EU risks ‘losing credibility’ if it fails to enlarge, Montenegro’s deputy PM warns

Published connected 06/11/2025 - 16:40 GMT+1 •Updated 16:47

The European Union will salary a “huge” geopolitical costs and “lose credibility" if it fails to enlarge, Montenegro’s Deputy Prime Minister Filip Ivanović has told Euronews.

Speaking successful a one-on-one question and reply during Euronews’ enlargement acme successful Brussels connected Tuesday, Ivanović said: “If enlargement does not hap — not conscionable pinch Montenegro but besides pinch different campaigner countries — past nan very conception of nan European Union loses its credibility: It's not European, and it's not a national anymore.”

“For us, it will beryllium a devastating business (...) and it would beryllium a horrible awesome to each different campaigner countries because past they would understand that immoderate they do is successful vain,” he added. “And this is thing that we cannot accept.”

Russia’s 2022 full-scale penetration of Ukraine has injected caller power into nan long-dormant process of enlarging nan European bloc, arsenic Brussels looks to merge countries connected its eastbound and southeastern flank.

Montenegro, nan smallest of nan 9 countries recognised arsenic EU campaigner countries, is presently nan astir precocious successful implementing nan constitutional, judicial and economical reforms required for Brussels to see a state fresh to join.

Ivanović reiterated his government’s purpose to wrap up accession talks successful 2026, paving nan measurement to officially subordinate by January 2028. “This is why we are saying 28 by 28: truthful 28 personnel states by 2028,” he explained.

He said hours aft nan European Commission released its yearly study connected nan advancement of campaigner countries successful implementing their reforms, successful which it described Montenegro arsenic connected way to meet its milestones if it maintains “the gait of reforms.”

Montenegro aiming for ‘fully-fledged’ membership

The process of enlarging nan EU, while highly technical, besides requires nan unanimous backing of each personnel states astatine aggregate stages successful nan process.

Ukraine’s exertion is presently held up by Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, who successful caller years has been wielding his veto powerfulness to artifact respective EU overseas argumentation decisions. It has raised questions astir really nan bloc’s decision-making processes tin past successful an enlarged Union of arsenic galore arsenic 30 aliases much countries.

EU officials successful Brussels person been floating nan anticipation of accepting caller members without giving them afloat voting rights. Asked astir that prospect, Ivanović said: “What we are aiming astatine is full-fledged membership.”

“I do understand wherever these concerns travel from. But Montenegro has been for years aligned, 100% aligned, pinch nan EU's communal overseas and information policy.”

A consequence that caller members could rotation backmost connected basal EU values specified arsenic nan norm of law, media state and nan respect for quality authorities has besides prompted officials to mull nan imaginable of putting caller countries connected a probation play earlier afloat confirming their membership.

“We've been connected proceedings for nan past 13 years, and we'll beryllium connected proceedings until we adjacent each speech chapters,” Ivanović responded erstwhile asked astir nan imaginable of probation.

“So erstwhile we adjacent nan speech chapters, arsenic acold arsenic I'm concerned, nan proceedings is over.”