President Milanović at Prespa Forum: The European Union must not become a federal state that will transfer all power to Brussels
The President of the Republic of Croatia Zoran Milanović participated in the panel discussion “Peace and Democracy versus War and Autocracy” in the scope of the “Prespa Forum Dialogue,” an international conference that took place in Struga, Republic of North Macedonia. Addressing the panel, President Milanović shared his thoughts on the process of the Western Balkan countries’ accession into the European Union and on the democratic deficits in the institutions of the European Union.
President Milanović emphasized that it is necessary for the countries of the Western Balkans, which are still not EU members, to attain membership in the Union. He pointed out that long-lasting accession processes are humiliating and unacceptable. “Take Albania as an example. It has been a member of NATO for 14 years. As a member, it keeps all NATO secrets to itself and participates in the joint creation of security. So why is Albania so unsuccessful as far as the EU is concerned,” asked President Milanović, noting that perhaps the problem is not in Albania but in the European Union and in the “difficult and unpredictable process” imposed on the country.
President Milanović underscored the need to self-reflect before lecturing other countries on human rights and values. He called for deliberation on the level of democracy within the EU and emphasized that the EU institutions themselves are not fully democratic. “The European Parliament is not a democratic institution. It does not play by the standards of national parliaments. The European Commission is also not a democratic institution, it suffers from a chronic lack of accountability and that is a fact. The very term chosen for the denomination of the highest commissar rank gives me chills,” he said.
President Milanović underlined the lack of accountability and wondered in whose name and following which processes decisions are made that affect life, death, freedom and service. He expressed concern about the lack of accountability and the major problems arising from bureaucracy’s ambitions, including the idea of introducing a joint currency that would result in a joint debt. “Without that, Europe will not be something that many desire, but rather something that I myself do not want, and that is a federal state where power has been removed from nation states and transferred completely to Brussels. This is a big problem of our era,” the President said, underscoring that Europe must not become a federal state. On the margins of the conference, President Milanović met with the President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović, the President of the Republic of Albania Bajram Begaj, the President of the Republic of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo Albin Kurti.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Tomislav Bušljeta