Political leadership of EU candidate Montenegro visiting the Vienna New Year’s Concert

Vienna (APA) – This year’s New Year’s Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic will see multiple high-ranking visitors from Montenegro: Austria’s Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen will welcome the president of the EU accession candidate, Jakov Milatović, and his wife Milena Milatović as his guests at the Musikverein, as the Presidential Chancellery announced in response to an APA inquiry. Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) has in turn invited his Montenegrin counterpart Milojko Spajić.

Austria has been advocating “with full conviction for an EU enlargement to include the states of the Western Balkans” for decades, the Federal Chancellery stated on Sunday in a statement sent to APA, confirming the commitment of the Montenegrin head of government.

Montenegro wants to conclude accession negotiations in 2026

“The security and stability of Europe begins in our immediate neighborhood, which above all includes the Western Balkans. And in particular, Montenegro has proven in recent years that, like no other accession candidate, it stands for an ambitious and successful accession process,” the statement continued. “These courageous reforms must finally be rewarded by the European Union.” The candidate country Montenegro wants to conclude the EU accession negotiations next year.

Austria’s Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) will host Cypriot Migration Minister Nicholas Ioannides and Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen for an informal working meeting in Vienna on January 1 ahead of the New Year’s Concert, as his ministry announced. The focus will be on asylum issues. Cyprus will take over the EU Council Presidency from Denmark for six months at the beginning of the year. (30.12.2025)