European Union member states yesterday referred Montenegro's application for membership to the European Commission for a formal opinion, an essential prelude to possible recognition of the country as a candidate for membership.
The Commission's opinion, which typically takes about a year to prepare, would have a bearing on whether the leaders of the EU's member states would then decide to grant Montenegro the formal status of a candidate country.
The tiny former Yugoslav republic on the Adriatic, between Croatia and Albania, submitted its application last December.
Last month, Montenegro's ruling Democratic Socialist Party of Prime Minister Milo Djukanović won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections on a platform of economic growth and EU-related reform. The country of around 650,000 people gained independence from Serbia in June 2006 and has unilaterally adopted the euro as its currency, as has its neighbour Kosovo. High growth rates in past years will not be matched this year. Projections suggest the economy will stagnate and possibly contract. The government has based its budget on growth of 5%.
Croatia is the only country of the former Yugoslavia that has begun membership negotiations with the EU, although they are currently blocked by Slovenia – the only ex-Yugoslav republic that is already a member – on account of a long-standing border dispute. Macedonia, to Montenegro's south-east, has gained the formal status of a candidate state, but it has not yet met all the preconditions for talks to begin.
