INTERVIEW: Montenegro should not have to wait too long to fully join the EU | EURACTIV EN

Montenegro should not be subject to the same conditions as other candidate countries for EU membership, Montenegrin Minister for European Affairs Maida Gorčević said in an interview à Euractiv.

On Monday, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said that new member states could Be subject to probation measures and restrictions on the exercise of some of their powers as member states, for more than a decade after their accession.

Ms Kos’s suggestions come as EU leaders are debating whether to prevent the next new member states from exercising their right of veto on some of the Union’s most controversial subjects, such as foreign policy for example.

“We are not opposed to a reasonable transition period,†said Ms. GorÄ ević, a pro-European minister from the centrist Montenegrin “Europe Now†movement and the country’s Minister of European Affairs since 2023.

A three-year transition period would be more desirable, she suggested, pointing out that previous accession treaties included provisions of a similar duration. However, the comparison has its limits: Croatia’s accession treaty included transitional provisions in specific policy areas, but does not constitute a precedent for the suspension of voting rights in the Council.

“Three years is very good,†Ms GorÄ ević said, arguing that it would give a new government “a mandate†to show it was a “reasonable and responsible partner†.

A ten-year probationary period would be a completely different matter, she suggested.

Montenegro, she argued, uniquely meets the conditions required to join the EU, and therefore deserves a shorter transition period than countries like Moldova, Ukraine or Albania, all candidate countries which wish to join the Union as soon as possible.

This unique character of Montenegro arises “from the situation we find ourselves in, from the reforms we are implementing, […] of foreign and security policy, of NATO, of our small population, etc. “, said Ms. GorÄ ević.

Euractiv spoke with Ms. GorÄ ević just after the adoption by the European Parliament of its “dashboard” devoted to this small country in the Western Balkans.

“The main message of this report is clear: Montenegro remains ahead in the EU enlargement process,†Marjan Årec, a liberal Slovenian MEP, in charge of this report in the European Parliament, declared on Wednesday.

A postcard for Belgrade

Montenegro applied for EU membership in 2008. In April 2026, EU countries agreed to begin drafting Montenegro’s accession treaty, the first such process since Croatia’s accession, which defines the conditions under which the country will join the Union.

“Each accession treaty will be different,†Ms GorÄ ević said.

“I am counting on the understanding of member states and the European Commission,” she added, while recognizing that Montenegro had little room for maneuver in these negotiations.

“We cannot talk about red lines, because our main objective is to join the EU,” she also admitted.

Podgorica has christened its EU accession campaign “28 in 28”, a commitment to become the 28th EU member by 2028.

Asked what would happen if this objective was not achieved due to French skepticism about enlargement to the Western Balkans, technical delays or other political obstacles, Ms Gorčević answered bluntly.

“It’s our plan A, and we don’t have a plan B,” she reacted.

If the membership comes to fruition, it would be sure to make waves throughout the region.

“Success in the Western Balkans is contagious,” she declared, referring in particular to Serbia, with which Montenegro was engaged in a union of states until 2006.

“From their point of view, it will [exercer] a pressure [sur eux] so that they can be more pro-European and keep their commitments,” she added.

Retain the right of veto

The debate on probationary periods for new member states is part of a réflexion plus large aimed at determining whether the EU should move more decisions on foreign policy from unanimous to qualified majority voting.

In April, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged member states to “take advantage of the current momentum” to move towards qualified majority voting in foreign policy, following the Electoral defeat of Viktor Orbán in Hungary.

Mr. Orbán had repeatedly used Hungary’s veto power to block or delay EU decisions, notably concerning the war led by Russia in Ukraine. Ms Gorčević said she opposed such a change.

“From the point of view of small countries, moving to qualified majority voting means that small countries no longer have any say,” she said. “They will always be put in the minority by the big countries. HAS”

“For these kinds of questions, […] unity is very important,” she added.

Ms Gorčević also rejected the idea that maintaining unanimity would make Montenegro a future brake on decisions.

“This does not mean that Montenegro will block anything,” she said. “It simply means that everyone is on an equal footing at the table.”

(bw, cs)