Fittex

A multi-ethnic country, Montenegro is composed of Montenegrins (43 %), Serbs (32 %), Bosniaks (7.8 %) and Albanians (5 %). In a May 2006 referendum, 55.5 % of the electorate voted for independence. Public opinion surveys show that almost 80 % of Montenegrins are in favour of joining the EU. On 2 April 2023, after securing 59 % of votes in a presidential election run-off, Montenegro's former Economy Minister Jakov Milatović declared victory over the incumbent, Milo Đukanović, who had been president ...

Montenegro applied for EU membership in 2008, and accession negotiations began in June 2012. The country has opened all 33 negotiation chapters, three of which have been provisionally closed. Public opinion surveys show that 75 % of Montenegrins are in favour of joining the EU. Parliament is expected to debate the European Commission's 2021 annual report on Montenegro during its June II plenary session.

The European Commission report on Montenegro, published in April 2018, makes a positive evaluation of the country's progress, with Montenegro leading the EU accession process in the Western Balkans. However, although Montenegro has been a stable country, on good terms with its neighbours for many years, the internal political situation has deteriorated over the past two years following a coup attempt in 2016. Parliament is due to vote a resolution on the report in plenary in November.

With most negotiation chapters open and a likely candidate to meet the 2025 accession date suggested by the European Commission's new 2018 enlargement strategy, Montenegro is in a leading position on its path towards EU accession, compared to the other five aspirants from the Western Balkans. In June 2017, the country also joined NATO, achieving another strategic foreign policy priority. Despite these favourable developments, Montenegro has a lot of work ahead in order to reach EU standards in areas ...

The first EU-Western Balkans Summit in a decade and a half takes place in Sofia in May 2018, under the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council. That is just one indicator of the EU's renewed engagement with the six countries of the region, with the Commission's February 2018 enlargement strategy reaffirming their perspective of joining the Union. This infographic, one of a series produced by EPRS in cooperation with Globalstat, offers an overview of the main economic and trade data – in particular on ...

Media freedom, a core EU value and a cornerstone of democracy, is a priority reform area in the Western Balkans' EU accession agenda. Yet, despite a certain level of preparedness and a broadly developed legal framework, aspirant countries keep facing systemic shortcomings that require long-term sustained efforts. These efforts have stalled in recent years, resulting in a 'no progress' situation.

In March 2017, the European Parliament is due to vote on a motion for a resolution on the Commission's 2016 enlargement report on Montenegro. With most EU negotiation chapters opened, and about to become a NATO member, Montenegro remains in the lead in the region in terms of Euro-Atlantic integration. Although a stable performer, the country needs to press on with implementing and improving the efficiency of reforms in key areas.

In November 2016, the European Commission presented its annual enlargement package, consisting of a communication that takes stock of the implementation of the 2015 multiannual strategy and a set of reports on the Western Balkan countries and on Turkey in their capacity of candidates or potential candidates for EU membership. Since 2015, the Commission has been applying a new reporting methodology aimed at enhanced transparency and comparability among the aspirant countries. In 2016, it shifted the ...

On 11 July 2016, Montenegro's President Filip Vujanović announced that the next parliamentary elections would be held on 16 October. They would be the tenth such elections since the introduction of the multiparty system in Montenegro and the fourth since the country regained independence in 2006. Unlike the 2012 elections, those of 2016 will be held in a polarised political context following a series of events that have shaken up the political dynamics since late 2015. For the first time in almost ...

In May 2016, Montenegro signed its accession protocol with NATO, entering the final phase of becoming its 29th member. Although joining NATO has long been a strategic priority for the Montenegrin government, the issue is far from uncontroversial. Low public support in the country and the threat of Russian counter-measures remain major challenges to be addressed.