- European Parliament releases annual report on Montenegro’s progress in EU accession talks
A total of 470 MEPs voted in favor, 102 against, and 77 abstained.
The report notes that Montenegro remains a leading candidate in the enlargement process.
The European Parliament’s standing rapporteur on Montenegro, Marjan Šarec (Slovenia), noted that Montenegro has managed to maintain high public support for EU membership, as well as the participation of both ruling and opposition parties in the adoption of the legislation necessary for European integration. This demonstrates a high level of awareness that the European path is the only right one for Montenegro and that there is no alternative, he said.
The report welcomes Montenegro’s continued full alignment of its foreign and security policy with that of the EU, including the introduction of sanctions, in particular those related to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
At the same time, MEPs called on Montenegro to urgently and fully harmonize its visa policy with that of the EU, expressing concern that the visa-free travel has been extended to two countries (Bahrain and Saudi Arabia), while citizens of Russia and Belarus still have the opportunity to visit Montenegro without a visa.
The European Parliament also expressed serious concerns about malicious influence, hybrid threats, disinformation campaigns and efforts to destabilize Montenegro, including attempts to influence political processes and public opinion in the country, which discredit the European Union and jeopardize Montenegro’s progress on its path to accession. The country is called on to take countermeasures through enhanced cooperation with the EU and NATO, as well as by strengthening regional cooperation between the countries of the Western Balkans.
The report also condemns the interference of the Serbian Orthodox Church in domestic political processes and notes that religious institutions can be used as a tool of external influence.
The European Parliament noted the importance of good neighborly relations and regional cooperation in the EU accession process. In this context, rapporteur Šarec expressed regret that Chapter 31, “Foreign, Security and Defense Policy”, could not be closed in December 2024. As is known, Croatia blocked the closure of the chapter due to a number of unresolved issues in relations between Zagreb and Podgorica. MEPs called on Montenegro and Croatia to find solutions to bilateral problems through cooperation.
The report also includes a chapter on Montenegro’s relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina. It expresses deep concern about the support from senior Montenegrin officials for the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, who is said to be undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It also regrets the participation of a senior Montenegrin official, Parliament Speaker Andrija Mandić, in last year’s All-Serbian Assembly in Belgrade and the support for the Declaration adopted at the event, which is said to be undermining the sovereignty of Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo.
The report’s section on democracy and the rule of law calls for the implementation of relevant legislation to provide the country with a basis for professionalizing, streamlining and rationalizing public administration, as well as for further alignment of the legal framework, including the constitution, with EU Acquis.
The country is recommended to step up its criminal justice response to serious corruption cases and to create conditions that allow judicial institutions and independent bodies responsible for fighting corruption to function effectively and be free from political influence.
MEPs also called on Montenegro to fully align its electoral system with EU standards, especially in areas such as transparency, party financing, and election campaigns.
The Montenegrin government aims to close all negotiation chapters by the end of next year and become a member of the European Union in 2028. Less than 20 percent of the chapters have been closed so far – six out of 33. Another chapter, “Public Procurement”, is due to be closed at the Intergovernmental Conference on 27 June.
- Serbia receives almost €52 million from EU
The European Commission has transferred €51.7 million in soft loans to the Serbian state budget, corresponding to the part of the pre-financing provided for by the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, the European Union Delegation in Belgrade reported on 20 June.
An additional €59 million in pre-financing in the form of grants and loans will be channeled through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) to improve infrastructure across the country. This pre-financing represents 7% of the total financial support allocated to Serbia under the EU Growth Plan.
As noted in the statement, the pre-financing payment follows the ratification by the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia of the Instrument Agreement and the Loan Agreement under the Reform and Growth Instrument. These agreements were ratified in November 2024 and March 2025.
Future disbursements from the Reform and Growth Instrument for the Western Balkans will be made following the implementation of reform steps agreed between the European Commission and the Serbian government through the Reform Agenda, and subject to the fulfilment of relevant preconditions and general prerequisites.
It also notes that the European Commission disbursed pre-financing to North Macedonia and Albania in March and Montenegro in May 2025.
