Former Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusić has warned that European Union membership is a matter of state survival for Montenegro, cautioning that a failure to integrate into the bloc could jeopardize the country’s independence and sovereignty.
Speaking during an interview on the PIKË podcast hosted by publicist Veton Surroi, Pusić noted that Montenegro continues to maintain broad pro-EU backing among both the public and political parties, despite a slight decline in enthusiasm triggered by recent domestic and geopolitical shifts.
Winning Elections: The Mandate for Pro-European Forces
According to Pusić, the primary challenge facing Montenegro’s pro-European factions is the need to organize effectively for upcoming elections and take the reins of national governance.
“Those in Montenegro who genuinely want the country to enter the EU must win elections. I believe that is their primary duty,” Pusić stated.
The former diplomat emphasized that Montenegro finds itself in a fundamentally different position compared to other Western Balkan candidates seeking entry into the political bloc.
“For Montenegro, perhaps more than any other current or future candidate, EU membership is a matter of survival for the nation as an independent state,” she declared.
Threat of External and Internal Subversion
Pusić went on to warn that if the European integration project falls through, Podgorica will be stripped of its genuine self-determination.
“If they fail in this project, they will be left formally, legally, and naturally de facto without independence and sovereignty,” she cautioned.
According to her analysis, the geopolitical pressure on Montenegro stems primarily from Belgrade and Moscow, which view the small Adriatic nation as a piece of a broader pro-Russian strategy in the region.
However, Pusić noted that the threat is not exclusively external. The core issue, she argued, is the presence of influential internal political factions that fundamentally oppose Montenegrin statehood.
“Within Montenegro itself, there is a segment of the political opposition that genuinely believes Montenegro should not exist as an independent state,” Pusić concluded.
