Montenegro is ‘within reach’ of joining the EU by 2028, von der Leyen says after Balkans summit
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Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share TIVAT, Montenegro (AP) — Montenegro is on track to become a member of the European Union by 2028, the bloc’s leaders and the Balkan country’s president said on Friday following a summit focused on expanding the EU to include other countries in the region. Leaders from across the EU were joined by their Western Balkan counterparts in Montenegro’s Adriatic Sea coastal town of Tivat, where they discussed the bloc’s enlargement into a region seen as a key area in countering security and economic threats posed by Russia and China. The summit brought together leaders including President Emmanuel Macron of France and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as well as the heads of Balkan candidate countries. High on the agenda was Montenegro’s EU accession, a process that is approaching its final stages and which von der Leyen said Friday was “within reach.” “If I had to sum up this summit in two words, they would be determination and confidence,” von der Leyen told a news conference. “Confidence that our union will grow in the years ahead.” The EU has already formed a working group to draft an accession treaty for Montenegro, whose president, Jakov Milatovic, said the summit had given him “even greater confidence” that his country will fulfill its aim of joining the EU by 2028.
“This goal is realistic and achievable. It is strongly supported by all our European partners,” Milatovic said. Enlargement to boost economy and defense Adding members to the EU — which can bring the bloc more single market economic benefits and stronger security capabilities — has gained urgency in recent years as the continent faces a series of challenges, such as lopsided trade with China, migration pressures, the war in Ukraine and increasing hybrid threats from Russia. With the Trump administration viewed as less committed to its NATO allies, EU countries have also pushed to boost their military capabilities to ward off future threats without the potential backing of the U.S.. Against that backdrop, von der Leyen on Friday described EU expansion into the Western Balkans as “a geostrategic imperative,” but that candidate nations are still expected to carry out reforms such as tackling corruption and shoring up democratic institutions — steps viewed as benefiting both the candidate nations and the EU as a whole. Read More Yet the lengthy process of carrying out such reforms and advancing the process of membership has frustrated some candidate countries, leading to some calls to find ways to accelerate the procedure. Von der Leyen also emphasized that EU membership would be “merits-based, but merits-based does not mean slow, it means fair and predictable.” She added that the bloc seeks to “reward reforms with real integration.” European Council President Antonio Costa, who hosted the Tivat summit, said the EU was “considering new ideas to streamline and accelerate the process” to increase trust in the EU and “increase the motivation of the Western Balkan partners.” Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day.
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