Kosovo still needs to fulfil the same procedural requirements to receive pre-financing, including the ratification of the Facility Agreement and the Loan Agreement, while Bosnia and Herzegovina has yet to submit its final Reform Agenda.
The Growth Plan for the Western Balkans serves as a roadmap for the region’s economies to move closer to the European Union and provides for gradual access to the EU single market, giving people across Western Balkans the opportunity to experience the first benefits of European integration while supporting further regional economic integration.
- Almost half of Serbian citizens stand against EU membership
In a possible referendum on Serbia’s accession to the European Union, 46 percent of respondents would vote “yes”, while 44 percent of respondents are currently against EU membership. This is evidenced by a public opinion poll run by CeSID (Centar za slobodne izbore i demokratiju). When it comes to personal benefits from Serbia’s membership in the European Union, 53 percent of citizens do not see any and neither do they believe that such a step would significantly improve quality of their lives.
Some 79 percent of citizens believe Serbia is moving towards the EU “very slowly and unhurriedly”, “therefore it is not surprising that almost half of the survey participants (47 percent) are convinced that Serbia will never become part of it”, the study says.
Citizens most often cite the status of Kosovo and Metohija as the key reason why Serbia can be bypassed in the EU integration process: 36 percent of respondents consider the issue a key obstacle.
Another 27 percent of respondents believe that further European integration is hindered by problems with the rule of law and the state of democracy.
Also, 21 percent of those surveyed cite the failure to impose sanctions on Russia as the reason for the slowdown.
When it comes to attitudes towards the EU in the context of the Jadar lithium and boron mining project, the majority of respondents (about 64 percent) noted that the support for the project by the European Commission worsens attitudes towards the EU.
The opinion about the European Union was also worsened by “the EU’s behavior towards student protests”. “When it comes to student protests, the position of 36 percent of citizens is that the EU should publicly condemn the authorities and unequivocally support students, while the majority of citizens (60 percent) believe the right way is to support the right to protest, but without condemning the authorities and meddling in Serbia’s affairs,” the study notes.
The public opinion poll was conducted in April 2025 on a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adult respondents as part of the project “Understanding the Crisis, Strengthening Resilience: Towards the Last Station of EU Integration”.
- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays official visit to Croatia
This is the first visit by the head of the Indian government to this country.
During talks, the parties agreed to expand cooperation in several areas.
Special attention was paid to increasing trade turnover between Croatia and India.
In this context, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković proposed that an economic corridor be created between India, the Middle East, and Europe.
“The current trade volume between the two countries is around $250 million. This is the basis for even greater trade. We believe that Prime Minister Modi’s initiative to create an economic corridor between India, the Middle East, and Europe is a great opportunity,” the Croatian Prime Minister said. “As the most natural entry point to Central Europe on the Mediterranean, Croatia is uniquely positioned to play a significant role in the combination of the Three Seas Initiative and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor,” Plenković said.
An agreement was reached on cooperation in the field of defense.
“We will cooperate in the defense industry. We will develop a plan that will focus not only on training and exchange, but also on the entire defense industry,” the Indian prime minister said.
According to Modi, the parties agreed to expand cooperation in the pharmaceutical, agricultural, information, clean and digital technologies, renewable energy and semiconductor sectors, shipbuilding and cybersecurity.
The Indian prime minister’s visit to Croatia was previously scheduled for May before being postponed due to tensions in the Kashmir region. On June 18, the Indian prime minister visited Zagreb as part of a European tour. According to Croatian media, Modi declined US President Donald Trump’s invitation to visit the United States because he already had a visit to Croatia scheduled.
- New trial in “coup d’état” case may kick off in Montenegro
The Special State Prosecutor’s Office of Montenegro has filed an appeal with the Court of Appeal against the acquittal in the coup d’état case.
The motion was filed due to a significant violation of the provisions of the criminal procedure and an erroneously established factual situation.
