The European Commission estimated the cost of Montenegro's EU accession as 'a cup of coffee'
The European Commission presented a financial assessment of Montenegro's future accession to the European Union. According to Brussels' calculations, the country's accession will require an additional approximately 3 billion EUR within the next long-term EU budget for 2028–2034. Politico reports on this.
According to a senior European Commission official who spoke on condition of anonymity, these costs will amount to about one euro per EU taxpayer over the seven-year budget cycle.
"It's a very cheap cup of coffee," the official noted.
The next European Union budget of 2 trillion EUR, which will take effect from 2028, must be adjusted to account for the costs of admitting new member states.
On June 30, the European Commission published a financial proposal regarding Montenegro's accession. It now needs to be approved by EU member states before financial negotiations between Brussels and Podgorica begin.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that this package is another concrete step towards Montenegro's future in the European Union.
"We are preparing Montenegro, the member states, and our institutions," she emphasized.
Montenegro, with a population of about 600,000, received candidate country status for EU accession in 2010. It is expected to become the next EU member state in 2028, although, according to a European Commission representative, accession on January 1, 2028, is unlikely.
According to the European Commission's estimates, Montenegro's contribution to the EU budget over the next seven years will be about 500 million EUR.
At the same time, the country expects to receive significantly more funding. In particular, 277 million EUR are planned for subsidies to farmers, over 1 billion euros for regional development and rural support, and another 592 million EUR for migration needs.
Additionally, Montenegro's business sector, according to the Commission's estimates, could receive 523 million EUR from the new European Competitiveness Fund. However, the final amount of funding will depend on the results of competitive selection.
Overall, according to the European Commission's calculations, Montenegro may receive about 3.1 billion EUR from the EU budget.
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