YEA Blog
Young European Ambassadors share their dynamic initiatives, events, and ideas shaping the EU integration journey of the Western Balkans.
EU Election Night in Podgorica: reflecting on the road ahead
EU elections… in Montenegro?
Right when elections to the European Parliament were happening across EU member states, Young European Ambassadors from Montenegro gathered in Europe House in Podgorica for our own “EU Election Night” special event.
Even though Montenegro can not participate in real EU elections before joining the EU, every election night – including ours – has to end with the announcement of some election results. So, in our case, the creative solution was to open the night with a “mock” EU election.
A chance to think about the longer-term perspective.
In the opening remarks, both H.E. Ms. Oana Cristina Popa, EU Ambassador to Montenegro, and Ms. Maida Gorčević, the Minister of European Affairs, shared their hopes that the Montenegrins would be eligible to run and vote in the next EU election (i.e. join the EU before 2029), as well as mentioned the importance of IBAR for Montenegro's EU accession process.
Unsurprisingly, the discussion about Montenegro’s potential participation in future EU elections continued during the cocktail reception: the idea that some YEAs could even run in 2029 as “Gen Z” candidates to the EU Parliament was among the highlights of several exciting conversations that we had throughout the evening.
The role of YEAs in times of change
The key topic on the event’s agenda was the projected composition of the EU Parliament in 2024-2029 — and how it might affect Montenegro's EU accession negotiations. At the discussion panel “European Election and Montenegro,” some of the fiercely debated issues were related to the potential rise of far-right parties in the EU Parliament — and subsequent risks for the enlargement process.
As Mr. Augustin Palokaj, Brussels correspondent for “Jutarni list,” said in his speech about the expected outcome of the EU election, the risks related to the far-right should not be exaggerated. Mr. Palokaj emphasized that the “center” led by the EPP is projected to remain a dominating force in EU politics, whereas
far-right parties will find it hard to cooperate with each other due to internal splits and divisions on a wide range of issues.
In other words, the EU institutions will remain committed to the enlargement. However, imagining the possibility of political uncertainty made it clear that the role of YEAs as communicators is vital to the European future of the Western Balkans. We have to continue interacting with a wide range of communities and institutions: not only in the Western Balkans but also on the EU level.
Finally, the long-awaited mock election results
Everyone who joined the event — from YEAs and representatives of civil society to experts and ambassadors of EU countries — could cast their votes in a quirky star-shaped box before proceeding to the main session.
An hour later, the results of our vote were announced. Greens/EFA led the race with 10 votes. Second came EPP with 8 votes. Hopefully, in five years, we will have a chance to compare these mock 2024 results with Montenegro's real 2029 EU election results.
In the meantime, YEAs will continue to put all their efforts to make this vision a reality. To stay updated, don’t forget to follow @webalkans_eu on Instagram!
