The fact that Montenegrin citizens have greater trust in the European Union (EU) than residents of the member states of that community shows that for the former, the EU is still a symbol of stability, a better standard of living and hope for a more orderly society, while the latter more often view it through the everyday problems they face - inflation, migration, bureaucracy, the energy crisis or the slowness of European institutions.
In these words, a political scientist Miloš Perović comments for "Vijesti" the results of the latest (spring) survey conducted by the European Commission as part of the "Eurobarometer" program (the survey is conducted on a semi-annual basis).
The results of the survey, published on May 9, show, among other things, that 65 percent of Montenegrin citizens trust the Union, while in the EU this percentage is significantly lower - 51 percent. The results of last year's spring "Eurobarometer" showed that 83 percent of Montenegrin citizens trust the EU, while 52 percent of EU citizens had confidence in the community.
Perović estimates that residents of member states most often view the Union through the everyday problems they face - inflation, migration, bureaucracy, the energy crisis or the slowness of European institutions.
"This is why trust in the EU within the Union itself is often volatile and subject to internal political crises," he claims.
Perović states that in Montenegro, however, the perspective is different - the EU is still predominantly perceived as a symbol of stability, a better standard of living, more orderly institutions and greater economic opportunities. He points out that for a large part of citizens, European integration is not just a foreign policy goal, but a hope that the state can achieve a higher level of legal security, the fight against corruption and the quality of life.
"Citizens of EU member states mainly assess 'what the EU has failed to solve', while citizens of Montenegro, as a candidate country, more often look at 'what membership could bring'," the interlocutor added.
The latest Eurobarometer shows that 71 percent of Montenegrin citizens are optimistic about the future of the EU, that 66 percent believe that membership is a good thing, and that 75 percent believe that joining the EU would bring concrete benefits to the country.
Montenegro has been negotiating with the EU for almost 14 years (since June 29, 2012), and so far has opened all 33 negotiation chapters, and temporarily closed 14. This year, two have been "crossed out".
The Government's goal, as has been announced on several occasions, is to close all chapters by the end of (this) year, so that the country can become the 28th member of the EU by 2028. According to announcements from the Government, intergovernmental conferences between Montenegro and the EU are expected in May and June, but it has not been specified how many chapters could be closed.
More and more French people against enlargement
The results of a European Commission survey show that 54 percent of French citizens are against EU enlargement. This is an increase of five percentage points compared to the survey conducted during the same period last year.
In addition, the percentage of French residents who said they support EU expansion is 35 percent, a drop of six percentage points compared to spring 2025.
Commenting on this data, a journalist from the French “Le Monde diplomatique” Ana Otašević She told "Vijesti" that they show "what has long been the political reality in France" when it comes to the evolution of their internal political situation, and thus the EU's attitude towards the issue of enlargement.
She claims that the issue of enlargement is “not even close to being among the foreign policy topics in France”. She pointed out that the issue of Montenegro’s entry into the EU is more important to its neighboring members for the sake of stronger relations and potential economic development, but that for countries like France, which decides on the EU’s major developments – in which direction, above all, its political agenda will go and how the EU’s “architecture” will be created – this is a “second-rate issue”.
"If you ask me what Montenegro needs to do - nothing is needed. It or any other country now depends on strategists who take into account their interests - the interests of the EU in the war in Ukraine, or rather, what is the reality when we talk about it. These are increased military budgets, this is a constant preparation of public opinion in their countries - I am now talking about France - for a potential war with Russia," said Otašević.
She stated that Montenegro is not even talked about in France, stating that a recent survey conducted by the French-German television ART showed that the wars of the 1990s are the only association the French have with the Balkans.
"The French know nothing about the Balkans. It's not a topic in their politics," she adds.
Otašević said that elections are scheduled for May 2027 in France, and that there is a fear of the extreme right coming to power, in which case, she claims, the enlargement of the Balkan countries, Ukraine and Moldova - would be ruled out for a long period of time.
He notes that their (French) question is how to include Ukraine and Moldova in this process, "while leaving the Balkans aside."
"Let's not leave Montenegro aside, but the Balkans. Montenegro is too small to be an important factor in that key of strategic thinking," said Otašević.
Their goal, as the interviewee states, to bring the Balkans into the EU would be not because one, another or a third country has fulfilled the required obligations, but because they want: "As the French say, so that it does not remain a gray zone subject to foreign influence - Russian and Chinese."
Miloš Perović pointed out that there has been a certain degree of enlargement fatigue in France for a long time, because it is believed that the EU must first reform itself and only then accept new members.
He said that, although the current geopolitical situation is in Montenegro's favor in terms of EU integration, it must certainly be taken into account that - as research shows - the French today support a "deeper" rather than a "wider" Europe, because the issue of security within the Union itself is becoming increasingly important and a priority.
"What that means - primarily stronger integration of existing members in the areas of defense, economy and security, instead of admitting new states. There, of course, can be found reasons for somewhat less support for enlargement," Perović pointed out.
He said that there are always concerns about the economic consequences of enlargement, primarily from cheaper labor, migration, greater allocations from the European budget, and competition in the labor market.
"All this suggests that, in addition to meeting the technical and political criteria for membership, Montenegrin diplomacy will have to do very serious and thoughtful work when it comes to the process of ratification of the accession treaty in EU member states," Perović underlined.
He said that in an atmosphere of growing skepticism towards enlargement among a part of the European public - especially in large countries like France - it will be important for Montenegro to convince not only European institutions, but also the citizens of member states that its entry represents political, security and economic value for the EU.
MFA: Show that enlargement is also in the EU's interest
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MVP) told "Vijesti" that the results of the survey show that in some member states, including France, there is a certain fatigue when it comes to EU enlargement policy.
"We view this (the research results) as a signal that additional work is needed to explain the strategic importance of enlargement, especially in the context of preserving the stability, security and competitiveness of the European continent," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
From the department he manages Ervin Ibrahimovic (Bosniak Party) believe that it is important to emphasize that the enlargement policy remains one of the most successful EU policies, which has contributed to democratization, economic development and long-term stability of Europe over the past decades. They note that Montenegro, as the most advanced candidate for membership, wants to show with its reform results that enlargement is not a political burden, but a “joint European investment in a safer and stronger Europe”.
The MFA states that they believe that the trust of citizens of member states can be strengthened primarily by concrete results of candidate countries: "That is why we will continue to implement reforms, strengthen the rule of law and demonstrate that Montenegro shares European values and standards."
The department says that it is particularly important to intensify political and public communication with member states, including France, through direct dialogue with institutions, parliaments, the academic community, the media and the civil sector.
"Our goal is to show that the European future of the Western Balkans is also in the interest of the EU citizens themselves," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.
The Eurobarometer showed that, in addition to France, the citizens of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Luxembourg also do not view enlargement favorably.
In Austria, 57 percent of citizens do not want new EU members, in the Czech Republic 54 percent, in Germany 53 percent, while in Luxembourg and Belgium that percentage is 49 percent.
54 percent of citizens have confidence in the Government
Data from the latest Eurobarometer show that 54 percent of citizens have confidence in the Government of Montenegro, which is a significant increase compared to the autumn of last year, when that percentage was 28 percent.
Trust in the Montenegrin parliament, according to the spring Eurobarometer, is 50 percent. This is also an increase compared to the autumn Eurobarometer, in which trust in this institution was 27 percent.
Trust in the judiciary in Montenegro today stands at 49 percent, which represents an increase of 29 percentage points compared to the previous survey.
According to the results of the survey, trust in the police in Montenegro increased by 30 percentage points, and in the army by 36 percentage points compared to the previous survey.
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