EU's von der Leyen: Montenegro on Track for 2028 Membership

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has endorsed Montenegro's European Union accession timeline, confirming the Western Balkan country remains positioned to potentially join the bloc as its 28th member by 2028. During a joint press conference with Prime Minister Milojko Spajic in Tivat, von der Leyen praised Montenegro's accelerated reform progress and alignment with EU foreign policy objectives.

The Commission president highlighted Montenegro's "amazing speed" in completing four negotiation chapters since her previous visit, with five additional chapters anticipated for completion this year. She characterized Montenegro's ambition to conclude all negotiation chapters next year as appropriately ambitious, emphasizing that the EU supports such determined targets provided the country maintains focus and national unity throughout the accession process.

Von der Leyen announced concrete integration milestones including the forthcoming elimination of roaming charges between the EU and Montenegro scheduled for next year. She confirmed Montenegro's recent entry into the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) and disclosed an €8 million disbursement through the EU's Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, noting potential access to over €380 million in additional funding pending continued reform implementation.

The European leader commended Montenegro's participation in EU foreign policy initiatives, including training missions in Ukraine, describing such alignment as evidence of the country's European orientation. Montenegro initiated its EU membership application in 2008, commenced formal accession negotiations in 2012, and currently leads Western Balkan candidate countries having opened all negotiation chapters required for eventual membership.