The key facts

  • Montenegro expects to close all negotiating chapters in 2026 and join the EU by 2028
  • The idea of a 15-year transition period for new members was floated — Podgorica rejected it
  • In October, Croatia circulated a document among EU countries with eight points it demands be resolved before Montenegro's accession

'28 by 2028': Montenegro calls itself the leader of enlargement

Montenegro will not agree to 'second-class membership' in the European Union, the country's Minister for EU Affairs Maida Gorčević said on Tuesday, speaking at the Euronews enlargement summit in Brussels. According to her, all negotiating chapters will be closed this year, and accession to the bloc could happen as early as 2028 — under the formula '28 by 28'. 'I am confident that this goal, 28 by 28, is ambitious. Yes, but it is happening, and we are all witnesses to it,' Euronews quoted her as saying. Montenegro is considered the leader of the enlargement process and the expected 28th member of the EU.

Dispute over the transition period and guarantees

A separate topic at the summit was the discussed proposal of a 15-year transition period for new members, tied to mechanisms for protecting the rule of law. Gorčević stated that Montenegro wants full-fledged membership: 'We do not want second-class membership within the European Union, because that would be unfair and would not be full membership.' At the same time, according to her, the government is not against additional guarantees as such — provided they strengthen the EU itself and its future membership.

Bilateral disputes and the region

The minister also confirmed Montenegro's readiness to settle its differences with Croatia related to the Balkan wars: in October, Zagreb circulated a document among other EU countries with eight points containing questions it demands be resolved before Podgorica joins the bloc. Gorčević noted that a solution could be found even after accession, and added that the border dispute between Slovenia and Croatia remains open but, in her view, will not become an obstacle to Montenegro's membership. In addition, she expressed hope that the recent elections in Serbia, where at the end of October the reformist 'Student List' convincingly defeated the long-time leader Aleksandar Vučić, will help the entire region in the enlargement process.