Montenegro says 'everything done' to win EU talks date

(PODGORICA) - Montenegro Prime Minister Igor Luksic said Saturday that his country had done everything possible to secure a date for the start of EU membership talks.

"Montenegro has done everything to obtain a date on December 9 for the start of negotiations, but if that does not happen we have to look to the events happening at the heart of the EU," he told a meeting of the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS).

"What is more important than obtaining a date for the start of negotiations is securing a positive recommendation," he added.

The EU's executive arm concluded in October that the Balkan nation was ready to begin negotiations to join the 27-nation bloc, and its recommendation will be presented to EU leaders at the two-day summit opening on Thursday.

But Germany and France want to delay the start of accession negotiations with Montenegro until June 2012, six months later than recommended by the European Commission, diplomats said last month.

They argue that Montenegro implemented reforms required by the EU too recently for the leaders to pass judgment as early as December, a diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

In September, EU enlargement commissioner Stefan Fuele praised Montenegro for its achievements in fulfilling necessary benchmarks towards EU membership but stressed that "a lot of hard work is still to be done."

Support in Montenegro for EU memberhisp dropped by eight percent compared with a year ago, although it remains at over 60 percent, a poll released in October showed.