MEPs welcome Montenegro´s ambitious plan to join the EU in 2028

Montenegro has a leading regional position in the EU accession process, say MEPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee in a report adopted on Tuesday by 51 votes in favour and 7 against. Pointing to the overwhelming support of Montenegro’s citizens and the majority of political actors for joining the EU in 2028, they welcome country’s progress on enacting EU-related reforms and measures, “underpinned by an ambitious timeline”. Political stability is important for continued progress on reforms The MEPs call for state institutions to coordinate efforts to achieve political stability and continue their substantial progress with the reforms, in particular electoral and judicial reforms and the fight against organised crime and corruption. The report welcomes Montenegro’s sustained full alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy, including EU restrictive measures, among others those relating to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and commends Montenegro for its support for the international rules-based order at the level of the United Nations. Fight against malign foreign interference The parliamentarians are also seriously concerned by non-EU countries’ malign interference, destabilisation efforts, cyber-attacks, hybrid threats and disinformation campaigns, including attempts to influence political processes and public opinion in Montenegro. These discredit the EU and undermine the country’s progress on its accession path. Noting that religious...