Von Der Leyen: Montenegro Preparing for Its Borders to Become EU Borders

Ursula von der Leyen, Belgrade, Oct. 15 2025 (BETAPHOTO/MILAN ILIC)

The European Union (EU) is preparing Montenegro to take responsibility for its external borders once it joins the bloc, while the country should eventually also become a member of the Schengen Area, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Oct. 2.

“We are preparing for Montenegro’s borders to become EU borders and, over time, for Montenegro to join the Schengen area,” von der Leyen said at the opening of a new border police building in Podgorica, which will house the future National Coordination Center for Border Management. She said the center would make it possible for Montenegro’s border police to monitor the border, exchange information and coordinate activities with EU agencies, adding that this would mean more secure borders for Montenegro and greater security for Europe.

Von der Leyen is visiting Montenegro as part of her annual tour of the Western Balkans, as Podgorica seeks to complete EU accession negotiations by the end of the year and meet the government’s goal of joining the bloc in 2028. A day earlier, she met separately with President Jakov Milatovic and Prime Minister Milojko Spajic. Following talks with Spajic, von der Leyen said the European Commission supported Montenegro’s ambition to become the EU’s 28th member state by 2028, but warned that the final phase of the negotiations requires political stability, broad support for reforms and resilience to attempts to polarize society.

Montenegro has been negotiating EU membership since 2012 and is currently the most advanced candidate in the enlargement process. It has opened all 33 negotiating chapters, 18 of which have been provisionally closed. During her talks in Podgorica, von der Leyen also announced that the Commission would soon present its enlargement policy, reiterating that candidates’ progress will depend on meeting the membership criteria.