Montenegro prime minister: We are next in line to become the EU's 28th member

EU candidate country Montenegro hopes to become the 28th member by 2028, says its Prime Minister Milojko Spajić during an interview with Euronews.

Transcript

00:00What about partnership with the EU? Why does the EU need Montenegro?

00:04But it's even more than partnership, you know, as we are next in line to join the EU. So we are

00:10we are basically behaving as a EU member state already. We want to close all the chapters by

00:162026 by end of 26. And we are hoping to join in January 28. So this is a plan to be 28 by 2028.

00:26And I think it's for us, Montenegro can, we are very optimistic about our economic future.

00:34In last four or five years, we have managed to double our GDP. So what it means is that

00:40I think by the time we join, we might be not net receiver of EU funds, but maybe net contributor.

00:46So that's one way to contribute to you. And secondly, obviously, we are Montenegro is a

00:51multi ethnic multi religious society having basically all the Balkan nations inside.

00:57And getting Montenegro in is sort of a bridge towards the rest of Balkans and the hope

01:04towards the rest of Balkans. It's kind of a beacon of light that EU is open for for us.

01:08And what exactly indirectly will you I mean, you mentioned a few things there,

01:11but what will you be bringing to the table?

01:13So these are the things I think the values that we bring and the the financial contribution

01:19potentially, as well as the insight into the how to get to the Balkans.

01:24And why does this need to happen now? Why now?

01:26But I think it's the best time now because Europe is Europe has you see that everybody

01:31wants to enlarge in the world, like the big powers are racing, big powers are innovating,

01:37big powers are trying to find new markets. And I think you should do the same.