Black Mountain has approached a historic milestone. The European Union has begun work on an accession treaty that could open the door to the European bloc as early as 2028 for this Balkan country of some 600,000 people.

The ambassadors of the European Union member states have approved the creation of a special working group, known as the Ad Hoc Working Party, which will regularly prepare the legal form of Montenegro's future membership.

According to a spokesperson for the Cypriot Presidency of the EU Council, the „a significant step forward in Montenegro's accession process and a strong signal to all candidate countries that membership of the European Union remains an achievable goal“.

Montenegro is currently the most advanced candidate country in the Western Balkans. Of the 33 negotiating chapters, it has already provisionally closed 14. All chapters were opened earlier, which means that the country has entered the final phase of the accession process.

The biggest challenge remains the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the fight against corruption. Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kosová has repeatedly called on Podgorica to continue reforms.

„This is a clear recognition of Montenegro's progress and an encouragement to accelerate further change,“ Kosová said after the decision to start work on the access agreement.

Montenegro gained candidate status in 2010, four years after separating from Serbia. Accession negotiations began in 2012.

The current government of the Prime Minister Milojka Spajiće has set itself the ambitious goal of joining the EU by 2028, a plan promoted by the slogan „28 by 28“, which appears, for example, on the planes of the national carrier Air Montenegro.

NATO Secretary General visited the country on Wednesday Mark Rutte, who was negotiating with the president Jakov Milatović.

Milatovic said after the meeting that they discussed „key factors for countries to work on in the final phase of negotiations with the European Union“, including regional stability and credible NATO membership.

Montenegro has been a NATO member since 2017 and its Euro-Atlantic orientation has been stable for a long time.

If Podgorica completes its reforms and all EU Member States ratify the Accession Treaty, Montenegro could become the 28th member of the European Union. After more than ten years of negotiations, the country is thus entering the decisive final stage of its European journey.

gnews.cz - GH