[Interview] 70% of Montenegro supports EU membership – so will it happen in 2028? We ask lead MEP Marjan Šarec

After Iceland voted down EU membership in an August referendum, Montenegro regained its status as the most-likely 28th member state of the bloc. Its government plans to close negotiations on all the chapters of the accession agreement by the end of the year and enter the Union in 2028 – a challenge, especially as a planned Tuesday meeting (22 September) with EU negotiators was postponed. Montenegro also needs to answer the Union’s concerns about corruption and persuade all the member states to let it in. EUobserver spoke to Marjan Šarec, former Slovenian prime minister, MEP for Renew Europe, and the parliament’s rapporteur for Montenegro. He follows the negotiation process, keeping his optimism for the country’s accession. Can Montenegro become the 28th member of the European Union by 2028? It’s the ambition of Montenegro, surely I would like to see that happen. The process of ratification would need to be smooth, it also depends when Montenegro concludes the negotiations – their ambition is to do it by the end of this year, which is very ambitious. Eighteen chapters have been provisionally closed, there are quite a few to go.But it also depends on the member states. What’s the next thing on the negotiations agenda? There are some chapters which are still difficult: the rule of law, the judiciary system, corruption, organised crime, all those issues are very demanding. What worries me is implementation because you can pass a law, but you also have to implement it. Montenegro has its problems, and it will have those problems for several years. But EU membership would help to build a different society, different environment. And when it comes to the chapters to finish, what are some of the most contentious issues? The issue of corruption is quite difficult to solve because, well, Montenegro is a small society: 630,000 inhabitants. In such an environment, it's very difficult to prosecute: that's why it will take some time. But Montenegro surely made a lot of progress and we can be moderately optimistic. What are the risks of the accession negotiations taking a long time?