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