The key facts

  • Berlin has offered mediation and seeks to ensure that Croatia-Montenegro bilateral disputes do not halt EU enlargement
  • Croatia handed over a list of eight demands linked to the legacy of the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s: property claims and disputed borders
  • Montenegro's goal is to become the EU's 28th member by 2028; a failure could hit the candidacies of Albania, Moldova and Ukraine

Berlin intervenes in Zagreb-Podgorica dispute

Germany has turned to Croatia demanding the constructive resolution of bilateral disagreements that threaten to derail Montenegro's EU accession — the most advanced candidate for membership. Four officials directly familiar with the situation told Euronews this. Earlier this week Zagreb circulated a list of eight points of grievance which it demands be resolved before Podgorica completes its accession process. Berlin recently offered mediation, but it has not yet materialised: the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz is positioning itself as an honest broker, fearing that unresolved bilateral problems could jeopardise the enlargement process.

The parties' positions

«There are issues we have been signalling to our Montenegrin neighbours for years,» Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković told journalists ahead of the European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday. According to him, over the past two years there has been «no progress», and Croatia has been «extremely constructive» in talks with Montenegro. Zagreb argues that the issues raised are long-standing and that it has put forward only a few symbolic demands, pointing out that investigating war crimes and reparations for victims are goals Podgorica must fulfil to close the negotiating chapters. Critics, on the contrary, accuse Zagreb of raising the disputes at the last moment to apply maximum pressure on Montenegro.

EU pressure and the role of other countries

In recent weeks the European Commission has been involved in talks between the two countries, while a number of member states are working to ensure enlargement does not stall over bilateral issues. France wants to avoid complications with enlargement for domestic political reasons, and Luxembourg opposes using the accession process to resolve bilateral problems. All three governments — Germany, France and Luxembourg — are actively talking to Croatia, but the strongest pressure comes from Berlin. The EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas publicly criticised Croatia's position, saying on the margins of the European Council that the accession process must not be hijacked by bilateral issues.

Stakes for the whole EU enlargement

The disputes mainly relate to the legacy of the Yugoslav wars of the early 1990s — property claims and contested borders. They threaten Montenegro's ambition to become the EU's 28th member by 2028 and the first country to accede under the current enlargement methodology. EU officials fear sentiment could quickly turn against enlargement if Montenegro's accession is not completed soon: next year a series of elections will take place in key countries, including France, where enlargement sceptic Marine Le Pen is considered the frontrunner in the presidential race. A failure of Montenegro's accession is estimated to could adversely affect other «frontrunners» — Albania, Moldova and, above all, Ukraine, whose application is likely to be tied to future peace talks with Moscow.

Geopolitical context and Germany's role

Germany is promoting new EU enlargement formats, including a special «associated candidate» status for Ukraine, the idea of «gradual integration» of candidate countries and enhanced democratic safeguards for newcomers. Montenegro this year holds the chairmanship of the Berlin Process — a 2014 intergovernmental initiative for regional cooperation among the Western Balkan countries — and in recent months has worked closely with Berlin in this format. EU officials interpret Germany's move on the bilateral issue as Berlin taking ownership of the process. According to the publication, Germany believes the time has come to move forward with Montenegro's accession — given Podgorica's efforts and the geopolitical situation in which Brussels is increasingly using enlargement to tie its neighbours to the West amid rising tensions with Russia.