Meinl-Reisinger: Montenegro will not be treated with the step-by-step accession plan, because it is the most advanced

The foreign ministers of Austria (Beata Meinl-Reisinger), the Czech Republic (Petar Maqinka) and Slovakia (Juraj Blanar) — members of the Slavkov S3 format — met at Villa Gorica with Montenegro’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ervin Ibrahimović, RTCG reports.

At the centre of the talks were the membership of Montenegro and the Western Balkans in the EU, hybrid threats, security and the Growth Plan.

Ibrahimović said it is no longer a matter of ambition alone, but of certainty that Montenegro will become the 28th member of the EU in 2028, with the aim of closing all chapters by the end of the year.

Austrian Minister Meinl-Reisinger declared that the gradual, step-by-step accession plan will not be applied to Montenegro, because it is the most advanced in the negotiations; she stressed that controls against money laundering have been strengthened, especially when it comes to money from Russia, according to RTCG.

The Czech minister praised Montenegrin institutions and the constitutional changes adopted, while his Slovak counterpart declared that there are no shortcuts and that reforms must be implemented.