Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic said on Thursday that Montenegro would not support joining the European Union under conditions that remove its right to veto, insisting that sovereignty remains a core national value.
Speaking at a panel on “Western Balkans and the European Union” in London following the Berlin Process Summit, Spajic told reporters that “sovereignty is very important to Montenegrins” and that any surrender of decision-making powers must come with clear benefits.
“If you give up sovereignty, you need a control mechanism — you give up something to gain something,” Spajic said, adding that without full membership rights, Montenegro would resemble non-EU states such as Norway, Switzerland or Liechtenstein.
“This model is totally fine — it’s a pragmatic exchange where you’re not forced to agree with everything the EU does. You can take most of it but still have some carve-outs,” he said.
Spajic added that if Montenegro were not admitted under the current EU accession framework, it could evolve into a “Switzerland of the Balkans.” “I don’t know if they want that,” he said, referring to EU leaders.
Asked about the prospect of Montenegro joining the bloc without veto powers, Spajic noted that the country has been fully aligned with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) for 13 years.
Turning to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who shared the stage, Spajic said Albania had also aligned with the CFSP for a decade. “It makes no sense to doubt that we would behave differently once we become members,” he said.
Rama responded that Spajic should “drop this narrative,” warning that Montenegro risked losing its position as a frontrunner in the EU accession process. He reiterated his support for a membership model that excludes veto rights.
“When EU member states see us, they think, ‘Oh my God, here come more troublemakers who will veto our decisions,’” Rama said. “I understand that frustration, which is why I’ve long advocated for admitting us as members with a different status.”
He added that such a model “would be more than welcome” for Albania.