinnggddoomm ((2288%%)),, AAuussttrriiaa ((2266%%)) aannddFFiinnllaanndd ((2211%%))

R E S U L T S O F E U R O B A R O M E T E R , P U B L I C O P I N I O N P O L L C O N D U C T E D B YE U R O P E A N C O M M I S S I O N

TTwwoo tthhiirrddss ooff EEUU cciittiizzeennss bbeelliieevvee iinn tthhee aaddvvaannttaaggeess ooff mmeemmbbeerrsshhiipp

Over two-thirds of European citizens think that next twelve months will beat least the same (44%) for their national economy and at best improve

(24%), whilst around a quarter (26%) think that it will worsen.Overall, economic expectations remain in a similar state of balance as seen

in the Eurobarometer of Spring 2007, and are thus well ahead of what theywere in Autumn 2006 - where 20% believed their economy would improveand 35% that it would worsen.

The economic optimism index is highest in Romania (+18), followed byMalta (+15),Austria and Poland (both +14). The index is strongly negative inCyprus (-44) and Hungary (-40) and less so in the Czech Republic andPortugal (both -23).

Compared to spring 2007, the economic optimism index has fallen con-siderably in the Netherlands (-34, to stand at -5), as well as in Lithuania (-24, now +2) and Estonia (-21, currently -3).

In both Luxembourg (from -25 to -4), Greece (from -36 to -17) andCroatia (from -18 to -1) there has been a significant increase in economicconfidence from the more pessimistic outlook seen in spring last year.

PPEESSSSIIMMIISSMM RRUULLEESS CCYYPPRRUUSS

15Eu r op ean pu l s e N o 28

J anua ry , 2 0 0 8 Re s e a r ch

Citizens of Romania,Belgium and Slovenia tend totrust EU institutions (around65%).

In Estonia, trust in theEU (67%) is high as it also isfor the Estonian government(62%). The difference is moststriking in Poland, where 62%respondents have trust in theEU with both the Polish gov-ernment (17%) and parlia-ment (10%) trusted by few.

Around 48% of Euro-pean citizens consider theirnational economy to be in agood state (a 4 point fall from spring2007). The proportion of respondentswho say their national economy will bein a better condition 12 months hencehas fallen (4 point decrease to 24%)whilst the share thinking it will stay thesame has risen to 44% (+6). Only 30%believe their lives in general will be bet-ter over the course of the next year (-7),this figure being the lowest since 1995.

It is believed that these evolutionsare as much due to the particular cir-

cumstances over the earlier part of theyear (which led to a peak in results) asthey are to current conditions.

At the same time we do see that cit-

izens exhibit an increasing concern overrising prices (26%, +8), albeit with fears

connected to unemploy-ment declining (27%, -7).

As for the EU institu-tions, 55% (-1) expresstrust in the European Par-liament and 50% (-2) inthe Commission. Thesemarginal declines still leavethe results above thoseseen in autumn 2006.

One exception fromthe positive trend is trustin the EU as a whole,which has fallen by 9points to stand at 48%.However, in the context of

similar evolutions for national govern-ments and parliaments, this looks tobe much more of a manifestation ofchanges in institutional trust in gener-

al, rather than being related to anyEU-specific factors.

An absolute majority of respondentsconsider there will be no significantchange in the status of their lives in gen-eral over the course of the next twelvemonths: 54% of European citizensbelieves that their lives will stay the sameover this period, 30% consider that theirlives will get better and 13% that their lifewill get worse.

The highest current optimism indexcan be seen in Sweden (+38), followedby Denmark (+33). Spain, Ireland (both+29) and Romania (+28) all have opti-mism indexes over ten points higher thanthe European average.

There are just three countries with anegative personal optimism index:Hungary (-22), the Czech Republic (-5)and Portugal (-1).

There is an overall drop in theoptimism index in almost all countriessince spring 2007. The largest falls areseen in Lithuania (-22, to stand at +13),Slovenia (from 27 to 6), Latvia (40 to21) and Cyprus (from 22 to 4). Youngerrespondents are very more likely to beoptimistic for their future than the old-est group.

V.[. - N.R.

AAss ffoorr tthhee ccaannddiiddaattee ccoouunnttrriieess,, aa mmaajjoorriittyy ooff CCrrooaattss ((4477%%)) nnoowwtthhiinnkk tthhaatt tthheeyy wwoouulldd bbeenneeffiitt ffrroomm bbeeiinngg aa ffuuttuurree mmeemmbbeerr ooff tthheeEEUU,, wwhheerreeaass TTuurrkkiisshh ssuuppppoorrtt hhaass ddrrooppppeedd ddrraammaattiiccaallllyy ((ffrroomm 6622%%iinn sspprriinngg 22000077 ttoo 5511%%))

Concern over inflation continues to increase as that over unemploymentdeclines. The most common view regarding employment situation is that

things will remain the same (43%), with remaining answers evenly dividedbetween the belief that the situation will be better (26%) or worse (25%).

Employment optimism runs high in Lithuania (+35), followed by Poland(+26), Sweden (+23) and the Netherlands (+20). At the very bottom areHungary (-44) and Cyprus (-33), with low results also seen in Portugal (-27)and Ireland (-23).

Respondents to the poll were asked to name what they consider to bethe two most important issues currently facing their country. The results arelargely similar to spring 2007, with two exceptions: concern over inflation isrising, standing at 26% of those who identify it as the biggest current problem.

Outside of purely economic issues, crime still features as a concern, beingmentioned by 24% of respondents. There is very little difference betweenresults from the euro zone countries and overall results. Two exceptions areunemployment (mentioned by 32% of euro zone respondents compared to27% overall) and healthcare (mentioned by 14% of euro zone respondentscompared to 21% overall).

