Germany has voiced strong support for Montenegro’s bid to join the European Union, describing the small Balkan nation as a regional leader in the enlargement process. The comments came from German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Thursday, following his attendance at the annual Berlin Process meeting in Budva on Wednesday.
“Montenegro has made remarkable progress towards EU membership – it thus sets an example for the Western Balkans,” Wadephul wrote on the social media platform X. He also shared a photograph of himself embracing his Montenegrin counterpart, Ervin Ibrahimovic, thanking him for hosting the foreign ministers’ gathering and noting an agreement to promote regional cooperation on reconciliation and reforms.
Wadephul emphasized that Montenegro’s aspirations were being “heard in Brussels and in all European capitals.” During bilateral talks with Ibrahimovic, he added that countries demonstrating both the willingness and ability to meet EU criteria could achieve membership in the coming years. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos was also present at the discussions.
Montenegro is widely regarded as the frontrunner among six Western Balkan candidate countries, which also include Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia, with Kosovo classified as a potential candidate. The nation has pursued EU membership for 22 years, alongside accession talks with Serbia that began in 2014 and those with Montenegro that started in 2012.
The country of 623,000 residents has aligned itself closely with Western institutions, adopting the euro as its de facto currency in 2002, declaring independence from Serbia in 2006, and joining NATO in 2017. With public support for EU accession reportedly hovering around 80%, Montenegro aims to become the bloc’s 28th member state by 2028. Previous progress on economic and democratic reforms led EU officials to suggest that technical negotiations could conclude by the end of this year, lending credibility to the 2028 target.
While Albania is also viewed as a promising candidate, Kosovo’s path to membership remains more complex due to the lack of recognition by five EU member states regarding its independence from Serbia.
Interesting that Germany is pushing so hard now. Does this put pressure on Serbia to accelerate its own stalled reforms?
2028 seems ambitious given current EU delays. I hope they don’t lose momentum if Brussels drags its feet again.
Finally some positive news for the Balkans. Montenegro really deserves this recognition after all these years of hard work.