Montenegro at 20: EU ambitions and Serbian ties

Montenegro will mark 20 years since a 2006 referendum enabled secession from Serbia. The country is viewed as a regional “high achiever” in EU accession, with Podgorica restarting stalled accession talks, speeding up reforms, and positioning itself as a frontrunner as the EU renews interest in enlargement. Montenegro’s progress is linked to geopolitical momentum created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the EU’s focus on bringing in new members. Independence followed a tightly contested referendum with 55.5% voting to leave the state union. For 14 years, the Democratic Party of Socialists led by Milo Djukanovic governed, facing corruption accusations and claims of a “captured state.” The DPS lost power in 2020 after mass protests and church-led rallies against a controversial religious property law, marking the first democratic transfer of power since independence.

"“It's easy to be the star pupil in a classroom of bad students,” Daliborka Uljarevic of the Centre for Civic Education in Podgorica told DW. Her remark reflects the broader regional context. While much of the Western Balkans has stagnated, or even regressed, on the path toward the European Union, Montenegro has managed to capitalize on the geopolitical momentum created by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the EU's renewed focus on enlargement."

"Montenegro declared independence from Serbia in 2006 after a tightly contested, high-turnout referendum in which 55.5% of voters backed leaving the union with Serbia. For the next 14 years, the country was ruled by the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) led by longtime strongman Milo Djukanovic. Over the years, Djukanovic's government faced repeated accusations of corruption and links between political elites and organized crime, while critics increasingly described Montenegro as a “captured state.”"

"The DPS eventually lost power in 2020 after months of mass protests and church-led rallies against a controversial religious property law, in what became the first democratic transfer of power since independence. Several thousand people rallied against a planned amendment to a religious property law in Podgorica in 2020Image: Risto Bozovic/AP Photo/picture alliance “Montenegro is one of the rare countrie"

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