Overview
- President Jakov Milatovic has used the 20th anniversary celebration on Thursday, May 21, 2026, to renew a national campaign called “28 by 28” that aims to complete EU accession by 2028.
- The European Union has opened concrete steps toward membership by forming a working group to draft an accession treaty and planning a leaders' meeting in Tivat in early June.
- Montenegro points to NATO membership in 2017 as its security anchor, but deep domestic splits over national identity and strong pro-Serbian forces complicate the path to Brussels.
- Civil society groups and former officials warn that entrenched corruption, ties between elites and organized crime, and weak institutions must be fixed before accession can proceed.
- A small, tourism-dependent economy that uses the euro means citizens care most about jobs and living standards, and quick accession could shift regional influence and investment if reforms deliver real benefits.