Compared to other member states, there is a large drop in concern overunemployment expressed by Swedish and Finnish respondents (-33 and -18,respectively), while almost half of all Polish interviewees are now worried abouttheir healthcare system (49%). There is a drop in the concern of French citi-zens over unemployment (from 52 to 38%), accompanied by an increase inconcern over pensions (20%).

LLIITTHHUUAANNIIAANNSS AANNDD PPOOLLEESS EEXXPPEECCTT EEMMPPLLOOYYMMEENNTT GGRROOWWTTHH

16Eur op ean pu l s e N o 28

J anua ry , 2 0 0 8 V i ews

It is fairly clear that the situation in someof the sectors is far from the principles of

sustainable development. In spite of thehigh-level documents and political deci-sions, however, there is not yet a criticalmass in the public of people who wouldunderstand the seriousness and importanceof this issue. We will need a lot of effortto change this, because the time is runningshort, says LLjjuubbii{{aa PPeerroovvii}}, director of theGovernment's office for sustainable devel-opment.

In the interview for European pulse hesaid that the concept of sustainable devel-opment is one of the key ingredients ofMontenegrin integration into Europe and afundamental precondition for successfuldevelopment.

"Montenegro made a decision alreadyin the 1991 to become an ecological state.At the time we perhaps had more spaceand opportunity for choice. The timingwas, however, not the most fortunate. It isgood that in the last few years Montenegrohas regained the strength to reinvent,strengthen and promote this idea withinthe broader principle of sustainable devel-opment", Perovi} said.

He added that Montenegro has allthe arguments in favour of such develop-ment "which makes the concept of sustain-able development the superior solution forthe future of Montenegro".

"If it continues like this, Montenegrocan give its small but significant contribu-tion to the global efforts to promote sus-

tainable development, the neglect of whichis already giving rise to disconcerting phe-nomena. Sustainable development is a pri-ority in the EU, and Montenegro now hasan opportunity to attract support for itsright choices, and to acquire certain indi-viduality and competitive advantage in thecourse of the integration process.Montenegro also has the potential tobecome the pillar of regional approach tothis issue, having already established cer-

tain elements for the framework: Strategyof sustainable development and theCouncil for sustainable development",Perovi} said.

He nevertheless warns that "in spite ofthe established goals and choices, devel-opments on the ground level are disap-pointing, as testified by the Secondoverview of the environmental situation ofthe UN Economic Commission for Europe,which was adopted by the Governmentand recently presented to the public".

"The document emphasises incongru-ence between the aims and their imple-mentation, arguing among other that"Montenegro has many strategies, but

unfortunately little has been implemented".We could also see that through the factthat the Office, i.e. the entire system ofsustainable development has been non-operational throughout 2007", Perovi} said.

Office for Sustainable Developmentwas established in October 2005 in orderto strengthen Montenegro's decision todevelop as an ecological state in line withthe principles of sustainable development;in order to coordinate cooperation of all

relevant subject in its competence asSecretariat of the National Council forSustainable Development, bringing togeth-er government agencies, scientific institu-tions, local self-governments, non-govern-mental and business sector, and to pro-mote international cooperation on theissues of sustainable development.

"Today, our priority is to reform theCouncil and the entire system of sustain-able development, which in itself must besustainable and efficient in order to facesuch serious task and challenges. Lastyear's council meetings which were calledto discuss the Energy Strategy and theSpatial Plan revealed profound structuralshortcomings of the system. We trulybelieve that the debates and clashesbetween the Government on the one sideand local NGOs and international institu-tions on the other will help to create morefruitful and harmonious relations. The firstsigns early this year provide some hope inthat direction", Perovi} said.

He adds that the Office has estab-lished good contacts with the EuropeanCommission and hopes to profit from theexpertise and material and political supportof the EC to the concept of sustainabledevelopment.

"In this context we find very valuablethe EC recommendations with regard tothe renewable energy sector and greaterefficiency of energy consumption. Bearingin mind the global character of the issue ofsustainable development, as well as theintegration goals of Montenegro, the mostimportant task for the Office in the follow-ing months will be establish contacts withnew partners and strengthen cooperationwith the existing ones in the area of sus-tainable development", Perovi} announced.

He maintains that MontenegrinConstitution has committed this country tothe path of sustainable development, inaddition to its responsibilities for the cur-rent and future generations.

"The basic principle promoted in thefounding concepts and philosophy of sus-tainable development is: "we have bor-rowed this planet from our children"",Perovi} said.

NN..RR..

WWee ttrruullyy bbeelliieevvee tthhaatt tthhee ddeebbaatteess aanndd ccllaasshheess bbeettwweeeenn tthheeGGoovveerrnnmmeenntt oonn tthhee oonnee ssiiddee aanndd llooccaall NNGGOOss aanndd iinntteerrnnaattiioonnaalliinnssttiittuuttiioonnss oonn tthhee ootthheerr wwiillll hheellpp ttoo ccrreeaattee mmoorree ffrruuiittffuull aanndd hhaarr-mmoonniioouuss rreellaattiioonnss.. SSoommee ooff tthhee ssiiggnnss eeaarrllyy tthhiiss yyeeaarr aallrreeaaddyy pprroo-vviiddee ssoommee hhooppee iinn tthhaatt ddiirreeccttiioonn

L J U B I [ A P E R O V I ] , D I R E C T O R O F T H E G O V E R N M E N T ' S O F F I C E F O R S U S T A I N A B L ED E V E L O P M E N T

WWee hhaavvee aa ssttrraatteeggyy,, bbuutt nnoo ccrriittiiccaall mmaassss

Ljubi{a Perovi}ph

oto

VIJEST

I

17Eu r op ean pu l s e N o 28

J anua ry , 2 0 0 8 F r om my p o in t o f v i ew

Why do I want to bea citizen of Europe?

