Montenegro has moved another step closer to joining the European Union after EU ambassadors approved the creation of a special working body that will help prepare the country's future accession treaty.

The newly established Ad Hoc Working Party, made up of representatives from EU member states, will begin regular meetings focused on the legal and technical details required for Montenegro's eventual entry into the bloc. European officials described the move as an important signal that enlargement remains an active priority for Brussels.

?This marks a significant step forward in Montenegro's accession process and sends a strong signal to all enlargement partners that EU accession remains within reach,? a spokesperson for the Cypriot EU presidency said after the group held its first meeting.

Montenegro, which has a population of around 600,000 people, became an official EU candidate in 2010, four years after separating from Serbia. Formal accession negotiations started in 2012. Since then, the country has provisionally closed 14 out of the 33 negotiating chapters required before membership can be finalized.

The rule of law continues to be viewed as the biggest remaining challenge. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos has repeatedly urged Podgorica to maintain the pace of judicial and institutional reforms as negotiations enter a more advanced stage.

The Montenegrin government has openly set 2028 as its target year for EU membership, turning the goal into a national branding campaign under the slogan ?28 by 28,? which has even appeared on the country's airline.

Brussels has also been looking at Montenegro as a possible model for future enlargement policy. The European Commission has discussed using the country as a test case for a gradual, two-tier accession process designed to prevent democratic backsliding after countries join the EU ? an approach informally described as an effort to avoid creating another ?Hungary 2.0.? However, the proposal has faced resistance from some member states.

At the same time, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Montenegro on Wednesday and held talks with President Jakov Milatovi?.

According to Milatovi?, the discussions focused on ?key factors we must work on as a country in the final stage of negotiations with the European Union,? including regional stability and Montenegro's role as a credible NATO member.