BRUSSELS – Montenegro provisionally closed three negotiating chapters with the EU at today’s Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels. It is the first time since 2017 that the country is closing chapters, in a sign of the acceleration of its EU accession process.
According to Montenegrin Prime Minister, Milojko Spajić, this significant milestone in Montenegro’s EU integration process.
“After seven long years, we have resumed closing negotiation chapters and brought EU membership closer to reality. We have met all the conditions for the fourth chapter, and I hope it will be closed within the next 12 months. We are grateful to the European Commission and all member states, especially to our administration and 700 team members who have worked tirelessly,” he emphasized.
Spajić highlighted that all EU member states agreed during the conference to support Montenegro in closing the three chapters.
“We are thankful to all member states for their support. We hope to address all remaining issues in the next two years. I believe we will find a way to close all chapters by the end of 2026. I think we will surprise many with our success,” Spajić stated.
The European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, also praised Montenegro’s progress, stating that it has shown other aspiring members what can be accomplished with political will and resolve.
“Significant progress has been made, but this is not the end of the road,” Kos noted.
She assured that the European Commission would stand by Montenegro every step of the way. “I can assure you that the Commission is ready to move forward,” Kos said.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó remarked during the press conference that Montenegro offers everything the European Union needs.
“We need new energy and ambition. These are qualities Montenegro can bring to the table. This is not just a shared interest but also a mutual benefit,” he said, adding that there are no risks associated with Montenegro’s EU membership.
He expressed confidence that Montenegro would strengthen the European Union. “This is our shared success,” Szijjártó concluded.
Montenegro provisionally closed Chapter 7 – Intellectual property law, Chapter 10 – Information society and media and Chapter 20 – Enterprise and industrial policy.
In order to meet the requirements for joining the EU, a candidate country needs to provisionally close all 33 negotiating chapters.
Previously, Montenegro closed Chapter 25 – Science and research in 2012, Chapter 26 – Education and culture in 2013 and Chapter 30 – External relations in 2017. It did not close a negotiating chapter in the past seven years.