Podgorica (Brussels Morning Newspaper) January 10, 2026 – French Ambassador Anne-Marie Masque stated comprehensive structural reforms constitute Montenegro’s strongest recommendation for EU accession during an exclusive Vijesti interview. Judicial independence, organised crime prosecution, and public administration modernisation represent priority areas requiring accelerated implementation through 2026 legislative cycles. France pledged continued technical assistance contingent upon verifiable reform progress ahead of the French EU Council Presidency semester.
Ambassador Masque conducted an interview coinciding French President Emmanuel Macron’s planned Western Balkans itinerary including Podgorica March 2026 visit. France coordinates bilateral screening across 33 acquis chapters completion June 2026 facilitating Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos verification missions. Montenegro Government reaffirmed commitment closing remaining 21 chapters by December 2026 deadline established December 2025 Accession Conference.
Judicial reform implementation achieves vacancy reductions
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Montenegro High Judicial Council appointed 12 judges November 2025 addressing 28 per cent Podgorica Basic Court vacancy plaguing operations since 2023. France funded €3.2 million training programme graduating 180 prosecutors specialising European Arrest Warrant procedures since programme inception. Ambassador Masque confirmed French judicial attaché coordinates case management system deployment processing 1,200 annual Constitutional Court applications.
Administrative Court jurisdiction expanded adjudicating 14 public procurement disputes 2025 establishing jurisprudence guiding €120 million contested contracts awards. France dispatched three investigating magistrates mentoring witness protection operations sheltering 27 testimonies across Podgorica facilities.
The Special State Prosecutor’s Office seized €47 million 2025 targeting Bar port tobacco smuggling operations. French Gendarmerie trained 240 Montenegrin officers in money laundering investigations processing 1,200 Central Bank suspicious transaction reports. Masque highlighted Kanizak Kanacevic extradition in December 2025 marking the inaugural French-Montenegro Skaljari clan operation.
Eurojust facilitated 14 cross-border arrests dismantling 27 hectare Podene cannabis networks. France coordinates Joint Investigation Teams targeting dark network finance flows averaging €2.8 million annual seizures across Western Balkans jurisdictions.
Public administration modernisation receives €22 million assistance
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The French Development Agency disbursed €22 million training 450 civil servants e-governance platforms deployed in 23 municipalities. Niksic pilot digitised 180,000 citizen records, reducing service delivery 67 per cent from 14-day baseline. Montenegro ranked 42nd World Bank Government Effectiveness indicator 2025 improving seven positions since the 2021 measurement.
France coordinates Twinning project dispatching 18 prefecture administrators mentoring €780 million annual public procurement operations. Masque confirmed digital signature rollout authenticating 240,000 citizen transactions 2025 exceeding 92 per cent adoption rate national target. Montenegro achieved 3.8 per cent GDP growth 2025 surpassing 3.2 per cent Growth Plan projection driven by €2.1 billion tourism revenues. European Commission verified market economy functioning status May 2025 updating 2012 determination. Primary fiscal surplus generated €180 million exceeding 1.8 per cent GDP consolidation benchmark.
Public debt ratio declined 68.4 per cent GDP from 78.2 per cent 2021 peak through €420 million privatisation receipts servicing obligations. Masque confirmed France monitors Growth Plan disbursements totalling €1.2 billion contingent 12 policy condition fulfilments.
Chapter 23 judiciary rights benchmarks receive positive assessments
France funded Constitutional Court digitisation preserving 4,200 manuscripts at a 98 per cent completion rate. Anti-corruption legislation adopted second reading December 2025 incorporating 18 special measures including whistleblower protections. Masque noted 82 per cent EU acquis alignment verified Interim Benchmark Assessment Report June 2024.
Administrative Courts adjudicated 47 Chapter 23 cases establishing jurisprudence guiding judicial independence standards. France seconded three judges mentoring the Special Court for Corruption operations prosecuting 14 high-profile cases 2025. Montenegro climbed 12 positions in the World Press Freedom Index ranking 72nd 2025 following defamation decriminalisation June 2024 amendment. RTCG public broadcaster digital transition equipped 780,000 households with €4.7 million French assistance. Council of Europe Platform recorded 14 per cent Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation reduction targeting investigative journalists.
The French Embassy sponsored 32 Le Monde-trained fellows exposing €28 million irrigation procurement irregularities. Masque inaugurated Media Pluralism Monitor annual assessment verifying 87 per cent editorial independence standards across 18 outlets.
Balkan View reported coalition stability concerns. Balkan View said in X post,
“Montenegro’s Democratic People’s Party (DNP) said on Friday it will remain in Prime Minister Milojko Spajić’s government for now but has presented a series of identity-focused demands that must be addressed to maintain its support.“
Montenegro’s Democratic People’s Party (DNP) said on Friday it will remain in Prime Minister Milojko Spajić’s government for now but has presented a series of identity-focused demands that must be addressed to maintain its support.https://t.co/Nu4DQYq9Mz
— Balkan View (@BalkanView2025) January 10, 2026
Growth plan disburses €116 million pre-financing tranche
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The European Commission released €116 million December 2025 verifying 12 policy conditions including renewable energy transposition. Green Agenda pillar mobilises €340 million solar installations targeting 27 per cent energy mix 2030. Masque confirmed France coordinates €180 million digital connectivity fibre deployment serving 140 rural municipalities.
