Montenegro takes first step towards EU membership

The EU and Montenegro have signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), boosting the former Yugoslav state’s hopes of becoming a full EU member.

The signing of the SAA and the so-called Interim Agreement took place on Monday (15 October) at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

Although the SAA sends a clear signal of encouragement, it will still take years for Montenegro to join the EU as it has not yet formally applied for full membership.

In a statement, the ministers welcomed the signature “as an important step on the country’s path towards the EU.” They further encouraged the small Adriatic republic, which parted from Serbia in June 2006, to continue with reforms and adopt “a Constitution that complies with international standards”.

Ministers in particular stressed the importance of making progress “in the area of rule of law, including the fight against organised crime and corruption, as well as the establishment of an independent and accountable judiciary”.

A last-minute hurdle was avoided after ministers agreed to address at a later stage demands by Bulgaria to include the Cyrillic spelling of the euro – “evro” – in the text of the agreement. Montenegro decided to adopt the euro unilaterally in 2002 after having used the German mark since late 1999.

Montenegro gained sovereignty after a referendum was held in May 2006. Separatists won with only a small majority, with 55.5% saying they wanted to breakaway from Serbia while 45.5% said they preferred to stay part of the former Yugoslav republic (EURACTIV 23/05/06). 

In September 2006, Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic’s centre-left coalition easily won the general elections in Montenegro after leading the country to independence from Serbia. He has been in power for more than 15 years (EURACTIV 11/09/06).

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