The country of 630,000 on track to become the EU’s 28th member state

Detailed summary

The EU says Montenegro is the candidate country that is closest to membership

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.

The European Union could conclude accession negotiations with Montenegro by the end of this year, the European Commission said on Wednesday.

“For the first time since 2011, when the EU closed accession negotiations with Croatia, the EU is in a position to soon close accession negotiations with another candidate country, Montenegro,” the EU’s executive said in its annual enlargement policy report.

“This is testament to Montenegro’s sustained efforts to advance on the European path and implement the reforms needed to turn EU membership into reality,” it said.

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Independent. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.