Montenegro says EU membership by 2028 is "very realistic"

Montenegro's ambassador to the European Union has said the country believes it can become the bloc's 28th member state by the end of 2028. Petar Marković described Montenegro as the "frontrunner" among EU candidate countries and said the target was "very realistic". His comments come as Podgorica continues its long-running accession process with Brussels.

Marković said Montenegro is ready to meet the goal both by its own standards and by those of the 27 EU member states and the European Commission. He identified two main obstacles still standing in the way of accession. The first is amending the constitution, and the second is resolving disputes with neighbouring EU member state Croatia, mainly over issues linked to the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s.

Montenegro applied to join the European Union in 2008, two years after declaring independence. Accession negotiations began in 2012, meaning the process has now been under way for more than 14 years. The country's latest comments underline how central EU membership remains to its political agenda, even as the timetable depends on meeting remaining legal and diplomatic conditions.

The remarks also highlight the wider significance of Montenegro's bid for the EU. As a small Western Balkan state, its progress is being watched closely by other candidate countries in the region. The accession process is often seen as a test of how far the EU is willing to expand and how strictly it will apply its membership criteria.

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For Montenegro, the next phase will depend on whether constitutional changes can be completed and whether outstanding issues with Croatia can be settled. No timeline for those steps was given in the remarks. It is also unclear how quickly the European institutions will judge progress on the remaining chapters of the accession process.

What happens next will determine whether the 2028 target remains achievable.

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