Montenegrin president eyes EU accession by 2030

LJUBLJANA - Visiting Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic said here on Monday that he hopes Montenegro could join the European Union (EU) before 2030 and his government is dedicated to the goal.

Montenegro's EU accession would be a positive signal to the whole Western Balkans region because it would show that the process of EU enlargement is still alive, Milatovic said at a joint news conference with Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar.

Voicing her support to Montenegro's EU membership pursuit, Musar said that Montenegro and Slovenia are security partners with cooperation in the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre based in Podgorica, capital of Montenegro, and the NATO mission in Latvia.

Presently, the EU membership candidates include Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Moldova and Turkey. Slovenia joined the EU in 2004, while EU's latest enlargement took in Croatia in 2013.