President Milatović says he intends for Montenegro to become 28th EU Member State by 2028

In an exclusive interview with Euronews, Jakov Milatović calls EU enlargement an insurance policy for "the security of the European continent".

Transcript

00:00Becoming the 28th member of the European Union by 2028, that is the aim of the president of Montenegro.

00:09Talking to Euronews, Jakov Milatovic also acknowledges that there is still work to do,

00:15particularly in the areas of media freedom and the fight against corruption.

00:21When I became the president of the country last year, I was selected by the people on a very clear EU agenda.

00:29We have set an ambitious goal indeed, but I believe still a realistic one,

00:35and this is about Montenegro becoming the 28th member state of the EU as of 2028.

00:42I believe that what has been good news is that there is a new momentum in Brussels,

00:50also in the other capitals of the member states, about the enlargement.

00:54I believe that the whole situation about the enlargement really changed in 2022,

01:01following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, where also Europe, the EU, understood

01:08that the enlargement policy is also about the security of the European continent.

01:13And some of the outstanding issues are the independence of the judicial system,

01:18freedom of expression, press freedom and corruption.

01:21If there are no challenges, we would already be the part of the EU.

01:26But this is why I truly see the EU accession process as a key anchor,

01:34which constantly reminds the policy makers about the reform agenda.

01:38For me, the EU accession is indeed about reforms, not only about trying to get some EU funding

01:46for different infrastructure projects. That's important.

01:49But I believe what is even more important is to be able to use the process

01:55as a transformative way for your country, which would ultimately benefit to the people,

02:03because we all want to live in a society where there is a clear rule of law,

02:08where there is a clear good governance, where there is zero corruption.

02:12And you can see the full interview next Thursday in the new edition of The Global Conversation.