Montenegro on track for EU membership in 2028

The European Union said on November 4 that Montenegro is on track to become the bloc's 28th member in 2028, while urging Ukraine to speed up reforms if it wants to close membership talks within two years.

EU enlargement chief Marta Kos said Montenegro and the EU could sign an accession treaty “at the earliest” in June next year. Any treaty would then need ratification by all 27 EU member states.

Kos said Montenegro was on track for 2028 membership. Outstanding issues with Croatia remain a possible obstacle, but EU officials said they hoped those talks would progress.

In its annual enlargement review, Brussels also set out roadmaps for Albania, Moldova and Ukraine. It said Moldova should keep up its current reform pace to pursue the goal of closing accession negotiations by early 2028.

Kos praised Ukraine for reforms during its war with Russia, but Brussels did not set a more concrete timetable for Ukraine's accession bid. The EU said Ukraine needed to accelerate reforms to be in a position to close talks by the end of 2028.

Other candidates have stalled or gone backwards, including Georgia and Serbia, according to the EU review. Elections in EU member states next year, including France, could also affect the enlargement push.