We all agree that the West Balkanregion is somehow considered a

part of Europe, even as its black hole, theantimatter as it were, and the questionshould rather be: Why do I want to bea citizen of EU? My answer is best sum-marised in the notorious demand: I wantto be a citizen of EU because I loathhaving to consider the most basic thingsan achievement. Because that offends myintelligence and my dignity. Let me illus-trate this with an experience which Iconsidered for a while, or at least untilthe fury and frustration passed - anaccomplishment.

When a month ago I finally decidedto learn how to drive, I never dreamed itwould turn into an adventure out of allproportions. Every beginning is an oppor-tunity, I thought, finding myself in a newtown, and decided to learn to drivebefore the age of thirty.

We stood waiting for fifteen minutesin front of the building in whose base-ment we were to acquire our first insightsinto this magical art, after a brief andintensive theoretical introduction. Thethought crossed my mind that it may besomewhat irresponsible of the lecturer tobe late for the very first class and to keepus in the rain and cold instead of lettingus into the classroom. I waved it away,trying to keep myself in good faith andbetter mood. At first, I did not think itwould be necessary to reach for thesuperior powers of autogenous training inmimicry of some borderline situation, i.e.survival under extreme conditions.

I did indeed suffer profound con-

centration problems during the lessons(none of which started on time), due tothe teacher's techniques of keeping ourattention and sympathies, which largelycame down to a crash course in misog-yny and creative construction of genderstereotypes that are the unalienabletrademark of every true driver, bastion ofmasculinity.

Our exams did not necessarily con-tain such questions that could be readilyanswered by the Cro-Magnon ways ofthinking and acting. Nevertheless, no les-son could pass without another exampleof women's virtuosity in driving, or com-parisons of the traffic signs, vehicles orsituations with the prettier, and thereforepleasantly incapable sex. I cannot resistsharing with the reader some of the truepearls of wisdom accumulated from theprinted lighters and coffee mugs anddrawn from a lengthy experience that thefervour of drinking nights has turned intosolid adages.

In order to initiate us into thesecrets of the "thick line", the poetoffered a comparison with woman: "Theline is like a woman, you can be next toher, around her, but never on top of her".Explaining the essence of the driving actknown as "giving priority to another",through the mist of blue smoke stream-ing from his nose he referred to it as"typically female", in driving as in life.

My personal favourite is the antho-logical comparison of woman with atrailer: "A women is like a trailer - it lacksthe front axle, so it has to be towed onsomebody's back all life long". Not tomention the elaboration on the "rigidtransmissions", conveniently illustrated by

the encounters with his wife in quietevenings etc. etc.

With time, and to my great surprise,I came to find some perverse pleasure incollecting these proverbs, and I nearlyregretted having to severe my coopera-tion with this renowned driving school.The decision to ask for a return ofadvance payment was sealed by the factthat twice in a row, in the worst ofweathers and soaked to the bone, wehad to wait for the teacher who in theend never showed up. "The return ofadvance payment" turned out to be thehighlight of our gloomy relationship: inspite of the reproachful glances, half-wit-ted and half-threatening remarks themoney was finally transferred to myaccount. The feeling of triumph thatswept through me in that moment couldbe compared to the landmark victories inthe struggles for human rights. Which isexactly the most depressing part of thestory, alongside the above mentioned

deprivation of the unprecedented heightsof the balkanoid mental constructions.

To make it clear: I cherish no sillyhopes that the EU has the mysteriouspowers, a magic wand of sorts whosesingle touch will transform our behaviourovernight bestowing us with the mannersof civilised communication, elsewheretaken for granted. But I do look forwardto the painful and traumatic "harmonisa-tion" process to be encountered in everymanner and on every step of the road toEU.

TThhee aauutthhoorr iiss tthhee ppaarrttiicciippaanntt ooff tthheeVVII ggeenneerraattiioonn ooff EEuurrooppeeaann IInntteeggrraattiioonnssSScchhooooll aanndd PPrrooggrraammmmee aassssoocciiaattee iinn CCCCEE

by Paula Petri~evi}

TToo mmaakkee iitt cclleeaarr:: II cchheerriisshh nnoo ssiillllyy hhooppeess tthhaatt tthhee EEUU hhaass tthhee mmyyss-tteerriioouuss ppoowweerrss,, aa mmaaggiicc wwaanndd ooff ssoorrttss wwhhoossee ssiinnggllee ttoouucchh wwiillll ttrraannss-ffoorrmm oouurr bbeehhaavviioouurr oovveerrnniigghhtt bbeessttoowwiinngg uuss wwiitthh tthhee mmaannnneerrss ooffcciivviilliisseedd ccoommmmuunniiccaattiioonn,, eellsseewwhheerree ttaakkeenn ffoorr ggrraanntteedd.. BBuutt II ddoo llooookkffoorrwwaarrdd ttoo tthhee ppaaiinnffuull aanndd ttrraauummaattiicc ""hhaarrmmoonniissaattiioonn"" pprroocceessss ttoo bbeeeennccoouunntteerreedd iinn eevveerryy mmaannnneerr aanndd oonn eevveerryy sstteepp ooff tthhee rrooaadd ttoo EEUU

18Eur op ean pu l s e N o 28

J anua ry , 2 0 0 8 Do cumen t s

Parliament advocates commis-sioning an external study which

should consider critically theUnion's enlargement strategy so far,contrast it with the expectations ofour neighbours and suggest alter-native forms of contractual relationsbetween the Union and its adja-cent countries. This study, whichcould lead to an exchange of viewswith experts, could lay the groundfor a more extensive strategy in thisdirection, states the Working paperof the Committee on ForeignAffairs of the European Parliamenton the Commission's 2007Enlargement Strategy Paper.

The document, presented bythe head of the Committee onForeign Affairs, Elmar Brok,reminds that EP has advocated dif-ferentiating as much as possiblebetween the two groups of coun-tries (East and South) covered bythe European Neighbourhood

Policy and has called for theEastern European Countries "clearlyidentifiable as European deep freetrade agreements in the context ofa possible 'European EconomicArea Plus".

