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Post an EU jobMontenegro yesterday (15 December) filed a formal application for EU membership during the final days of the French EU Presidency, despite the fact that the forthcoming Czech Presidency is more supportive of the Balkan country's accession bid.
Montenegro, a former Yugoslav republic, declared independence from a loose federation with Serbia and Montenegro by a narrow margin in a May 2006 referendum. The federation of Serbia and Montenegro was created in 2003 to replace the former Yugoslavia. At the time, the EU opposed Montenegro's ambition to split from Serbia.
Pro-independence politicians repeatedly argued that Montenegro would have a better chance of becoming a member of the EU as an independent country. But Serbia's chances of joining the Union have also increased since the pro-Western camp won parliamentary elections last May (EurActiv 13/05/08). They rose further after the arrest of war criminal Radovan Karadzic in July (EurActiv 22/07/08).
In the autumn of 2007, Montenegro signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU, which is seen as a stepping stone on the way to membership of the bloc (EurActiv 16/10/07). Serbia signed a similar agreement this April (EurActiv 30/04/08).
In the presence of Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, Montenegro's Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic officially presented his country's EU candidacy to French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysée Palace in Paris.
The anticipated move by Montenegro (EurActiv 12/12/08) is expected to encourage Serbia and Albania to follow suit and formally apply for EU membership.
"It's a great day for Montenegro. It's the oldest country in Europe, but the youngest member of the UN and of the Council of Europe," said Djukanovic, quoted by AFP.
Rehn welcomed the Montenegrin application. "It's now up to the Council presidency to decide on the way forward, the Commission being ready to give its opinion on Montenegro's candidacy," he stated.
According to procedure, the EU Council must give the European Commission a mandate to state its opinion. The EU executive will then send a questionnaire with some 4,500 questions to the applicant country, covering all political, economic and institutional aspects. Based on the answers, the Commission issues an opinion. After that, the Council can decide to formally give the country candidate status.
Among Western Balkan countries, only Croatia and Macedonia have attained candidate status for now. Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Kosovo were all granted the status of "potential candidate countries" under UN Security Council Resolution 1244.
Unlike Serbia, Montenegro is not targeted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. But the country's administrative capacity is widely considered to be inferior to that of Belgrade. In its latest report, the Commission rated the efficiency of Montenegro's judiciary as "low" and identified corruption as "a widespread and particularly serious problem".
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