Petar Marković, Montenegro's ambassador to the EU, said his country is the "frontrunner" among the EU candidate countries.

Montenegro is ready to meet their goal to become the 28th EU member state by the end of 2028, both by Podgorica's own standards and by those of the 27 EU countries, and the European Commission. Marković said it is a "very realistic" goal.

According to Marković, Montenegro is facing two main obstacles on its way to the EU. The first is amending its constitution, and the second is to settle disputes with neighbouring EU member state Croatia, primarily over issues stemming from the Balkan conflicts in the 1990s.

After applying to EU's accession in 2008, two years after the country declared its independence, Montenegro began its accession negotiations in 2012, over 14 years ago.