According to Ursula von der Leyen, Montenegro has EU membership in sight. Rapid reforms and the goal of joining in 2028 make it the leader of the Western Balkans.
According to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, Montenegro’s accession to the European Union is within reach. She stated this at the Friday summit of the EU and the countries of the Western Balkans in Tivat, which was reported by the AP agency, which TASR refers to.
- According to Ursula, the admission of Montenegro to the European Union is realistically close.
- At the summit in Tivat, they highlighted the rapid implementation of demanding reforms in Podgorica.
- The European Union created a working group preparing the draft of the accession agreement of Montenegro.
- The Montenegrin president described joining the Union in 2028 as a realistic goal.
- Expansion to the Western Balkans is marked as a geostrategic necessity, conditional on anti-corruption reforms.
At the press conference, the head of the European Commission praised the pace at which Podgorica is implementing demanding reforms. According to her, the summit was characterized mainly by determination and trust – including the belief that the European Union will expand with new members in the coming years.
Membership to watch
The European Union has already established a special working group whose task is to prepare a draft accession agreement for Montenegro. It declares its ambition to join the Union in 2028.
After the negotiations, Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovič declared that the summit gave him even more confidence that the country can join the EU by 2028. He called this deadline a realistic and achievable goal, which, according to him, has the strong support of all Podgorica’s European partners.
Extension conditions
At the same time, Von der Leyen emphasized that she considers the expansion of the Union to include the countries of the Western Balkans to be a geostrategic necessity. According to her, however, the remaining candidate states must continue to fulfill the conditions, especially in adopting anti-corruption reforms and strengthening democratic institutions.
