Montenegro is ready to take on the responsibilities of EU membership and become the bloc’s 28th member state, President Jakov Milatović told MEPs in Strasbourg.
Milatović addressed members of the European Parliament on Tuesday in a formal sitting, according to the Parliament’s account.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola told the chamber: “This is Europe's enlargement moment, and Montenegro is leading the way,” adding that enlargement “is not an act of charity – it is an investment in a stronger, safer and more prosperous Europe.”
Milatović said the EU should show that reforms, democratic development and “strategic consistency” have a place within the European project.
He also told MEPs that Montenegro is ready to contribute to European policies, to “bind its future to the common European future”, and to join the EU as its 28th member state.
Negotiations opened, with more work cited
Montenegro has opened all 33 negotiating chapters — the policy areas that candidate countries must align with EU rules — and has provisionally closed 16 of them, Milatović said in the chamber.
He also stated the Council has begun work on a draft accession treaty.
Milatović said “there is still work to be done”, citing the rule of law, independent institutions and an efficient public administration.
Montenegro’s EU accession negotiations began in 2012, and MEPs are due to vote on a report assessing the country’s progress on Wednesday.
