The European Union has highly praised Montenegro’s progress on the path to membership: the country is becoming the leading candidate for accession by 2028
Montenegro has been recognized as the most advanced country in the Western Balkans on the path to joining the European Union — this is stated in the European Commission’s new annual report on the progress of EU enlargement. The document emphasizes that Podgorica has demonst...
Montenegro has been recognized as the most advanced Western Balkan country on the path to joining the European Union, according to the European Commission’s new annual report on EU enlargement progress. The document emphasizes that Podgorica has demonstrated the “most significant progress” among the region’s candidate countries, while Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are noticeably lagging behind in reforms and political stabilization.
Montenegro — the leader of European integration
According to the report, Montenegro has opened all 33 negotiating chapters and has already closed seven of them. The European Commission noted that “the continuous political commitment of the Montenegrin authorities to the strategic goal of European integration has produced tangible results in implementing the necessary reforms.”
Particularly notable is the progress in reforming the judicial system: in 2024, the country implemented an intensive phase of changes aimed at strengthening the independence, impartiality, and accountability of the courts. These measures, it is emphasized, are already delivering “the first positive results.”
Montenegro has also made progress in combating corruption, ensuring freedom of expression, and developing media pluralism. Progress was also noted in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, as well as in the implementation of Schengen and customs plans.
An important element of the EU’s recognition was granting Montenegro access tothe Growth Plan for the Western Balkans—a six-billion-euro financial assistance package designed to accelerate the region’s development and integration. Podgorica has already fulfilled 30 conditions from the Reform Agenda and received funds from the second wave of disbursements.
Economic integration with the EU
Since October, Montenegro hasbegun applying SEPA—the Single Euro Payments Area. This means that transfers between Montenegrin and European banks are now processed under the same rules as within the EU, with lower fees and faster processing times.
In addition, from November 1 Montenegro will join theConvention on a Common Transit Procedure
, which simplifies the movement of goods across borders and reduces administrative procedures for businesses. These steps, the European Commission stresses, are concrete proof that the country is already integrating into the common European economic area.
Preparing the accession treaty
According toPolitico, drafting of thetreaty on Montenegro’s accession to the European Unionhas already begun in Brussels. This will be the first such document for Western Balkan countries in recent years.
EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said that the new EU enlargement package, to be presented in the coming days, “will be a geopolitical instrument demonstrating that the European Union is capable of responding to challenges across the continent.”
According to her, new countries will be admitted with the introduction oftransition periods— temporary restrictions on some rights of new members, such as the use of veto power in foreign policy matters. This approach, Kos said, will make it possible to avoid blocking decisions and ease the concerns of older EU members about the possible emergence of “new Orbáns” within the Union.
Brussels’ goal is to preserve the political momentum of enlargement while ensuring that only countries truly ready for membership join the EU.
New member states may join the EU without full voting rights
The European Union is discussing the possibility of admitting new member states without full voting rights, including veto power, in the initial stages of membership.According toPolitico, the idea is intended to speed up the enlargement process — for example, for Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkan states — while avoiding the need for complex changes to the EU’s founding treaties.
In this format, new members would gain access to the internal market, funds, and institutions of the Union, but their influence on key decisions would be temporarily limited. The initiative is still at the stage of informal consultations among diplomats and has no legal force, but it reflects Brussels’ desire to find a compromise between the rapid integration of candidates and maintaining effective governance in an enlarged EU.
A contrast with its neighbors: reform stagnation in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
The European Commission report emphasizes that Serbia “maintains European rhetoric,” but the actual pace of reforms remains slow. Brussels is calling on Belgrade to “carry out credible reforms in all areas” and, in particular,to align more closely with the EU’s foreign and defense policy, including the introduction of sanctions against Russia.
At present, Serbia remains one of the few European countries that has not joined anti-Russian sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine. The European Commission also points to “increasing public polarization” in the country, mass protests, and growing pressure on civil society and independent media.
The document says that risks of “state capture” and a high level of corruption still persist in Serbia, and that attempts by the authorities to limit the independence of the judiciary “undermine the rule of law and democratic standards.”
Another issue causing concern in Brussels is the accelerated granting of Serbian citizenship to Russian citizens, which creates “potential risks” for the visa-free regime between Belgrade and the EU.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the situation is assessed asreform stagnationamid political crises and confrontation between ethnic and administrative structures. The European Commission notes that laws undermining the constitutional order were adopted in Republika Srpska, and former leader Milorad Dodik was convicted for failing to comply with the decisions of the international High Representative.
In addition, due to delays in implementing the Reform Agenda, Brussels reduced financial assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina by 10%. Nevertheless, the country has achieved full alignment with the EU’s foreign and defense policy, including sanctions against Russia.
Europe is accelerating enlargement, but cautiously
The European Commission report emphasizes thatthe EU enlargement process is moving faster than at any time in the past 15 years, but caution remains among member states. According toPolitico, some countries, especially those neighboring potential candidates, remain skeptical and urge that new members should not be admitted “in a hurry.”
Nevertheless, Brussels sees Montenegro as “an example of successful integration” and a signal to other countries in the region. According to analysts, if Podgorica maintains its current pace of reforms,Montenegro could join the European Union as early as 2028—a symbolic year that the EU would like to mark as the beginning of a new wave of enlargement.
Photo source: Vlada Crne Gore (pictured: Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Milojko Spajić, Prime Minister of Montenegro)
The European Union has highly praised Montenegro’s progre...
