BRUSSELS – An EU-Montenegro Accession Conference was held in Brussels today, during which five negotiating chapters were officially closed. Following the Conference, Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos stated that Montenegro is indeed a frontrunner in the EU integration process and the candidate country with the best results, with a total of 12 negotiation chapters closed.
“The coming year will be decisive, and more than ever, Montenegro will need national unity to reach its goals. We will support you every step of the way”, Marta Kos said.
She assessed that this IGC is a sign of Montenegro’s significant progress, adding that much work still lies ahead for Montenegro, particularly concerning strengthening the rule of law.
Prime Minister of Montenegro said during the press conference that Montenegro has closed more than one-third of the EU negotiation chapters, making it the first country to do so in the past 16 years.
He emphasised that Montenegro is very grateful to France, which, he said, set a somewhat more demanding task but demonstrated how European partners can work together.
“Thank you also to France. You set us a demanding task in recent days, but gave us an opportunity for Montenegro to once again show how serious it is about this process. Friends are often those who also place us in challenges that confirm our true value”, Spajić added.
France opposed the closing of Chapters 11 and 13 (Agriculture and Fisheries) at a meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the EU (COREPER II) on Friday. However, following intensive diplomatic efforts by Montenegrin leaders, France gave the green light and all five chapters were approved yesterday by COREPER II.
The goal of the Government of Montenegro is to close all remaining chapters by the end of next year, so that the country will be ready to become the EU’s 28th member state in 2028.
