The small Balkan state of Montenegro is first in line to join the European Union, according to European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos.
Kos said negotiations between Brussels and Montenegro have entered their final year and that the time has come to begin talks on the country’s accession treaty.
“It is time to start negotiations on Montenegro’s accession treaty,” Kos told Politico. “The Commission is currently in the final phase of preparing the draft agreement.”
She added that the next step will be defining the necessary safeguard measures to ensure that future member states continue to respect their obligations after joining the EU.
Kos emphasized that while candidate countries may join the EU faster than before, they could also face post-accession limitations if needed.
“This is an important lesson from previous enlargements,” she said.
Although she did not specify the reasons behind these concerns, references point to Hungary, which joined the EU in 2004 and has since been at odds with Brussels on rule-of-law issues.
“We need an insurance policy against Trojan horses inside the EU — states that act against our common goals,” Kos stated.
According to Politico, the European Commission is proposing “innovative” measures to protect the EU budget, key policies, and decision-making structures, including a stronger commitment to sincere cooperation.
Meanwhile, French Minister for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad stressed that the EU enlargement calendar should not be dictated by external powers such as Russia or the United States.
“No power outside the EU should decide on enlargement instead of member states,” Haddad said.
His comments come as the European Commission and several member states seek to bring Ukraine into the bloc as early as next year, through an innovative approach known as “reverse enlargement,” which would grant limited membership privileges before full accession.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky aims for his country to join the EU by 2027. Paris supports Ukraine’s membership but insists that enlargement must remain a merit-based and demanding process to ensure credibility and long-term success.
