Prime Minister meets with the President of France at the Élysée Palace

Macron to Spajić: You have France’s full support on the European path, you are doing a great job and Montenegro’s success gives hope to others

Montenegro can count on the full political support of France in the final stage of the negotiation process and the preparation of the Treaty of Accession to the European Union, French President Emmanuel Macron stated during his meeting with Prime Minister Milojko Spajić at the Élysée Palace.

Prime Minister Spajić met with President Macron as part of his working visit to Paris, where he is also scheduled to meet with French parliamentarians.

During the discussion, the two officials reaffirmed the close and friendly relations between Montenegro and France and emphasised the importance of intensifying political, economic, and strategic cooperation. Particular focus was placed on France’s strong political and expert support for Montenegro in the final phase of its accession to the European Union.

The meeting between Prime Minister Spajić and President Macron – their second in the past two years – was held ahead of the EU–Western Balkans Summit, which will take place in Montenegro on 5 June, with the participation of President Macron, marking a historic visit to the country.

The importance of the work of the ad hoc Working Party for the drafting of Montenegro’s Treaty of Accession to the European Union was highlighted, bearing in mind that such a document is being prepared for the first time in more than a decade since the last enlargement, and in complex geopolitical circumstances.

The interlocutors expressed their shared commitment to closing all negotiating chapters by the end of 2026, enabling Montenegro to be ready for accession to the European Union in 2028.

Prime Minister Spajić stressed that Montenegro, with 14 provisionally closed negotiating chapters and the remaining chapters in the final stage of closure, is the most advanced EU candidate country and a key indicator of the credibility of the enlargement policy.

President Macron praised Montenegro’s reform achievements and underlined that France remains a strong partner of Montenegro on its European path, expressing readiness to further strengthen cooperation, particularly at the expert level.

He stated that he is very optimistic about Montenegro, noting that the country has done a tremendous amount of work.

The French President emphasised that Montenegro holds special importance because it demonstrates that EU enlargement is possible and achievable, and that Montenegro’s success gives hope to others.

As noted during the meeting, the shared objective is to complete the process and confirm that the reform path delivers results.

Montenegro is making progress in all areas. We are not seeking shortcuts, but fair recognition of our achievements, and everything we do is fully in line with the rules. In a time of geopolitical challenges, Montenegro can represent a shared success story in the context of EU enlargement after a long period, Prime Minister Spajić stated.

The discussions also highlighted Montenegro’s important role as Chair of the Berlin Process this year, as well as the country’s commitment to strengthening good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation.

The interlocutors also exchanged views on current geopolitical challenges, with particular emphasis on the intensive cooperation between Montenegro and France within NATO.

The talks focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation following the signing of the intergovernmental agreement between Montenegro and the French Republic.

In this context, the signing of the Agreement on the construction of the University Clinical Centre of Montenegro was announced for next week, following the Government’s adoption, in February 2026, of the Information on the proposed criteria for selecting the contractor for the implementation of this important national project.

Special emphasis was placed on joint projects in the fields of energy, defence, cybersecurity, environmental protection, and infrastructure.

Prime Minister Spajić underlined that the rule of law remains an absolute priority for Montenegro.

We have implemented serious reforms in the police, judiciary, and security sector, with excellent cooperation with the French police, Europol, and French experts. I would also particularly highlight the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) project. Thank you for the strong support to this initiative. The Centre is now operating at full capacity, and we believe it can become a centre of excellence for the European Union and NATO in the region, the Prime Minister stated.

As he noted, Montenegro is ready to invest additional resources and capacities in order to contribute even more to collective security and the fight against hybrid threats.

The meeting also highlighted the importance of improving air connectivity between Podgorica and Paris, as well as strengthening cooperation in tourism, bearing in mind that the Government of Montenegro has designated the Podgorica–Paris route as a PSO route for the period from 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2030.

The meeting with President Macron was also attended by Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorčević, Minister of Health Vojislav Šimun, Chief Adviser to the Prime Minister Branko Krvavac, Foreign Policy Adviser Milica Perišić, and Ambassador of Montenegro to France Dubravka Lalović.