Andrija Mandić, Speaker of the Parliament of Montenegro
“Our goal is to be a full member of the European Union by 2030”
Montenegro stands at a new stage of its European journey – no longer a candidate that negotiates, but a state preparing for membership. All 33 negotiating chapters are open, 18 are provisionally closed, and the European Union has set up a dedicated working group to prepare the Accession Treaty. In this interview for Diplomacy, the Speaker of the Parliament of Montenegro, Andrija Mandić, discusses European integration and Parliament’s role in it, parliamentary and economic Diplomacy, regional cooperation, and Montenegro’s place in a changing geopolitical landscape. He sees the country’s European future as a matter of development, stability and reconciliation – and as a chance for Montenegro to keep its own identity and become an example to the rest of the Western Balkans. Montenegro is often described as the front-runner for European integration in the Western Balkans.
As Speaker of the Parliament, how do you assess the current phase of that process, and what do you see as the key next step?
Montenegro is now in the most important phase of European integration since the negotiations began. We have opened all 33 negotiating chapters, and by mid-July this year, 18 had been provisionally closed. An even stronger political signal is the European Union’s decision to set up a dedicated working group to prepare Montenegro’s Accession Treaty. That means we are no longer talking only about the prospect of membership, but about concrete preparations for the moment our country becomes a member of the European Union. The key next step is to maintain political stability and finish what remains. Parliament has shown in this period that, where there is responsibility and political will, it can put the legislative framework for European reform in place very quickly. Our goal is clear: we are not arriving in the European Union; we are returning to it – as an old European state, with our heads held high and with pride.
Parliament is the foundation of a democratic system. How do you plan to further strengthen its transparency, its efficiency and citizens’ trust in institutions?
Trust cannot be legislated – it is earned through work, responsibility and openness. The Parliament of Montenegro already has a strong foundation. On the Regional Openness Index, it met 88.14 per cent of the indicators, the best-ranked Parliament in the region. It matters above all that Parliament is open to everyone – to its members and its staff, and to the citizens whose house it is. Before 2020, unfortunately, that was not the case. That is why, as the politician with the longest service in the current convocation, I have aimed to open our Parliament fully and to show understanding and tolerance towards all – and towards the opposition in particular.
In a time of sharp geopolitical change, what role can Montenegro play as a NATO member and a candidate for European Union membership?
Montenegro is a small state, but small states are not condemned to small politics. On the contrary – if they are stable, predictable and able to talk to different partners, they can be very useful in international affairs. Our most important foreign-policy goal is membership of the European Union, and I truly believe Montenegro can be a regional beacon of stability and an example of how different national communities can build a better shared future. At the same time, each keeps its own identity and tradition.
How important is parliamentary Diplomacy today in building a country’s international standing, and what are your priorities in that area?
Parliamentary Diplomacy matters a great deal today. Let me remind you that, once all the negotiating chapters are closed, ratification in the EU member states is carried out by their parliaments. When competing interests weigh down relations between states, parliaments can often open doors that conventional Diplomacy finds closed for a time. That is why, from the start of my mandate, I have insisted on intensive contact with the speakers of European and Mediterranean parliaments. I am especially proud that in 2026 Montenegro hosted, in Budva, the first Summit of Speakers and Presidents of Parliament of the member and partner states of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, where we placed dialogue, stability and cooperation at the very centre of the conversation. The priority, of course, is Montenegro’s European integration. But I want us to use parliamentary Diplomacy for the economy, investment, the fight against organised crime, energy, education and the exchange of knowledge as well.
Which bilateral relationships do you consider especially important for Montenegro’s future development, and why?
First, relations with the member states of the European Union, which can give us political, expert, and economic support in the final phase of integration. Italy, our great Adriatic neighbour, has a special place, as do France and other countries with strong influence on European policy. The United States remains an important ally and partner of Montenegro, and we genuinely believe the current governing majority has begun a new level of relations with Washington through the signing of an intergovernmental agreement. Our relations with the countries around us matter greatly too. Our citizens are bound by exceptionally strong family, cultural, linguistic, spiritual and economic ties, and the states depend on one another in infrastructure and in the economy. That is why I have said before that a better shared future should be built on a healthy economy and better connections. Montenegro’s European future does not mean moving away from our nearest neighbours. On the contrary – the point of the Balkans’ European integration is that borders matter less, while cooperation and the free movement of people, capital, goods and ideas grow ever greater. And Montenegro, as I said earlier, will be a beacon for the other candidate countries of the Western Balkans.
Economic Diplomacy is becoming one of the key instruments of development. How can Parliament contribute to a more stable investment climate?
The best economic Diplomacy begins at home. It matters more to an investor to know that the law will apply in the same way today and in five years than to be given ten fine presentations about Montenegro. So Parliament has to guarantee a predictable legal system, protection of property, fair competition, more efficient courts, transparent public procurement and clear tax rules. The fact that in July we provisionally closed Chapter 8, on competition, and Chapter 29, on the customs union, shows how far the European process has come; at the same time, it is an economic one. Montenegro has exceptional potential in energy, tourism, IT, agriculture, logistics and the development of the Port of Bar. We have to make better use of our geographical position on the Adriatic and our links to the Balkan interior. Parliament’s role is to give potential investors stable rules that apply equally to all.
The European Union increasingly insists on the rule of law as the basic criterion for accession. Do you believe Montenegro can keep up the pace of reform all the way to full membership?