The paper emphasises the issueof enlargement as "crucial? andreminds of the earlier conclusionsthat "the EU commitment towardsthe countries of the WesternBalkans is undisputable", but that

EU foreign policy cannot bereduced to the simple equation"membership or nothing".

"We therefore need to developnew forms of relations with ourneighbours: relations which take

into account their aspirations to beclosely tied to the Union. Thesebilateral or multilateral relationscan offer an enhanced partnershipwith the Union for those countrieswhich have a "European vocation"but no membership prospects yet,or provide an intermediate steptowards full membership for thosecountries which enjoy suchprospects", states the document.

It also emphasises abundant

political, geographical and historicalreasons for recognising that thecountries of the Western Balkanshave a natural vocation to becomemembers of the European Union.

"These reasons must be prop-erly explained to our citizens sothat at the end of the integrationprocess no objections or reservesare raised in relation to thesecountries' accession to the EU",warns Brok.

He adds that if Europe wantsto become a global player, it mustbe "a credible and reliable partner,whose word can always be trust-ed".

"Recent talk about enlargementfatigue has eroded Europe's credi-bility in the Western Balkans. Thismust be counteracted. Our com-mitment to integrate the WesternBalkan countries must translateitself in tangible steps and meas-ures. Increased financial and tech-nical assistance to reform theiradministrations, strengthen theirdemocratic institutions and developtheir infrastructures is an importantfactor in this respect. European(military and civilian) presence inthese countries should demonstrateour political commitment towardsintegrating the region into the EUrather than be perceived as anobtrusive, quasi-colonial power",emphasises the document.

It continues to remind that EUis not just about economics, but aunion based on common values.The Draft Reform Treaty spells thisout and mentions tolerance,respect for the rights of minorities,as being at the very heart of the

Closer partnership before membershipCOMM I T T E E ON FO R E I GN A F F A I R S O F T H E E U RO P E AN P A R L I AM EN T ON T H ECOMM I S S I ON ' S 2 0 0 7 E N L A RG EM EN T S T R A T E G Y P A P E R

BBiillaatteerraall oorr mmuullttiillaatteerraall rreellaattiioonnss ccaann ooffffeerr aann eennhhaanncceedd ppaarrttnneerrsshhiippwwiitthh tthhee UUnniioonn ffoorr tthhoossee ccoouunnttrriieess wwhhiicchh hhaavvee aa ""EEuurrooppeeaann vvooccaa-ttiioonn"" bbuutt nnoo mmeemmbbeerrsshhiipp pprroossppeeccttss yyeett,, oorr pprroovviiddee aann iinntteerrmmeeddii-aattee sstteepp ttoowwaarrddss ffuullll mmeemmbbeerrsshhiipp ffoorr tthhoossee ccoouunnttrriieess wwhhiicchh eennjjooyyssuucchh pprroossppeeccttss

Elmar Brok

19Eur op ean pu l s e N o 28

J anua ry , 2 0 0 8 Do cumen t s

European political project. "This is why our enlargement

strategy towards the WesternBalkans must take into account thespecificity of their recent history(compared with the history of thecountries of Central EasternEurope). The wounds of recentconflicts must be healed; inter-ethnic and interstate reconciliationpursued with determination;regional cooperation revived",states the working paper.

"Reform of the judiciary and ofpublic administration should beaddressed at the early stages of thenegotiations and considered a pre-requisite for tackling other chaptersof the EU body of law. No dis-

counts should be allowed becausethey are neither in the interest of

the Union nor not in the interest ofthe countries concerned. The qual-ity of future enlargements is moreimportant that their quantity",warns the document.

Acknowledging that "we allrecognise that membership of theEU has been is a powerful tool forpromoting democratic, economicand social reforms", the paper addsthat "this can work also for the

Western Balkans countries providedwe maintain this prospect clear andmake it tangible".

"However, expectations aroundus are growing. Some of ourneighbouring countries (and someEU Member States) argue that weshould open the possibility toaccede the Union also to some ofour neighbours to the East.According to this view, the lack ofEuropean prospect would meanthat our policy to promote peace,stability and prosperity at our bor-ders is doomed to failure", says thedraft.

Brok believes that the issueboils down to a simple question: ismembership the only means theEU has to persuade other countriesto pursue reforms which are intheir own interest? Is the EUbound to enlarge indefinitely inorder to be a catalyst of stability?"How could we in this case, in theface of waning public support,maintain the credibility of ourenlargement policy? Alternativelycan we devise other ways to estab-lish around us an area of peace,stability, democracy and prosperity?How can we anchor safely into ourpolitical sphere those neighbourswho want to develop close tieswith our Union? The EuropeanNeighbourhood Policy is not an

adequate answer to such expecta-tions because it tries to address,under one framework and underone label, two geographically,politically, culturally different areas.This creates frustration amongst ourEastern Neighbours", warns thedocument.

N. RUDOVI]V. []EPANOVI]

IIss mmeemmbbeerrsshhiipp tthhee oonnllyy mmeeaannss tthhee EEUU hhaass ttoo ppeerrssuuaaddee ootthheerr ccoouunn-ttrriieess ttoo ppuurrssuuee rreeffoorrmmss wwhhiicchh aarree iinn tthheeiirr oowwnn iinntteerreesstt?? IIss tthhee EEUUbboouunndd ttoo eennllaarrggee iinnddeeffiinniitteellyy iinn oorrddeerr ttoo bbee aa ccaattaallyysstt ooff ssttaabbiilliittyy,,aasskkss EEllmmaarr BBrrookk,, aauutthhoorr ooff tthhee EEPP ddrraafftt ccoommmmeenntt

Before deciding whether new countries should join we should therefore askourselves what kind of project we want, explain this project to our citizens

and ensure that applicant countries share the objectives we want to pursuebefore they join. Only thus can we promote a strong European identity andmaintain political momentum in the Union, says Brok in the EP working paper.

