Montenegrin Prime Minister: “No one is even thinking of an alternative to the EU”

For Montenegro, there is no other option than full membership in the European Union, Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajić told Euronews in a wide-ranging interview.

“Nobody is even thinking of an alternative. What we are aiming for is full membership in the European Union,” he said, speaking after an EU enlargement forum organized by the European Commission in Brussels on Tuesday, November 18.

Montenegro is the smallest of the nine EU member states, with just over 620,000 inhabitants. Brussels is currently the most advanced in implementing the constitutional, judicial and economic reforms needed to be considered a country ready for EU membership.

Montenegro’s leadership hopes to become the EU’s 28th member state by 2028, and Montenegro is “on track to achieve” that goal, the European Commission said in its latest enlargement report.

Spajic said he believed his country’s membership in the EU was “very fair”, adding: “We are a country surrounded by the European Union.”

He pointed to the fact that Montenegro officially became part of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) in October this year. Montenegro unilaterally adopted the euro as its de facto currency in 2002, but for more than two decades payments have been made through expensive and fragmented channels.

It has now fully joined the European payments infrastructure and put an end to this system.

Additionally, free mobile phone roaming between Montenegro and the EU is scheduled to start in 2026.

“So we are not only integrating into the single market to a degree never seen before, but we are also integrating politically into the EU,” Spajic said. “This is our goal. We aim to close all branches by the end of next year.”

visa free travel

One issue where Montenegro is still not fully aligned with the EU’s approach is travel restrictions for Russians. Earlier this month, the bloc announced tougher visa rules for Russian nationals in a bid to strengthen security following hybrid drone attacks by Russia.

Russian citizens will no longer be eligible for multiple entry visas to the EU. Instead, they will only receive a one-time entry visa and will have to apply anew each time they visit.

Meanwhile, Russian citizens can travel to Montenegro without a visa for up to 30 days with a valid passport. This is also reflected in tourism statistics, with almost a fifth (18.3%) of overnight guests coming from Russia in 2024, according to figures released by Montenegrin’s statistical agency Monstad.

However, Spajić added that there are not as many Russian tourists as there used to be, and the same is true for Russian real estate in Montenegro.

“About 15 to 20 years ago, it was much more expensive. Now it’s more diversified and I’m not so worried about trends.”

Spajić pointed out that Montenegro is fully compliant with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), which is an important requirement for EU membership, including on this issue. The CFSP is the EU’s framework for coordinating foreign policy and security measures, including the EU’s sanctions against Russia.

“This collaboration has continued for 13 years, not just under the current administration, but under the past five administrations,” he said. “We act as a member state even before we receive membership status or the benefits of membership.”

Spajić added that while tourism is important for Montenegro’s economy, the country will “soon fully align with the EU’s visa policy”, a condition of membership.

To comply with this standard, in October the country suspended its visa-free program for citizens of Armenia, Uzbekistan, Kuwait and Egypt.

The full interview with Milojko Spažić will be broadcast on Euronews on Thursday, November 20th at 20:30 (CET).