Von der Leenen: Montenegro Nears EU Membership

Von der Leyen said positive steps have been made and that the time has come to invest in Montenegro.

“You are very ambitious and we like it”, the European Commission chief said.

As the European official stressed, reforms in the area of rule of law should be accelerated, transparency in public procurements and thus sent a signal that Montenegro is a reliable country for business development.

Montenegro's Prime Minister, Milliko Spajic, estimated that the EU is the most important strategic partner and biggest investor in Montenegro.

He announced an investment cycle that awaits Montenegro in the coming years.

A cycle that will attract over 3 billion euros. This is the main message from today: that Montenegro is open to business and that now is the time to invest”.

Spajic reiterated the position that Montenegro is on the verge of EU membership.

By the end of 2026, we will close all negotiation chapters so that we can become a member of the bloc by the end of 2028”, Spajiq said.

He also stressed that this is an opportunity for the EU to show that enlargement policy “is alive”.

At the conference, which was dedicated to sustainable development, four European investment projects will be presented in Montenegro's economy and ten memorandums of understanding will be signed in various areas.

Brussels praises Podgorica's foreign policy

At the media conference after the opening of the conference, Von der Leyen stressed that the European Union highly praises Montenegro's approach to Brussels' foreign and security policy, especially in terms of reports with Russia.

The Russian aggression against Ukraine has reformed our continent. Each European nation must choose its own place and side, and Montenegro has already made this choice very clear. You are fully harmonised with EU foreign and security policy. We deeply appreciate the decision to send Montenegrin soldiers to support our training mission for Ukraine”, von der Leyeen said.

Why does trust in the EU waver in Montenegro?

It encouraged Montenegro to use 380m euros from the Western Balkans Growth Plan, and it also announced that the next year will be removed from roaming between Montenegro and the EU.

“Montenegro will now receive 8m euros after meeting the conditions, but must continue with reforms to achieve the conditions for the exploitation of the entire 380m fund, which is envisioned for Montenegro”, the senior European official said.

New EU Progress Report, November 4th
Montenegro's Prime Minister, Milliko Spajic, said the European Commission's report on Montenegro's progress is expected to be published on November 4th.

The “is a real mirror of the situation, will reflect the major results that have been achieved in the past period, but will also show the challenges and tasks that we must fulfill in the coming period”.

That report will assess meeting the criteria for membership, focusing on the area of rule of law and the fight against corruption in the field of democracy and the approach to EU laws.

Since last year's report, Montenegro has closed the last four negotiating chapters in June, which concerns public procurement.

Earlier, in December 2024, it closed three chapters 7 (Right and Intellectual Property), 10 (Informical Society and the Media) and 20 (Environment and Industrial Policy).

Montenegro has started membership negotiations with the EU 13 years ago and has so far closed seven negotiating chapters from a total of 33 reports REL, broadcast Periscope