He warned that European accession should not be primarily a technocrat-ic-driven process: "it should be a political one, one which involves subscrib-ing to a common political vision besides fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria".

"The membership prospect for the Western Balkans must be credible. Fastaccession negotiations with Croatia could give a positive message in thisrespect. However, there can be no doubt that the accession of the WesternBalkan countries can take place only if and when their internal and externalissues are solved.

The cases of Bosnia Herzegovina's institutional reforms and of Kosovo'sstatus come to one's mind. The transition process for some of these countriesis inevitably a medium to long-term goal. The question is: how can we keepthe reform momentum in these countries going? How can we provide realincentives on their path towards EU full membership? Recent events in BosniaHerzegovina show how difficult it is to keep the prospect attractive", says thedocument.

It also emphasises the necessity of developing a new concept for thearchitecture of Europe, with the EU acting as a gravitational centre.

"This new architecture should encompass different forms of contractualrelationship between the Union and some of its neighbouring countries. For twoyears now, the European Parliament has been calling on the Council and theCommission to devise the form and contents of an enhanced partnership sta-tus, something which could be termed as "more than neighbour but less thanmember state". Different formulas come to mind: European Economic Area Plus,a strengthened ENP, European Commonwealth", concludes the EP paper.

WWHHAATT KKIINNDD OOFFPPRROOJJEECCTT FFOORR EEUU

20Eur op ean pu l s e N o 28

J anua ry , 2 0 0 8 EU a f f a i r s

Member states will be authorisedto meet their national renew-

able energy targets using green powercertificates bought from other EUcountries under plans being consid-ered by the European Commission.The scheme could even be extendedto countries outside the EU.

In March 2007, EU leaderscommitted themselves to an EU-wide target of producing 20% ofenergy from renewable sources by2020, setting the stage for heateddebate about how the overall targetshould be divided between memberstates.

According to the Commission,only about 8.5% of EU energy con-sumption currently stems fromrenewable energies, meaning an11.5% increase is needed to reachthe 2020 target.

Trading of green energy certifi-cates is the central element of a draftdirective on renewable energyrecently presented by the EuropeanCommission.

In practice, this means thatmember states that do not producesufficient amounts of renewableenergy will be able to buy these cer-tificates in order to meet the nation-al targets.

Meanwhile, Belgium alreadyexpressed its concerns regarding itsnational target for renewable energy.In a letter to Commission PresidentJJoossee MMaannuueell BBaarrrroossoo, Prime MinisterGGuuyy VVeerrhhooffssttaaddtt said that the currentburden-sharing calculation wouldforce Belgium to increase its share ofrenewables to 12.1%, way above its

current level of 2.2%. Such a targetwould be "unrealistic", the Belgianpress reported Verhofstadt as saying.

Renewable energy is defined asthe kind of energy which can be

renewed at the same pace it isexploited. It includes wind, solar andhydro-energy, geothermic energyand biomass. Biodiesel is the liquidrenewable energy source derivedfrom biomass, i.e. oils extracted fromplants and recycled oil. Renewableenergy is dubbed "green" or "clean"energy as it does not pollute air orwater.

The proposal, unveiled on 23

January, says member states will beresponsible for issuing 'guarantees oforigin' (GOs) to producers of heatand electricity coming from renew-able energy sources. The certificates

could be traded between EU mem-ber states so as to help meet nation-al renewable energy targets.

"The overall approach is formember states to retain discretion asto the mix of these sectors in reach-ing their national target," the draftsays.

The national targets are still tobe decided and are the subject ofheated negotiations between the

E U S E E K S F L E X I B I L I T Y O N R E N E W A B L E E N E R G Y T R A D E

OOnnee ffiifftthh ooff eenneerrggyy ttoo ccoommeeffrroomm rreenneewwaabbllee ssoouurrcceess

IInn MMaarrcchh 22000077,, EEUU lleeaaddeerrss ccoommmmiitttteedd tthheemmsseellvveess ttoo aann EEUU-wwiiddeettaarrggeett ooff pprroodduucciinngg 2200%% ooff eenneerrggyy ffrroomm rreenneewwaabbllee ssoouurrcceess bbyy22002200,, sseettttiinngg tthhee ssttaaggee ffoorr hheeaatteedd ddeebbaattee aabboouutt hhooww tthhee oovveerraallllttaarrggeett sshhoouulldd bbee ddiivviiddeedd bbeettwweeeenn mmeemmbbeerr ssttaatteess.. AAccccoorrddiinngg ttootthhee CCoommmmiissssiioonn,, oonnllyy aabboouutt 88..55%% ooff EEUU eenneerrggyy ccoonnssuummppttiioonn ccuurr-rreennttllyy sstteemmss ffrroomm rreenneewwaabbllee eenneerrggiieess,, mmeeaanniinngg aann 1111..55%% iinnccrreeaasseeiiss nneeeeddeedd ttoo rreeaacchh tthhee ttaarrggeett

21Eu r op ean pu l s e N o 28

J anua ry , 2 0 0 8 EU a f f a i r s

Commission and the member states.The Commission's latest thinking

is to mandate a 5.75% increase inrenewable energy consumption forall countries as a first step towardsthe overall target. The remainderwould be modulated according toeach country's Gross DomesticProduct to arrive at a 20% figure forthe EU as a whole.

National targets are to be set outin national action plans and brokendown into individual targets for elec-tricity, heating and transport togetherwith "the measures to be taken toachieve" them.

"Minimum interim targets" are tobe defined as well, taking 2005 asthe starting point "because that is thelatest year for which reliable data onnational renewable energy shares areavailable."

However, the 2005 starting dateis raising concerns among thosemember states which already have ahigh share of renewables in theirenergy mix. Those include Austria

and Sweden, where renewableenergy accounted for 23% and

almost 40% of final energy con-sumption in 2005 respectively.

