European Communities (Definition of Treaties) (Stabilisation and Association Agreement) (Republic of Montenegro) Order 2009

My Lords, I thank the Minister for coming to the Grand Committee to propose that the order be approved. I also thank the principal opposition spokesman for her comments, which we support, and for her questions, which should be answered today as far as is possible if that is convenient for the Government at this stage. There is some feeling now, although progress has been made, that if this is going to take some time then some in Montenegro will be disappointed about the progress. However, if we look back at how long it took for a large number of member countries from different parts of the European Union territories that were previously candidates for entry, the current rate of progress does not necessarily reflect badly on anyone. As we know, all the western Balkan countries now wish to join the EU as soon as possible and that is widely considered objectively to be a good thing, not just because there is something automatic about it but because of the turbulent history of that area. My noble friend Lord Ashdown, who is here and who may contribute briefly to this discussion today, is a great expert on more than just one part of the former Yugoslavia. The encouraging feature in Serbia itself, for example, appears to be that the previously atavistic and strident nationalism of the transitional period has now been replaced by a much more positive pro-European and pro-EU feeling there among the population in general and among the leading politicians. That, too, bodes well for the stability of the region. Montenegro itself broke away from Serbia in 2006, as the Minister said. That was originally resisted by Serbia but was then accepted, which is also progress. It is a very small territory in terms of population, a complicated territory and a beautiful country, as the opposition spokesman said, with well under 1 million people, including the minorities from Serbia and Albania. Some anxieties have been expressed by those who know more about the country—I have never been there myself; I hope to go in due course—that there is an element of unruly freewheeling bandit capitalism there that is manifesting itself in various ways. That may need observation to see how it develops but it is often a feature of countries in transition, something that has been seen in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. I do not wish that to sound condescending; it is just one of those things that happen in those parts of the world where a history of such activity has been manifest in the past. Montenegro is potentially a good candidate to be a member of the European Union, and many British people and other tourists and visitors from other member states have proclaimed with some enthusiasm the merits of a tourist industry in what is an extraordinary country, particularly with the Adriatic Sea border areas that many foreigners now visit. The situation bodes well in due course but more work needs to be done. There seems to be a willingness among leading Montenegran politicians and parties to engage with this process in an energetic way. That looks good for the future, provided that there is constant reassurance from the Commission, the other institutions and the European Parliament itself that their monitoring processes are effective, realistic and comprehensive, and that the British public in our own member state can be reassured that Montenegro will in due course be a first-class high-quality candidate. Time will tell, and time is needed before that happens.