Montenegro can be the 28th member of the European Union (EU) until 2028, said the Minister for the EU and the Constitution in the Government of Austria, Karoline Etstadler.
As announced by the Ministry of European Affairs (MEP), the relevant minister Maida Gorčević participated in the Europe Summit organized by the Institute of European Regions in Salzburg and spoke on the panel "EU Expansion Geopolitical Necessity".
Etstadler said that it is no longer a question of whether, but how the Union and its members can help candidate countries on their way to the EU.
"We think that Montenegro can be the 28th member of the EU by 2028. It is our responsibility to show that the Union is open to new candidates and to build a strong and resilient EU. We will represent you from the side of the EU", Etstadler said before the start of the panel.
Gorčević said that Montenegro has a plan agreed with the European Commission to close all chapters by the end of 2026, in order to become the next member of the EU by 2028.
She stated that only in the first 100 days of work, the Government, even though it did not have a two-thirds majority in the parliament, managed to ensure that appointments to the judiciary, which for years had been a key obstacle to further progress, were approved through discussions with the ruling parties and the opposition.
"A few days ago, we adopted critical laws to close as many as four chapters," Gorčević said.
As she said, this is the first time in seven years that Montenegro temporarily closes chapters.
"It is expected that this will happen at the Intergovernmental Conference with the EU by the end of December, which will be the third intergovernmental conference this year, after none has been held for several years," stated Gorčević.
She added that decisive support of the EU and its members is needed for the enlargement policy, because European integration is a two-way process.
Asked if she had developed fatigue from the negotiation process after 12 years, Gorčević said that fatigue had to arise after so many years of negotiations between Montenegro and the EU, in which, as she added, there were ups and downs.
According to her, the Government has recognized European integration as one of its priorities.
Gorčević said that during the year they "started Montenegro" and made great progress.
The process, as she stated, is exhausting and stressful for the administration, especially for a small country like Montenegro, which has limited capacities.
"But we are still optimistic, because we have no alternative for the European path and values. We are working very hard and we have shown that by receiving the Report on the fulfillment of temporary benchmarks in June and by preparing to close the chapter already this December," said Gorčević.
The interlocutors, as announced by the MEP, agreed that the Western Balkans must become part of the EU, because it is already in the heart of Europe.
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