Another concern, raised byGermany, is to make sure thenational support schemes that arealready in place are safeguarded bythe new EU law. In Germany, powercompanies are obliged to buyrenewable energy produced by pri-vate generators at a fixed price orfeed-in tariff determined by thegovernment, a scheme which has sofar proved successful in increasingthe share of green power.

The updated draft directiveaddresses German concerns by stip-ulating that EU countries "may, inorder to safeguard the viability ofnational support schemes, imposeobjective, transparent and non-dis-criminatory terms or limits on thetransfer of guarantees of origin to or

from other member states."Under the scheme, green power

certificates could be cancelled andtherefore made unfit for trading if theenergy has already received someform of government support. Thesystem would avoid "interferencewith support schemes granted toexisting installations" as well as "over-compensation of renewable energyproducers," according to the draft.

Another option currently debat-ed in EC relates to internationaltrading of renewable energy certifi-cates. According to the draft, "elec-tricity produced from renewablesources in third countries and con-sumed in the Community" may betaken into account in achieving thenational target.

However, this option would beallowed only if the country "hasadopted a national overall target of adegree of rigour at least equivalent"to the EU.

NN.. RRUUDDOOVVII]]VV.. [[]]EEPPAANNOOVVII]]

The renewable energy industry and green groups argue that a trading optionwill act as a disincentive for investment, as those member states with low

renewables potential or under-developed markets will simply purchase creditsfrom abroad.

"If you can buy cheap certificates from a country which has a strong renew-able sector, the temptation will be to do that instead of developing your own,"said Esther Bollendorff, energy campaigner at Friends of the Earth in Brussels.

She says "serious breaks and restrictions" should be imposed on this, forexample by allowing trading "only once you reach your intermediary target."

EWEA, the European wind energy industry association, expressed "concern"about the impact of trading on the renewable energy business. They claim thatthe impact of such trade on SMEs, which form the majority of companies inthe sector, as well as on investment to the grid infrastructure had yet to beconsidered by the Commission.

It also expressed "significant concerns" about the directive's plans to assessthe need for an EU-wide support scheme for renewables in 2012. "Containingsuch a proposal within the legal text will have a negative impact on marketstability and create investor uncertainty," EWEA warned.

"In effect the Commission is proposing to (…) require numerous and fre-quent reviews, and possibly changes, in national support mechanisms for renew-able energies, rather than allowing Member States the flexibility to develop suc-cessful national support tools best suited to differing national circumstances."

GGRREEEENN PPOOWWEERR MMUUSSTT BBEE PPRROODDUUCCEEDD,, NNOOTT TTRRAADDEEDD

RReenneewwaabbllee eenneerrggyy iiss ddeeffiinneedd aass eenneerrggyy tthhaatt ccaann bbee rreenneewweedd aatt tthheessaammee ppaaccee iitt iiss eexxppllooiitteedd.. IItt iinncclluuddeess wwiinndd,, ssoollaarr aanndd hhyyddrroo-eenneerr-ggyy,, ggeeootthheerrmmiicc eenneerrggyy aanndd bbiioommaassss

22Eur op ean pu l s e N o 28

J anua ry , 2 0 0 8 G e t t i ng a c qua in t e d w i t h Eur op ean Un i on

People within the EU institutions and inthe media dealing with EU affairs

often use 'eurojargon' words and expres-sions that they alone understand.Eurojargon can be very confusing to thegeneral public, which is the reason wedecided to introduce those terms for thebenefit of those who are new yet entire-ly comfortable with the field of EU inte-grations.

CCuullttuurraall ccaappiittaallss:: Every year one ormore European cities are designated asthe "European capital of culture". The aimis to publicise and celebrate the culturalachievements and charms of these citiesand so make European citizens moreaware of the rich heritage they share.

DDeemmooccrraattiicc ddeeffiicciitt:: Lack of democ-racy or democratic deficit is primarilyused to claim that that the EU's decision-making system is too remote from ordi-nary people, who cannot understand itscomplexities and its difficult legal texts.The EU is trying to overcome this "dem-ocratic deficit" through simpler legislationand better public information, and bygiving civil society a greater say inEuropean policymaking. Citizens arealready represented in EU decision-mak-ing via the European Parliament.

DDGG - DDiirreeccttoorraattee GGeenneerraall:: The staffof the main EU institutions (Commission,Council and Parliament) are organisedinto a number of distinct departments,known as "Directorates-General" (DGs),each of which is responsible for specifictasks or policy areas. The administrativehead of a DG is known as the 'Director-General' (a term sometimes also abbrevi-ated to 'DG').

EECC:: This abbreviation refers either tothe 'European Community' or to the'European Commission'.

TThhee EEuurrooppeeaann CCoommmmuunniittyy:: Is thepresent name for what was originallycalled the 'European Economic Com-munity' (EEC).

TThhee EEuurrooppeeaann CCoommmmiissssiioonn:: Politi-cally independent institution that repre-sents and upholds the interests of theEuropean Union. It proposes legislation,policies and programmes of action and itis responsible for implementing the deci-sions of Parliament and the Council.

EEEEAA:: This abbreviation refers to theEuropean Economic Area, which consistsof the European Union and all the EFTAcountries except Switzerland. The EEAAgreement, which entered into force on1 January 1994, enables Iceland,Liechtenstein and Norway to enjoy thebenefits of the EU's single market withoutthe full privileges and responsibilities ofEU membership.

EEEECC:: Abbreviation for the EuropeanEconomic Community - one of threeEuropean Communities set up in 1957 tobring about economic integration inEurope. There were originally six membercountries: Belgium, France, Germany,Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.In 1993, when the Maastricht Treatycame into force, the EEC was re-namedthe European Community (EC) and itforms the basis of today's EuropeanUnion.

