The President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Mr. Ranko Krivokapić, spoke today at the closing of the conference “Progressive governments and parties in the Western Balkans”, which was held in Budva.

President Krivokapić said that Montenegro had always been successful in implementation of the clear European vision. Mr. Krivokapić emphasised that the joining of Montenegro into the EU must not come down to mere accession, but our country must bring an additional quality to the family of European countries:

 “We must, due to the errors of the 90s, and we also must as vital peoples, bring the quality of understanding of what the EU currently has”, Mr. Krivokapić stated in his message.

The President added that the challenges that the EU was facing today were similar to those that Montenegro was facing:

 “The European idea is great, but that does not diminish the danger for it. The challenges that the EU is facing are similar to those that we are facing – they are based on populism as well as the economic crisis. One good German author wrote that in the centre of every populism lies a failed idea. We were the carriers of the integration idea among the Southern Slovenes. It was a great idea that failed on the wave of populism and nationalism of the 90s. The European Union must not allow for anything similar to happen to the great European idea, because the European Union as one home was created from openness of the left movement, and not from xenophobia of the right movement.”

President Krivokapić concluded that in the future we must turn to the Trade Unions, and to the non-government sector, and that was the only way that we could achieve the victory unbound by the right-wing ideas.