German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Thursday Montenegro is “on the best path to join the EU soon” and argued Croatia’s reservations should not block its accession, Anadolu Agency reported.
Anadolu Agency reported that the bilateral dispute involves two negotiating chapters still under discussion. Merz pointed to decisions Montenegro had made on the matters and said Croatia’s final reservations could be resolved without holding up accession.
Merz said the two issues came up during the Oct. 15 EU summit in Brussels. He also said he had spoken directly with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.
Following a Berlin Process summit hosted by Montenegro, Merz described EU enlargement as a “geopolitical imperative,” warning that the Western Balkans could become a focus of competition among major powers. He tied stability to a common outlook within the EU’s single market and institutions and connected that argument to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
EconoTimes previously covered Montenegro’s laws related to the Croatia dispute.
