Montenegro rejects ‘second-class’ EU membership as it eyes 2028 accession

Montenegro’s EU Minister Maida Gorčević told the Euronews Enlargement Summit in Brussels that its negotiating chapters could close this year, with accession following in 2028. She rejected second-class membership and pledged to resolve disputes with Croatia. Montenegro’s EU minister, Maida Gorčević, has said Tuesday that her country will not accept second-class membership of the bloc, as she eyed accession as soon as 2028. Speaking at the Euronews Enlargement Summit in Brussels, Gorčević said she was confident that all negotiating chapters would be closed this year and that Montenegro could join the EU by 2028. Montenegro is a frontrunner in the enlargement process and is expected to become the bloc’s 28th member. “I’m certain that this goal, 28 by 28, is ambitious. Yes, but it is happening, and we are all witnessing it.” Asked about a proposal for a 15-year transition period for new member states, tied to rule-of-law safeguards, the minister said Montenegro wants full membership. “We don’t want second-grade membership inside the European Union, because that wouldn’t be fair and that wouldn’t be full membership as well,” Gorčević said. She added that her government was not against additional safeguards. “If we are for the safeguards to strengthen the European Union and the future membership, yes, we are for that.” Gorčević also said she was hopeful that the recent elections in Serbia would help the Western Balkans in the enlargement process. In late October, the reformist Serbia’s Student List resoundingly defeated the country's longstanding leader Aleksandar Vučić. “This shift can also help a little bit to the region, to have the shift in a good direction. We will see in the future and let’s hope on the next, your enlargement summit that we have some more tangible results coming from the region.” Gorčević said Montenegro was also committed to resolving its dispute with Croatia over grievances related to the Balkan wars. In October, Zagreb circulated an eight-point paper to other EU countries, setting out the issues it wants resolved before Montenegro can join the bloc. “I’m certain that in the future we don’t want to argue with Croatia. We want to solve the bilateral disputes,” Gorčević said, adding that a solution could also come after Montenegro joins the EU. “If we manage to find a solution before joining the European Union, why not? But also, let’s be very fair and open. There is still the open dispute to disputes between when it comes to the border between Slovenia and Croatia. I’m certain that the border issue is not going to be an obstacle to Montenegro joining the European Union.”