EEFFTTAA:: Abbreviation for the EuropeanFree Trade Association - an organizationfounded in 1960 to promote free trade ingoods amongst its member states. Therewere originally seven EFTA countries:Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal,Sweden, Switzerland, and the UnitedKingdom (UK). Finland joined in 1961,Iceland in 1970, and Liechtenstein in1991. In 1973, Denmark and the UK leftEFTA and joined the EEC. They were fol-lowed by Portugal in 1986, and byAustria, Finland and Sweden in 1995.Today the EFTA members are Iceland,Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

A G U I D E T O W O R D S A N D E X P R E S S I O N SF R E Q U E N T L Y U S E D B Y T H E P E O P L E W H O A R EP R O F E S S I O N A L L Y D E A L I N G W I T H E U I N T E G R A T I O N

NON - GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS IN EUROPEAN UNION

MMIIGGRRAATTIIOONNPPOOLLIICCYY GGRROOUUPP

((MMPPGG))

Migration Policy Group is a non-governmental, non-profit organi-

sations established in 1995 with a seatin Brussels.

MPG's vision are open and inclu-sive European societies in which allmembers - those with and without animmigrant background - have equalrights, responsibilities and opportuni-ties and a commitment to contributeto the economic, social, cultural andcivic life of our diverse societies.

MPG's mission is to contribute tolasting and positive change resulting inopen and inclusive societies by stimu-lating well-informed European debateand action on migration, equality anddiversity, and enhancing European co-operation between and amongst gov-ernmental agencies, civil societyorganisations and the private sector.

MPG articulates this missionthrough activities focused on harness-ing the advantages of migration. To thisaim, the organisation works on gather-ing, analysing and sharing informationabout migration, creating opportunitiesfor dialogue and mutual learning,mobilising and engaging stakeholdersin policy debates and establishingexpert networks whose task is to workon enhancing understanding of migra-tion and of the status of migrants inEuropean societies.

MPG has well developed publish-ing activities, and most publications,guides and monthly issues monitoringcurrent affairs in various aspects ofmigration policies within and withoutEU can be found on their website.Detailed information about the organ-isation can be found at:www.migpolgroup.com

Prepared by: Petar \UKANOVI]

Eurojargon

23Eur op ean pu l s e N o 28

J anua ry , 2 0 0 8 NGO a c t i v i t i e s

EEUU ddooccuummeennttss oonn MMoonntteenneeggrroo ffoorr 22000077Within

t h eForum ofEu ropeanIntegration

School organised by Centre for CivicEducation, Centre for Developmentof NGOs and European Movementin Montenegro with the support ofthe Foundation Open Society In-stitute, Representative Office inMontenegro, translations of the

European Commission Progress Re-port of Montenegro 2007 andResolution of European Parliamentfor Montenegro 2007 have beenpublished.

Publishing of these documentsshould contribute to better under-standing of complex processes ofthe European integration and posi-tion and role of Montenegro on itspath to the European Union.

Reading these documents par-

ticipants of education programmeswill have an opportunity to getimage of Montenegro from EUthroughout accomplishes and chal-lenges standing before Montenegro.Furthermore, this publication will bedistributed to all Montenegrin MPs,responsible bodies of MontenegrinGovernment, NGOs involved inEuropean integration affaires,University of Montenegro, politicalparties, media, etc.

EUROPEAN MOVEMENT IN MONTENEGRO ESTABLISHES COOPERATION WITH ALBANIAN CIVIC SECTOR

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European Movement in Montenegroin cooperation with NGO MJAFT

and with support of Balkan Trust Fund,begun with implementation of the"Montenegro and Albania - MeetingEach Other" project whose mainobject is to make a network of organ-isations, political and social elites, andto increase level of knowledge aboutthese societies on both sides.

Within this project, from January23 to 26, representatives of civil soci-ety from Montenegro visited Tiranawhere they had many meetings withprominent representatives of public lifein Albania. Returning visit to Mo-ntenegro is planned during Februaryand both NGOs will also organisestudy visits for its MPs.

European Movement in Mon-tenegro stipulates that this project willcontribute to founding quality regionalcooperation among decision makers,which is one of the important precon-ditions for association to EuropeanUnion for both states.

CCE and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung publicise AN ADVERTISEMENT for participantsof XI generation of:

DEMOCRACYSCHOOL

School comprises 5 modules lasting totally four months. The courseswill be held once or twice a week for 2 hours. All expenses are coveredby the foundation Friedrich Ebert and Centre for Civic Education, with obli-gation of the participants to attend not less than 80% of the programme.

Upon finishing of the School the participants shall receive a certificateand be eligible for further educational development.

The right to participate have candidates who want to contribute todevelopment of democracy and civic society in Montenegro. All candi-dates are welcome, regardless of age, gender, nationality, religion or per-sonal convictions, with the indication that advantage has activists of thepolitical parties and non-governmental organisations and all individualswho are showing high level of social activism.

Moderator of the School is Professor Radovan Radonjic, PhD, andbeside him eminent domestic and foreign lecturers will be working withparticipants.

All interested candidates may submit their application with short biog-raphy not later than 15 February 2008.

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FORUM OF EUROPEAN INT EGRAT IONSCHOOLS CONT INUE S W I TH I T SPUBL I SH ING ACT I V I T I E S

24Eur op ean pu l s e N o 28

J anua ry , 2 0 0 8 Edu ca t i on p r og rammes i n EU

F O R T H I S I S S U E W E R E C O M M E N D :

