Montenegro is a candidate country for EU membership. In October 2007, Montenegro signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) that entered into force in January 2008 as the Interim Agreement on Trade and Trade-related Issues. The SAA entered into force in May 2010. Also in 2010, the European Commission issued a favorable opinion on Montenegro’s application, identifying seven key priorities for negotiations to begin, and the European Council granted the country candidate status. In December 2011, the Council launched the accession process and the negotiations started in June 2012.

For Montenegrin agriculture and the rural economy the EU integration process is very complex and demanding. Agriculture has inherited difficulties from the past (small subsistence farming, traditional production, low level of productivity), and competitiveness of the agro-food sector is one of its weakest points.