Speaking at the 35th annual Economic Forum in Karpacz, southwestern Poland, last week, Ivanović said his government aims to complete accession negotiations by the end of this year.
Montenegro has provisionally closed 18 of the 33 negotiating chapters required for European Union membership, putting it ahead of other candidate countries.
The chapters cover different areas of EU law and policy which a prospective member must bring into line with the bloc’s rules.
All 33 have been opened in Montenegro's case.
"Our goal is to complete the process by the end of the year," Ivanović said. "As EU representatives say, it is an ambitious but realistic goal."
Montenegro applied to join the EU in 2008 and began formal accession negotiations in 2012.
Ivanović said the lengthy process had produced "enlargement fatigue" inside the EU and a corresponding "waiting-room fatigue" among candidate countries.
He said Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 changed the political calculation in Brussels.
"The Union began to think more geopolitically and strategically, recognizing what we had been saying from the beginning, that enlargement is the European Union’s best policy," Ivanović said.
The most difficult remaining areas include Chapters 23 and 24, which cover the judiciary, fundamental rights, justice and security.
Montenegro must demonstrate results against corruption and organized crime, including final court judgments in high-level corruption cases.
Environmental rules also remain a challenge.
Ivanović said his government expects to complete the necessary legislative reforms by late September or early October.
He said Montenegro's relatively small administration was working under heavy pressure to meet the deadline.
Political agreement has also been required. All parties represented in Montenegro's parliament support EU membership, but several accession-related measures, including constitutional amendments, have required two-thirds majorities and therefore agreement between the government and opposition.
Public support for membership remains high, Ivanović said, citing polls putting it between 75 and 95 percent.
EU member states agreed earlier this year to begin drafting Montenegro's accession treaty.
The European Commission has also prepared the financial arrangements that would apply after membership.
Accession in 2028 would still require Montenegro to meet the remaining conditions and win the approval of all 27 EU member states.
Montenegro would be the first country to join the bloc since Croatia became its 28th member in 2013. The EU subsequently fell back to 27 members after Britain left in 2020.
Nine countries currently have formal EU candidate status: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine. Kosovo is regarded by the EU as a potential candidate.
Ivanović said Montenegro’s accession could also counter arguments in the Western Balkans that the membership process has become indefinite.
"The best way to counter such influences is through results," he said.
"That result should now be the completion of accession negotiations with Montenegro, the signing of the accession treaty and then, we hope, joining the European Union in 2028," he added.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR/PAP