44-YYEEAARR PPHHDDSSCCHHOOLLAARRSSHHIIPPSS IINNPPOOLLIITTIICCAALL SSCCIIEENNCCEE University of Dublin, Trinity College Six Fully-funded Four-yyear Ph.D. Scholarships Departmentof Political Science, Trinity College DublinStarting October 2008, covering fees and stipendsof up to €16,500.The Department of Political Science at Trinityranks among the best political science depart-ments in the world according to independentevaluations of its research and teaching (e.g. inthe global ranking of political science depart-ments conducted by Professor Simon Hix at theLondon School of Economics). Ph.D. researchersalso benefit from the Department's strong linkswith Institute for International Integration Studiesat Trinity College Dublin (http://www.tcd.ie/iiis).This Institute brings together researchers from dif-ferent disciplines to study international integrationIn addition, the Department is involved in theDublin School of Social Sciences, which providesgraduate training in collaboration with UniversityCollege Dublin.The doctoral programme is designed to impartsubstantive knowledge about politics, and to trainstudents in the techniques, including quantitativemethods, necessary to recognize, design andimplement cutting-edge research. The writing ofa dissertation of original research follows a rigor-ous training in how to design and conductresearch.We seek outstanding and motivated graduates forentry to our doctoral programme in October2008. Applicants are particularly welcome fromstudents who wish to conduct research in areasin which the Department has particular researchstrengths: comparative European politics, EU pol-itics and policies, Irish politics, public policies,electoral systems, political parties, public opinionand electoral behaviour, the politics of interna-tional law, international organisations, and politi-cal theory. The Department also invites applica-tions from students whose research developsinnovative quantitative methods, such as thequantitative analysis of political texts, as this isanother strong area of research among staff.Prospective students are encouraged to consultthe webpages of members of staff(http://www.tcd.ie), and to email individual staffmembers who could be potential supervisors fortheir Ph.D. dissertations. General enquiries maybe directed to the Director of Graduate Studies,Dr. Robert Thomson (thomsor@tcd.ie).The deadline for applications to the doctoral pro-gramme for entry in October 2008 is April 1st2008.

LLAAUUNNCCHH OOFF TTHHEEBBAALLKKAANN FFEELLLLOOWWSSHHIIPP FFOORRJJOOUURRNNAALLIISSTTIICC EEXXCCEELLLLEENNCCEEThe Robert Bosch Stiftung and ERSTE Foundationannounced on 16/01/2008 the launch of the sec-ond year of its fellowship programme for journal-ists in the Balkans to be run in cooperation withthe Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN,the initiative will each year give ten reporters thechance to run their own research project.This programme aims to foster quality reporting,regional networking among journalists and bal-anced coverage of topics that are central to theregion as well as to the EU. Journalists from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina,Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro,Romania and Serbia, are encouraged to submitresearch proposals on this year's theme - ENERGY. It's a topic that preoccupies officials, politicians andcitizens across Europe - and arguably one of thebiggest challenges facing this continent and theinternational community. In 2008, applicants forthe Fellowship programme are invited to explorethe subject of energy. But not only headline issuessuch as the supply of fuel, climate change andrenewable resources. Entrants are also encouragedto look at human energy such as the energy ofideas, energy for change and energy for recon-struction as well as destruction.Ten fellows will be chosen on the basis ofresearch proposals, which should include plans forcross-border research within the Balkan regionand European Union member states, drawing onexamples of cooperation or the lack of such col-laboration, making comparisons and highlightingknow-how. They will participate in the fellowship programme,which features an introductory seminar in Berlin,supervision and mentoring, individual research tripsto another country of the region and the EU, anda concluding seminar and award ceremony inVienna. Supporting seminars also feature meetingswith Austrian and German political and economicactors as well as with the Fellowship's media part-ners - Suddeutsche Zeitung and Der Standard.Successful applicants will receive a fellowship of2000 Euros and a travel allowance of up to 2000Euros, while the programme's selection committee,composed of local and European journalists andexperts, will award one fellow an individually-tai-lored opportunity for further professional develop-ment, to the value of 8000 Euros. Fellowship reports will be published at the end ofthe year, and disseminated widely in all local lan-guages, English and German.Applications must be received no later than 29February 2008.

Application forms and guidelines are available at fellowship.birn.eu.com.

SSUUMMMMEERR CCOOUURRSSEE OONN""TTEEAACCHHIINNGG LLAAWW,, HHUUMMAANNRRIIGGHHTTSS AANNDD EETTHHIICCSS"" Course Dates: July 7-111Location: Central European University (CEU),Budapest, Hungary, Course page: www.sun.ceu.hu/teaching-llawDetailed course description:http://www.sun.ceu.hu/02-ccourses/course-sites/teaching_law/detailed.phpCourse Directors: Edwin Rekosh, Public Interest Law Institute,Budapest, HungaryLusine Hovhannisian, Public Interest Law Institute,New York, USCourse Faculty: Philip Genty, Columbia University School of Law,New York, USPeter Rosenblum, Columbia University School ofLaw, New York, USTarget group: Junior law faculty, with 1-2 years ofteaching experience; basic knowledge of interna-tional human rights law and commitment to edu-cational reformThe language of instruction: EnglishTuition fee: 250 Euro a week. Financial aid is avail-able.Application deadline: February 14, 2008 (for schol-arship places), April 30, 2008 (for fee-paying appli-cations)Online application: https://online.ceu.hu/osun/osun(attachments to be sent via regular mail).For further information queries can be directedto the SUN office by email (summeru@ceu.hu),via skype (ceu-ssun) or telephone (00-336-11-3327-3811).

EIC Bulletin -EEuropean pulse is electronic magazine established within EIC programme, with the support of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.The publisher is Centre for Civic Education.

EIC Bulletin -EEuropean pulse is registered with the Ministry for Culture and Media as item No. 578 Editor in Chief: Ne|eljko Rudovi}

Editorial Board: Vera [}epanovi}, Daliborka Uljarevi}, Dragan Stojovi}, Vladimir Vu~ini}Tehnical Editor: Bla`o Crvenica; Language Editor: Milena Milunovi}; English Language Editor: Maja Mugo{a; Translation: Vera [}epanovi}

Njego{eva 36 / I Tel / fax: + 381 81 / 665 - 112, 665 - 327 E-mmail: eicbilten@cg.yuEIC Bulletin -EEuropean pulse can be downloaded at the www.cgo.cg.yu