“The first instance verdict was publicly announced on July 12, 2024, and its certified copy was submitted to the Special State Prosecutor’s Office on June 3 of this year with a legal indication that an appeal can be filed within 15 days from the date of delivery of its copy,” the agency said in a statement.
“It is proposed that the court of second instance, since the verdict of the first instance has already been overturned, hold a hearing and issue a verdict finding the defendants guilty of the criminal acts they were accused of,” the Special Prosecutor’s Office noted.
It should be recalled that the verdict of the first instance court in Podgorica during the retrial on July 12, 2024 acquitted all the defendants in the case of an attempted coup during the 2016 parliamentary elections.
The court acquitted Russian citizens Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov, leaders of the former pro-Russian Democratic Front, the current Speaker of the Parliament of Montenegro Andrija Mandic, deputies Milan Knezevic and Mikhail Cadjenovic, as well as retired Serbian gendarmerie general Bratislav Dikic and seven other Serbian nationals.
During an initial trial in the court of first instance, all suspects were sentenced on 9 May 2019 to a total of 70 years in prison.
The Montenegrin court’s verdict in the case stated that two Russians (likely assets of Russian intelligence agencies) conspired to set up a criminal organization and recruited citizens of Serbia and Montenegro with the aim of violently overthrowing the government and declaring the victory of the (pro-Russian) “Democratic Front” in the 2016 parliamentary elections in order to prevent Montenegro from joining NATO.
The perpetrators plotted to forcibly seize the Montenegrin parliament on the day of the parliamentary elections on 16 October 2016, as well as to abduct and murder the then Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović.
On 5 February 2021, the Montenegrin Court of Appeal overturned the verdict. The decision came after a coalition led by the Democratic Front came to power in Montenegro following the 2020 parliamentary elections.
- Sentence for former head of Bulgarian cultural club in North Macedonia sparks outrage in Sofia
On June 12, the first instance court in Bitola (North Macedonia) sentenced Ljubco Georgievski, head of the Bulgarian cultural club “Ivan Mikhailov”, which was shut down by the authorities, to a one-year suspended sentence with a two-year probation period. The sentence was handed down on charges of inciting hatred, discord and intolerance on national, racial, religious and other discriminatory grounds, as well as circulating racist and xenophobic content.
The Ivan Mikhailov Club, led by Ljubco Georgievski, is named after the Bulgarian revolutionary and politician of the early 1920s and 1930s. Ivan Mikhailov is considered a controversial historical figure in North Macedonia, accused of collaborating with the Nazis.
Following the court ruling in Bitola, Ljubco Georgievski said that for him the verdict was a political message, directed not against him personally, but against the Bulgarian identity in North Macedonia.
The Bulgarian authorities have described the court’s verdict against Georgievski as “absolutely unacceptable.”
Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georgiev stressed: “It is absolutely unacceptable that in a country that claims to be an example of a functioning multi-ethnic democracy, openly declaring its belonging to the Bulgarian people, honoring Bulgarian national symbols and heroes, and disseminating authentic Bulgarian literature should be punishable by imprisonment.”
“The violation of the rights of Bulgarians in North Macedonia is a fact that cannot be denied. Today’s court ruling against Mr. Georgievski is yet another confirmation of the practical refusal of the authorities of our southwestern neighbor to ensure fundamental rights of this group of its citizens,” he added.
Later, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and Foreign Minister Georgiev received Ljubco Georgievski in Sofia.
Ljubco Georgievski noted during the meetings that “the path of the Republic of North Macedonia to Europe lies through human rights, and there the rights of Bulgarians equal to zero.” “We want amendments to the constitution, constitutional guarantees of our rights,” he said.
As is known, the main requirement for North Macedonia to start real negotiations on EU membership is to include a mention of Bulgarians in the country’s Constitution. Skopje does not agree to implement the agreements reached during the previous government, demanding additional guarantees for EU accession and pointing to the numerous compromises that the country has already made in order to achieve recognition and ensure progress on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration.
In particular, after the collapse of Yugoslavia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was forced to change its flag, abandon the honoring of Alexander the Great, and, finally, change the name of the country.