I not only believe it – we have proved that we can, that we want to and that we must, for the future of Montenegro. The key to a better life in Montenegro is the rule of law, built on a single principle – all rights for all – and a determined fight against organised crime and corruption.
How do you assess the importance of regional cooperation for the security, economic development and European prospects of the Western Balkans?
Regional cooperation is not an alternative to the European Union – it is preparation for it. If we cannot cooperate with our nearest neighbour, we can hardly claim convincingly that we are ready for a community of almost half a billion people. Our region needs more roads and railways, energy links, joint investment and markets – and fewer political barriers. A modernised Bar–Belgrade connection, in the form of a motorway and a reconstructed railway, better links with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Albania through the Adriatic–Ionian motorway, and stronger regional energy systems are all questions of quality of life for every citizen of the Western Balkans. The politics of reconciliation matters especially to me. The peoples of the Balkans have far more common interests than reasons for conflict. Precisely because of its national, religious and cultural diversity, Montenegro can be a meeting place.
Digital transformation is changing how institutions work everywhere. Do you see room to modernise Parliament’s work through new technologies and digital services?
I not only see the room – part of the process has already begun. Parliament has an Open Data platform, developed electronic services and e-petitions, and during the reporting period it launched a mobile application that gives citizens easier access to parliamentary business. The European Commission registered that very application as part of the modernisation of parliamentary work. The next phase should be even more ambitious: fully searchable databases of votes and amendments, simpler tracking of a law from proposal to adoption, a better API for the media and researchers, digital consultation with citizens, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence to analyse legislation. But digitalisation has to go hand in hand with cybersecurity. Technology should make institutions more open and efficient-not more vulnerable.
Climate change and the green transition are becoming global priorities. Is Montenegro adapting its legislation to European standards in this field quickly enough?
There is progress, most visible in energy, where our national power utility, Elektroprivreda Crne Gore, chaired by Milutin Đukanović, is the outright leader in the green transition. For Montenegro, the green transition is a major development opportunity. We have potential in hydro, solar and wind power, and at the same time we are a country whose tourism depends directly on protecting our landscape and environment. My position is that the green transition must also be socially fair – and that is exactly what we are delivering through the Solari project.
Young people increasingly look for opportunities outside the region. What can the state do so that they can build their future in Montenegro?
You cannot keep a young person with a patriotic slogan if they cannot find a decent job, buy or build a home of their own, and have no chance to advance in their profession. So policy towards the young has to begin with the economy. We need better-paid jobs, more affordable housing, a stronger link between the universities and the economy, support for entrepreneurship and technology companies, more professional traineeships, and a system in which knowledge pays off. But I want something more. We want to build a Montenegro that young people can leave to study, work, and see the world – and still have a reason to come back. The diaspora is not a loss if the state knows how to stay in touch with it. The greatest defeat is when a young person leaves because they have lost faith that they can succeed here through honest work.
How important is it that political dialogue stays above party differences when national interests and the European agenda are at stake?
It is decisive. Parties exist to differ, but a state must have certain points around which there is a minimum of national consensus. European integration, the rule of law, economic development and institutional stability have to be among them. Montenegro paid a high price, for a long time, for divisions that arose 30, 80 or 100 years ago. I think it is time to show that different identities are not a threat to the state – though, as part of that process, certain injustices must also be put right, injustices that were unfortunately, at one point, written into some of our laws and into Montenegro’s highest legal act. A European Montenegro should be a state of reconciled people, not of victors and vanquished. I regard that as one of our most important national interests.
How do you see the role of women and young people in Montenegro’s future political leadership, and are there mechanisms that need further strengthening?
Greater representation of women and young people should not be a matter of political fashion, but of the quality of democracy. When this subject comes up, I often recall that, as a young politician in the early 2000s, I was part of a parliamentary delegation on an official visit to the Finnish Parliament, where women were already dominant in politics. Montenegro is slowly moving in that direction. An important step was taken by raising the quota for the under-represented sex on electoral lists to 40 per cent, together with a rule on the ordering of candidates meant to increase the real, and not merely formal, representation of women. Parliament also has a long-standing Women’s Parliament; in 2025 it held its seventeenth session. As for the young, we have to open the political system to people who have not spent 20 years working their way up the party hierarchy. I support mechanisms that let young people take part in shaping laws and public policy, but the final measure must be ability. I am especially proud of the generation of young politicians my party has produced, who I firmly believe will achieve great things in this profession – and I can see that other parties have excellent young people too.
In an age of disinformation and accelerated media flows, how can institutions preserve their credibility and the quality of their communication with citizens?
The best answer an institution can give to disinformation is not propaganda, but a fact made available in time. Transparency is the key to answering disinformation. The moment you hide something, you leave room for disinformation and manipulation. Institutions also have to learn to communicate in simpler language. A citizen should not have to be a lawyer to understand what Parliament has decided and how that decision affects their life. At the same time, we must not turn the fight against disinformation into an excuse to restrict freedom of opinion or criticism. Democracy includes views that are inaccurate, sharp and uncomfortable. A credible institution does not ask citizens to take it at its word – it gives them enough information to check for themselves what it says.
If you had to present Montenegro in 2030 to international partners in a single sentence, what would that message be?
Montenegro in 2030 is a full member of the European Union – a safe, prosperous, well-governed Mediterranean state of reconciled people, in which no one has to give up their Montenegrin, Serbian, Bosniak, Albanian, Croatian or any other identity to be fully at home in their own land and a fully equal citizen of Europe.