Montenegro was granted the status of a candidate for EU membership at a meeting of EU heads of state and government in Brussels on December 17th. The decision by the EU summit followed a positive response from the European Commission to Montenegro's application to join the EU with the publication, on November 9th, of a recommendation which stated that the applicant was ready to become a candidate for EU membership. Montenegro had formally applied for EU membership in December 2008, and the EU's decision represented a significant achievement for the government, putting Montenegro ahead of most of the rest of the western Balkan region on the path of EU integration. The EU enlargement commissioner, Stefan Füle, commended the government's efforts to prepare the country for candidate status. Mr Djukanovic-whose term in office was crowned with a major foreign policy achievement-expressed his confidence before his resignation that accession negotiations could begin in the course of 2011.

The Commission's annual progress report on Montenegro, issued at the same time, praised progress in bringing the country's legal framework into line with EU norms and in improving its administrative and institutional capacities. It also commended Montenegro's constructive role in the region and in fostering good neighbourly relations-a key criterion for the EU in assessing the countries of the western Balkans following the conflicts of the 1990s.

However, the progress report emphasised several remaining shortcomings that will need to be addressed if eventual negotiations are to proceed successfully. These relate in particular to the implementation of reforms. The report noted the poor functioning of democratic institutions, observing that parliament did not exercise effective oversight over the government. It concluded that the public administration remained weak and highly politicised. Shortcomings in the rule of law have persistently been raised by the Commission, and this report once again noted the politicisation of the judiciary. The need for greater efforts in the fight against corruption and organised crime was stressed. Thus while the Commission's recommendation on candidacy status was undeniably positive, it also underlined that more needs to be done to meet the accession criteria before membership negotiations can commence.