Montenegro: Western Balkans’ leading EU candidate country still needs to implement key reforms

The Renew Europe Group in the European Parliament welcomes the adoption today by the plenary of the report on the 2023-2024 Commission reports on Montenegro. The report acknowledges the country’s clear progress on its path towards the European Union and its leading position as a candidate country among the Western Balkan states.

Aiming to complete EU accession negotiations by the end of 2026, it is essential for Montenegro to maintain the current pace of reforms and to seize the present momentum to take further steps in the accession process. The authorities in Podgorica must focus on key areas such as media freedom, electoral legislation, and the fight against corruption and organised crime. These reforms must not remain merely on paper—they must be consistently implemented in practice so that their benefits are tangible and felt by all citizens of Montenegro.

Following the vote, Renew Europe MEP Marjan Šarec (The Freedom Movement, Slovenia), the European Parliament’s standing rapporteur on Montenegro, said:

“Montenegro remains the leading candidate in the EU enlargement process and has managed to maintain strong public support for EU accession. Having both governing coalition and the opposition working together to adopt the required legislation reflects a high level of awareness that the European path is the right one, with no viable alternative.

Montenegro’s achievements thus far provide a solid foundation for addressing future challenges, which are numerous and far from easy. The fight against organised crime and corruption, judicial reform, and preventing third countries from interfering in Montenegro’s internal processes are of critical importance for meeting democratic standards.”