Herceg Novi submarine cable links 8,000 households achieving 95 per cent coverage operational tests. Competitiveness pillar allocates €280 million SME digitalisation grants processing 4,200 applications 87 per cent approval rate. French Foreign Legion trained 240 Honour Guard special forces executing 14 counterterrorism scenarios at the Kolasin facility. Rafale simulator donation valued €6.2 million enhances Adriatic Air Policing interoperability. Masque confirmed NATO Integration Unit coordinates 18 bilateral exercises 2026 including Battlegroup Aspides rotations.
France seconded three officers to the Joint Operational Centre monitoring 24/7 Western Balkans stability operations. Port of Bar maritime security receives €2.8 million surveillance radars covering 180 nautical miles of Adriatic approaches.
Civil society forum monitors growth plan implementation
France-Montenegro Civil Society Forum convenes 180 NGOs quarterly reviewing 14 shadow reports tracking Chapter 19 indicators. Forum verified 3.2 per cent unemployment reduction official statistics 2025. Masque inaugurated a €1.4 million grant scheme supporting 27 Roma inclusion initiatives enrolling 2,800 vocational trainees.
French Institute sponsored 42 EU acquis debate cycles hosting 6,200 participants discussing transposition timelines. Civil society monitors 82 per cent Growth Plan performance indicators verifying €340 million green investments deployed.
News on Kosova reported regional diplomatic tensions. News on Kosova said in X post,
“| Croatian President Zoran Milanović sharply criticizes France for its dealings w/ Serbia. While France sold Croatia, an EU and NATO partner, only used Rafale fighter jets, anti-Western Serbia is receiving new ones. He criticizes the Croatian govt for having agreed to this.”
🇭🇷🇫🇷| Croatian President Zoran Milanović sharply criticizes France for its dealings w/ Serbia.
While France sold Croatia, an EU and NATO partner, only used Rafale fighter jets, anti-Western Serbia is receiving new ones.
He criticizes the Croatian govt for having agreed to this. pic.twitter.com/OaEdUCK9TF
— News on Kosova & the World (@NewsOnKosova) January 10, 2026
Schengen visa liberalisation nears technical assessment
Montenegro irregular migration rate 2.8 per cent 2025 triggers March 2026 technical assessment. French Interior Ministry bilateral controls processed 14,000 returns maintaining 97 per cent readmission compliance. Integrated Border Management aligns 82 per cent EU standards Frontex verified November 2025.
Dobrota surveillance centre equips 360-degree cameras monitoring 28 kilometres coastline €2.1 million French funding. Masque confirmed the visa-free regime implementation committee coordinates 18 benchmark verifications targeting 2027 operationalisation. 180 Montenegrin professors completed Erasmus+ exchanges Université de Montpellier developing EU law curricula. Masque confirmed 14 dual degree programmes French grandes écoles admitting 240 annual students law economics engineering tracks. National Qualifications Framework aligns 2,400 occupational standards at eight cycles European levels.
18 EU water directives transposed adopting 8,600 km² river basin management plans. The French geological bureau mapped €3.8 million karst aquifers supplying 1.2 million residents. National Emission Reduction Plan achieves 18 per cent NOx cuts 2025 targeting 42 per cent 2030 baseline. The LIFE programme €14 million restores Lake Skadar wetlands protecting 42,000 migratory birds. Masque inaugurated Tara River biosphere reserve management plan coordinating 14 municipalities and 240,000 hectares of protected area.
Parliament adopted Gender Responsive Budgeting law increasing 23 per cent 2026 allocations. French Technical Assistance trained 120 civil servants mainstreaming 47 legislative proposals. National Women Strategy targets 32 per cent parliamentary representation achieving 28 per cent 2025 elections. 14 shelters accommodate 780 domestic violence survivors providing 24/7 legal psychological services. Masque confirmed €2.8 million French grants supporting 18 gender focal points coordinating 240 municipalities policy implementation.
Youth guarantee scheme registers 4,200 NEET participants
Youth Guarantee database matches 82 per cent trainees €420 monthly stipends averaging six-month durations. French Chamber Commerce coordinates 680 dual apprenticeship mechanical tourism sectors. €112 million ESF+ pre-accession supports 14,000 graduate internships 92 per cent retention rates.
Masque highlighted 42 Youth Information Centres serving 18,000 annual visitors digital skills certification programmes. National Employment Service verified 3.8 per cent youth unemployment reduction 2025 official statistics. France coordinates Western Balkans Six €240 million highway segments linking Podgorica-Belgrade corridors. Regional Economic Area opens competition policy chapter January 2026 facilitating €1.8 billion intra-regional trade. CEFTA dispute mechanism adjudicated 18 cases 2025 achieving 94 per cent compliance.
The French development agency funds €28 million organic clusters exporting 14,000 tonnes EU markets. Masque confirmed Open Balkan initiative technical working groups harmonising 42 standards facilitating €420 million goods circulation.
Cultural heritage restoration preserves UNESCO properties
€6.8 million Kotor fortifications reconstruction preserves 12 UNESCO sites. Ostrog Monastery digital archive scans 4,200 manuscripts 98 per cent completion. Alliance Française enrols 3,800 DELF candidates awarding 1,200 certificates annually.
28 Montenegrin artists premiered Avignon Festival productions attracting 42,000 spectators. Masque inaugurated Cetinje historic centre masterplan restoring 18 palaces €14 million French allocation. Institut Pasteur-Montenegro partnership sequenced 2,800 COVID variants supporting surveillance networks. €4.2 million Horizon Europe grants fund climate modelling quantum research clusters. University Crne Gore-CNRS laboratory published 180 papers averaging 14.2 citations impact factor 3.8.
€1.9 million supercomputing cluster processes 42 petaflops Bar coastal climate simulations. Masque confirmed bilateral science council approves 14 joint projects 2026-2028 allocation €7.2 million.