Podgorica

Montenegro risks being unable to translate all EU legislation into its official language in time for planned accession to the European Union. The European Commission is reportedly weighing options for a derogation, including allowing Podgorica to continue using translations from another language for a transitional period. The issue highlights a practical, often overlooked hurdle in the country's bid to become the EU's next member state, with negotiators seeking workable solutions before accession talks conclude.

With 70% of Montenegro's public supporting EU membership, the question is whether the country can actually join by 2028. In an interview, Marjan Šarec, the European Parliament's lead negotiator on enlargement for Montenegro, discusses the political will in Brussels and Podgorica, the pace of rule-of-law reforms and whether the ambitious accession timeline is realistic.