DEMOCRACY AND SECURITY in Southeastern Europe, No 1

urs per pi lot achi eved in 2009. The mi li ta ry edu ca tes
se ve ral me mbe rs of sta ff abro ad, and is tryi ng to get
as clo se as po ssi ble to NA TO sta nda rds for tho se who
are tra ined at ho me.
The stro nge st bi la te ral co ope ra ti on in the sphe re of
de fe nse and se cu ri ty has be en esta bli shed wi th the
U.S. Sta te of Ma ine, wi th the Ma ine Army Na ti onal
Gu ard Co mma nder vi si ti ng Mo nte ne gro, and the Mo -
nte ne grin Mi ni ster of De fe nse re tu rni ng the vi sit.
The Unit for Pe ace Mi ssi ons was esta bli shed in Au gu st
2008, co mpri sed of 5 offi ce rs, 32 non-co mmi ssi oned
offi ce rs and 36 co ntra cted so ldi ers. In Octo ber 2008,
the pa rli ame nt pa ssed the Law on the invo lve me nt of
the mi li ta ry pe rso nnel, Ci vil Pro te cti on Se rvi ce, po li ce
and pu blic admi ni stra ti on emplo ye es in pe ace mi ssi -
ons and other acti vi ti es abro ad, and in 2009 it fo llo -
wed up wi th three de ci si ons on the de plo yme nt of
Mo nte ne grin tro ops in pe ace mi ssi ons in Afgha ni stan,
Li be ria and So ma lia.
The fi rst Mo nte ne grin offi ce rs we re se nt to Afgha ni stan
in ea rly Fe bru ary 2010, ta sked wi th se cu ri ng the co nti -
nge nt of Hu nga ry, „the co nta ct-sta te“ for Mo nte ne gro.
Mo nte ne grin offi ce rs we re tra ined in Hu nga ry and Hu -
nga ry is the co untry co mple ti ng all pra cti cal ta sks in Mo -
nte ne gro re la ted to the admi ssi on into NA TO.
The mi li ta ry has ide nti fi ed the fo llo wi ng as fu tu re re -
fo rm pri ori ti es:
l Co nti nu ati on of wo rk on the stra te gic de fe nse su -
rvey
l Imple me nta ti on of pa rtne rship go als
l Eli mi na ti on of the su rplus of we apo ns, ammu ni ti -
on, mi nes and explo si ves, and other mo va bles
l Fu rther mo de rni za ti on of we apo ns and equ ipme -
nt in li ne wi th NA TO sta nda rds, wi th fo cus on IT
and te le co mmu ni ca ti on equ ipme nt, co mbat mo tor
ve hi cles and ni ght-vi si on opti cs for spe ci al uni ts
l Co nti nu ati on of co ope ra ti on wi th NA TO and Pa -
rtne rship for Pe ace me mber co untri es, and edu ca -
ti on of mi li ta ry sta ff in NA TO and Pa rtne rship for
Pe ace me mber co untri es
l Me asu res for fu rther impro ve me nt of the li vi ng sta -
nda rds of me mbe rs of the mi li ta ry, pri ma ri ly re ga -
rdi ng ho usi ng issu es.
* * *
In bo th its EU and NA TO inte gra ti on pro cess, Mo nte -
ne gro wa nts its ca se for me mbe rship to be tre ated on
its own me rit, and Mo nte ne grin offi ci als empha si ze
they see no re ali stic obsta cles in Mo nte ne gro itse lf, exce
pt for po ssi ble pro ble ms in admi ni stra ti ve ca pa ci ti -
es. Ho we ver, in spi te of the po si ti ve atmo sphe re in
NA TO, and the pre se nt stro ng de te rmi na ti on of the
Mo nte ne grin go ve rnme nt not to orga ni ze a re fe re -
ndum, fu ll me mbe rship sho uld not be expe cted be fo -
re mid 2011 or ea rly 2012.
Until this ha ppe ns, Mo nte ne gro wi ll put ma xi mum
effo rts into NA TO inte gra ti on, wi th Po dgo ri ca se ndi -
ng its to ughe st pla yer from the Mi ni stry of Fo re ign
Affa irs – po li ti cal di re ctor Ve sko Ga r~e vi } — to the
NA TO mi ssi on in Bru sse ls. At the sa me ti me, the re has
be en an uno ffi ci al anno unce me nt of tho ro ugh cha nges
in the te am wo rki ng on the Co mmu ni ca ti on Stra te gy.
The ge ne ral impre ssi on is that Eu ro pe an inte gra ti on
has fu lly ta ken ho ld and is on the ri ght tra ck, and now
the fo cus sho uld be shi fted onto NA TO. Fi na lly, the vo -
ca bu la ry used by offi ci als cha nged in 2009, wi th the
te rm „Eu ro pe an inte gra ti on“ ca re fu lly re pla ced by the
te rm „Eu ro-Atla ntic inte gra ti on“. n
NOTES
1
Pobjeda, January 28, 2010, p. 3 and
http://www.pobjeda.co.me/citanje.php?datum=2010-01-
28&id=178639, accessed on February 26, 2010.
2
Ibid.
3
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/readout-vicepresidents-meeting-with-prime-minister-milo-djukanovicmontenegro,
accessed on February 26, 2010.
4
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/01/135465.htm,
accessed on February 26, 2010.
5
Ibid.
6
Pobjeda, February 5, 2010, p. 2.
7
http://www.mip.gov.me/index.php/Direkcija-za-
NATO/razvoj-odnosa-crne-gore-i-nato-kljuni-datumi.html, accessed
on February 24, 2010.
8
http://www.skupstina.me/23_saziv/files/downloads/
Deklaracija%20o%20progla__enju%20nezavisnosti%20RCG.d
oc, accessed on February 20, 2010.
9
http://www.gov.me/files/1263552006.doc, accessed on February
12, 2010.
10
http://www.gov.me/files/1263551975.doc, accessed on February
12, 2010.
11
http://www.gov.me/files/1233665539.doc, accessed on February
12, 2010.
12
http://www.gov.me/files/1233665590.doc, accessed on February
12, 2010.
13
http://www.gov.me/files/1193306238.doc, accessed on February
12, 2010.
14
Pobjeda, December 25, 2009, p. 2 and
http://www.pobjeda.me/citanje.php?datum=2009-12-
25&id=176978, accessed on February 25, 2010.
31