European Union countries on Wednesday decided to start work on an accession treaty for Montenegro, marking a new phase in the small Balkan nation’s path toward joining the bloc.
Ambassadors from the EU's 27 current member states decided to set up an "ad hoc working party" for the drafting an accession pact, a technical but key step in the path towards membership, an official said.
"Congratulations to Montenegro, today we took a big step towards your accession to the European Union," said European Council president Antonio Costa hailing what he described as a "key milestone".
For the first time in over a decade "the EU starts the clock for the next enlargement", he added.
Montenegro is, with Albania, a frontrunner to become the first country to join the European Union since Croatia was admitted to the club in 2013.
Podgorica has concluded negotiations on 14 of 35 so-called "clusters", round of talks grouped around different subjects, from taxation to environmental policy, raising hopes it could become an EU member in the coming years.
"We are confident that this will send a powerful signal that accession is within reach for enlargement partners," a spokesperson for the Greek Cypriot administration, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, said of the decision taken during a meeting in Brussels.
"Excellent news is coming from Brussels," commented Montenegrin Minister for European Affairs Maida Gorcevic.
The establishment of the working group was "yet another confirmation that we are on the right path for Montenegro to become the 28th member of the European Union by 2028," she added.
