Prime Minister of Luxembourg Luc Frieden has stated in the European Parliament that a shorter and clearer timeline was needed for countries that wish to join the European Union, and that the decision on admitting Montenegro should be made next year.
Enlargement is a matter of strategic interest, Frieden said in his address to the EP in Strasbourg and cautioned that holding candidate countries “in an eternal waiting room” carried the risk of their distancing from Europe.
“We must revive hope and show that EU accession is realistic and tangible. With this in mind, let’s set a clearer timetable,” said the prime minister of Luxembourg, as announced by the EP on Oct. 8. Frieden added that it was time to finalize the negotiations and decide on Montenegro’s accession next year.
In an analysis of the Luxembourg Times portal, this statement by the prime minister was described as surprising, since no one has so far called for the accession of a small Balkan country in 2026 so clearly. “This political commitment to enlargement policy, which Frieden sees less as a formal exercise and more as a geopolitical instrument, is probably what distinguishes him most clearly from his predecessor and current foreign minister, Xavier Bettel, who has been much more skeptical in this regard,” the Luxembourg Times said.
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