EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tivat: As it happened

Answering the journalist’s question, Ursula von der Leyen said that the accession process is a merit-based process and the rule of law and media freedom are the cornerstones of the accession process.

“You know exactly what reforms have to be delivered, judicial reforms, REM council, CFSP alignment. If Serbia delivers on these reforms, then Cluster 3 can be opened. If Serbia delivers, we will deliver. We support the Serbian society on its path to the EU”, von der Leyen said.

Antonio Costa reiterated that the Serbian authorities have committed to a concrete calendar for adopting revised electoral laws and laws on the judiciary in the coming weeks, based on which Serbia’s progress will be determined.

According to Ursula von der Leyen, Montenegro’s goal of becoming the 28th member state by 2028 is within reach.

“The goal is to have by the end of the year or the beginning of the next all chapters closed, to then do the next steps, this is drafting of the accession treaty and next procedural steps”, von der Leyen said during the joint press conference with Milatović and Costa.

She also said that the enlargement will remain merit-based but it must become more dynamic.

“Because merit-based does not mean slow, it means predictable. We want to reward reforms with real integration and EU funding”, she said.

“I want to mention some important milestones that demonstrate the momentum for enlargement. Last month EU started drafting accession treaty with Montenegro. For the first time since 2013, we are really counting down to the next accession”, Costa said at the press conference following the Summit.

He added that last week, at an intergovernmental conference, Albania opened the next phase within the negotiation process.

“In addition, the Commission has proposed the closing of the three negotiating chapters with Albania”, Costa said.

According to Costa, the Serbian government also presented a concrete calendar to approve the missing elements of the electoral law reform and to complete the judiciary reform in line with ODIHR and the Venice Commission recommendations in the coming weeks.

As the final milestone, Costa mentioned the opening of the first enlargement Clusters with Ukraine and Moldova this week.

“Accession of the WB remains our priority and a crucial geopolitical investment. We are considering new ideas to streamline and accelerate the process”, Costa said.

President Milatović said that today’s Summit will be remembered as the most important diplomatic gathering in the history of the country. He added that the Summit confirms that the enlargement policy is again a strategic priority for the EU.

“Since 2023, the goal of Montenegro of becoming the 28th member of the EU by 2028 has become a national project, a project of national unity. Today, I can say with full confidence that this goal is realistic and achievable. And Montenegro has demonstrated in many areas that it already acts as a Member State”, Milatović said.

He added that Montenegro wants to serve as an example, as a role model to other candidate countries.

“Montenegro’s accession to the EU would send a message of credibility and attractiveness of the European project”, he said.

“The European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, is ready to welcome Montenegro, and it is up to us to deliver the remaining results by the end of the year and complete the negotiation process! Constitutional changes must be a priority for all political actors in Montenegro – there are no excuses!”, Spajić wrote.

He added that the Government of Montenegro remains fully focused, with a clear plan and a historic goal.

To seize this opportunity, the statement says, two things need to happen.

“First, Montenegro’s leaders must act responsibly by fostering national unity in pursuit of a shared mission – making the country the EU’s 28^th member by 2028″, the statement clarified.

The S&D Group called on the government in Podgorica to amend the two alarming laws – the Law on Internal Affairs and the Law on the National Security Agency.

“Second, EU leaders must find the political courage to deliver the next enlargement as a necessary strategic investment in Europe’s security, stability, democracy, and prosperity. The Western Balkans is too important to be ceded to Russian and Chinese influence, while Trump’s transactional diplomacy is fuelling the autocratic appetites of regional strongmen”, the S&D group stated.

Over the past two days, the S&D team on the ground – including S&D vice-president for enlargement Kathleen Van Brempt and MEPs Matjaž Nemec, Tonino Picula, and Marta Temido – met with the EU ambassador to Montenegro, progressive sister parties, and civil society representatives.

President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović described the Summit as a turning point for Montenegro, the Western Balkans and the EU itself.

“At the time when enlargement has regained strength, our meeting brings fresh messages to all candidate countries. Montenegro is ready to take the final step to seize this historic opportunity and become the first next member of the EU”, Milatović said.

Ursula von der Leyen stated in her opening remarks that the topics of the conversation will be security and geopolitical cooperation, the implementation of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and how to make the enlargement process faster, more strategic and more visible.

Following the opening remarks, the remainder of the session is closed to the public.

“This is a very interesting proposal. I think we will discuss it here and see what the reactions are”, von der Leyen told journalists before the Summit.

She said that Albania and especially Montenegro are progressing very well and that, if they finish their job, they should deserve to become EU members based on merit.

Von der Leyen was also asked about the report on EU internal reforms, which was supposed to be presented last year, but it was postponed.

“We are working on that and it will come together with a report for wider topics, but it will be presented”, she said.

Clarifying what he meant, Rama said that “when the (Berlin) wall fell down, the great guy did not say to East Germany ‘you have 35 chapters to go through we are together’. He said ‘we are together, and then we will help you to go through'”, Rama said.

He commented on a recent proposal on enlaregement by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s proposal, saying that it was aimed at starting the conversation, and already the conversation has developed with the new document, the French-German paper.

“So hopefully the leaders of France and Germany will find some more stamina to be like Kohl and Mitterand”, Rama said.

He added that, in his opinion, gradual integration is not a waiting room, it is an opportunity for more integration.

“The European Union must show that it is capable and willing to enlarge. There is, of course, a host of questions to be answered together, but above all, it must be acknowledged that this region has a perspective of belonging to the EU”, Merz told journalists ahead of the Summit.

“I had an opportunity to speak to many representatives of the region this morning. We will discuss further steps in the plenum, and I really hope that we will come to the conclusions that will be implemented in Brussels in the coming days and weeks. I feel encouraged by today’s discussions. There is a long way ahead of us, but the job is doable”, he added.

“We are all here to support Montenegro’s efforts to join the EU. Just as with all the chapters you have closed, the reason for our meeting here is the enlargement of the European community with Montenegro as a new member. We are all on Montenegro’s side in the sense that we want to provide support so that it can integrate as quickly as possible. The integration process itself will make the outcome very concrete and will make Montenegro part of our European family”, Macron said, RTCG reported.

Vučić published on his Instagram account that he spoke with EU leaders about EU enlargement and the reforms Serbia is implementing.

“I spoke about the activities that Serbia is undertaking to fulfill its obligations within the accession process, including reforms in the areas of the rule of law, electoral legislation, and the implementation of recommendations from relevant European institutions. I emphasized that Serbia will implement all recommendations of the Venice Commission in accordance with European standards”, Vučić wrote.

He said that he also discussed developments in the region and across Europe with the leaders.

“I stressed the importance of peace, stability, and cooperation for any further progress, as well as the importance of maintaining a credible enlargement policy and a clear European perspective for the countries of the Western Balkans. I expressed the expectation that the European Union will present and further develop a new enlargement methodology that will strengthen the process of European integration for candidate countries”, the President of Serbia wrote.

“Montenegro has come a long way over the last twenty years. This generation has a historic opportunity to bring Montenegro into the European Union family”, Costa wrote.

He added that in his meeting with President Jakov Milatović, he acknowledged the hard work of Montenegro’s government in driving forward the necessary reforms to join the EU.

“Montenegro demonstrates that the opportunity for EU enlargement is real”, Costa wrote.