24/07/2026 - 7:01 GMT+2
Montenegro backs new safeguards to stop future EU members backsliding on the rule of law and democratic standards, but only if they rest on objective criteria for assessing systemic breaches, the country's ambassador to the EU has told Euronews.
Montenegro is the most advanced candidate country in the accession process, aiming to become the 28th EU member state in 2028. But its bid might be complicated by a string of proposals to overhaul how enlargement works.
Chief among them: five of the six EU founding members have called for stronger safeguards against democratic rollback after accession — a lesson drawn from Viktor Orbán's Hungary.
Petar Marković, Montenegro's head of mission to the EU, told Euronews his country supports tougher safeguards, noting that Podgorica already outperforms some member states on rule of law reforms, according to the European Commission's periodic review.
