Montenegro files EU membership application

General topics regarding the single currency. Formerly 'Common Face', this forum includes topics on the common side or 'reverse' of the Euro coins.
Forum rules
Please read: Forum Rules

Montenegro files EU membership application

Postby theeuro on 15 Dec 2008, 21:16

ELITSA VUCHEVA, EU Observer

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – Montenegro on Monday (15 December) presented its official application for EU membership to current EU President Nicolas Sarkozy, hoping to win EU candidate country status some time next year.

EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn welcomed the country's move, saying: "Today Montenegro has reached a historical milestone marking the country's important engagement to common European values and fundamentals."

The move comes after the former Yugoslav country of some 680,000 people declared independence from Serbia in June 2006 and signed a pre-accession deal – the so-called Stabilisation and Accession Agreement (SAA) – with the EU in October 2007.

It had first planned to file its membership application in the first half of this year, under Slovenia's EU presidency, but changed its mind after Brussels warned it was too early for such a move.

The commission says the country is still lagging behind in many fields and EU membership is not expected to occur in the very near future.

Among other issues, Podgorica, the capital, needs to reform further the public administration of the country, as well as its judicial system and to make further efforts in the fight against corruption – problematic areas common to all Balkan states.

The Council - the institution representing EU member states - is now to ask the European Commission for an opinion on Montenegro's membership application.

If Brussels's opinion is positive, the application has then to be approved by all EU member states unanimously, giving Montenegro the status of a "candidate country."

Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic earlier stated he expected Brussels to give its opinion during the Czech Republic's EU presidency, which begins on 1 January 2009 and will run for six months.

Prague has already indicated that accelerating the enlargement process towards the western Balkans would be one of its priorities while at the EU's helm.

An example to the region

Commissioner Rehn underlined the example Podgorica set for its neighbours.

"The European perspective of the western Balkan countries, including Montenegro, is essential for the stability and the prosperity of the region and for the EU," he stated.

"By making solid progress in economic and political reform and by fulfilling the necessary conditions and requirements, the remaining potential candidates in the western Balkans should achieve candidate status, according to their own merits, with EU membership as the ultimate goal," he added.

Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Kosovo are all "potential EU candidates" and eye membership of the bloc in the long run.

For their part, Croatia and Macedonia have been EU candidates since 2004 and 2005, respectively.

Croatia opened EU accession talks in 2005 and is expected to conclude them by the end of 2009. It then aims to become a full EU member by 2011 at the latest.

Macedonia has not opened EU negotiations yet.

Slovenia is the only former Yugoslav country to win EU membership. It joined the bloc on 1 May 2004.
MdV
The Euro Information Website and Forum Administrator
User avatar
theeuro
Site Admin
 
Posts: 590
Joined: 04 Aug 2008, 22:43

Re: Montenegro files EU membership application

Postby $€€ ¥ou £at€r on 03 Jan 2009, 05:39

Yes. I was wondering about what to do with Montenegro, as that country already uses the Euro without the right to mint it. From my standpoint, it can be easily absorbed since it's a country with a small population, less than Cyprus. It would, as I alluded to, solve the dilemma about the legality of the Euro in that country. Accession would, in addition, be a blow to the Serbian ultranationalists who would not appreciate their Slavic "brothers" going in a different direction than they would like. ;)
$€€ ¥ou £at€r
1 Post
1 Post
 
Posts: 3
Joined: 03 Jan 2009, 05:08


Return to General Euro

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest