Croatia Holds Montenegro Back at the EU's Door, and Knežević Calls for an Uprising

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković responded to the call for an uprising made by pro-Serbian Montenegrin politician Milan Knežević over Croatia's demands in Montenegro's negotiations with the European Union. Plenković said he does not believe the top of the state in Podgorica would stand behind such proposals: "I don't exactly see the prime minister, the president of the state or the foreign minister following such brilliant ideas."

Knežević, president of the Democratic People's Party and an MP in the Montenegrin parliament, said that if the government accepts the Croatian demands, "we will have to self-organise, we have no other choice." He opposes any concessions on the border, the training ship "Jadran" and war reparations. In the same speech he went even further: "God grant that they put you all on that 'Jadran' and send you to Lora or blow you up."

This is a politician whom Croatia declared persona non grata in 2024, after the Montenegrin parliament adopted a resolution on the genocide in Jasenovac, Dachau and Mauthausen. This time he also attacked the Montenegrin government for renaming the swimming pool in Kotor, which bore the name of water polo player Zoran Džimi Gopčević - linked to the abuse of Croatian prisoners in the Morinj camp.

Eight demands and deleted deadlines

The background is more serious than one MP's words. Croatia presented the other EU members with eight demands towards Montenegro: six concern negotiating chapter 23, which covers the judiciary and fundamental rights, and two concern chapter 31, on foreign, security and defence policy. The open issues include ownership of the training ship "Jadran", the demarcation of Prevlaka, compensation for victims of war crimes and other unresolved questions from the wars of the nineties.

This week Zagreb showed it is not talking into thin air. At Plenković's request, the deadlines under which Montenegro was supposed to agree the closure of all negotiating chapters by the end of the year and finish drafting the accession treaty as soon as possible were deleted from the European Council's conclusions.

Plenković keeps repeating that Croatia supports Montenegro's entry into the EU and does not want to block it - it just expects concrete steps towards resolving long-standing disputes. Some issues, he says, can be solved quickly, while for others serious talks at least need to begin. If that does not happen, Podgorica's path to the Union could be slower. Support and a condition in the same sentence - a formula the Balkans have long known by heart.

Macedonia knows this scene first-hand: the Bulgarian veto, the protocols, the demands about history and identity written into the negotiating framework. Until now Montenegro was considered the region's frontrunner on the road to the Union. Is it only now going to learn that you don't get into the EU when you meet the criteria, but when your neighbour agrees that you have met them?