Czechs to Support Montenegro's EU Bid

The Czech government has said it will welcome Montenegro's application for EU candidate status, and says it will fully support the application when it takes over the presidency of the 27-member bloc this January.

“If Montenegro is going to apply for accession to the EU, the only thing we can do is to communicate with the European Commission to speed up the preparation of the response to it,” said Czech prime minister Mirek Topolanek.  

Prague officials have confirmed that moving the Western Balkans closer to the EU will be a priority during their six month presidency. Montenegro on Thursday said it will apply for EU membership. Read more: Montenegro to Apply for EU Membership

The Czech foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg said that it is not still certain whether Podgorica will submit its application at the tail end of the current French presidency or during the Czech presidency. However, no matter the timing, Schwarzenberg says, the Czech republic is ready to help.

“We will welcome Montenegro’s application, and we will support the process,” Karel Schwarzenberg said.

Government officials in Podgorica are still reluctant to tell the exact date of their submission. Balkan Insight wrote in November, that this may to happen in late December, when French officials will be in a position to forward the papers to their Czech counterparts, who will be dealing mainly with this process.