BRUSSELS – The European Union is preparing a new, accelerated plan to complete accession negotiations with Montenegro, which envisages closing all remaining negotiating chapters by the end of this year and preparing the first draft of the Accession Treaty by the end of September, Montenegrin daily Pobjeda has learned from several high-level sources within the European Commission.
According to the newspaper, five permanent representatives, or ambassadors, of key EU member states held urgent consultations in Brussels yesterday over the latest political and social developments in Montenegro.
“Over the past several weeks, and particularly in recent days, Montenegro has faced increased hybrid influence from the region, primarily from Serbia, which may be aimed at slowing down or jeopardising its European path,” Pobjedawas told by high-level European Commission sources.
Following the consultations, the ambassadors reportedly informally conveyed to the European Commission their conclusions and recommendations concerning the protection of Montenegro’s accession process.
“Montenegro’s European path must be protected from hybrid influence. The latest developments have been taken very seriously. At the same time, Montenegro must fully meet its obligations and implement all remaining reforms,” a high-level European Commission source told Pobjeda.
Coordination from von der Leyen’s office
According to Pobjeda’s sources, the office of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in cooperation with Ireland, which holds the presidency of the Council of the EU, is expected to take direct responsibility for coordinating the next steps.
The process is expected to intensify immediately after the referendum in Iceland, scheduled for 29 August. Icelandic citizens will not vote directly on EU membership, but rather on whether the country should resume accession negotiations with the European Union.
In the event of a positive result, Iceland would resume negotiations on the terms of accession, while any final membership agreement would subsequently be put to another referendum.
Pobjeda’s sources claim that the outcome of the Icelandic referendum could have broader political significance for the enlargement process, particularly for Montenegro, currently the most advanced EU candidate country. A positive result in Iceland could provide additional momentum for enlargement policy within the EU itself and reduce resistance among some member states to admitting new members.
Pobjeda recals that the drafting of Montenegro’s EU Accession Treaty is officially at an initial, preparatory stage.
EU member state ambassadors approved the establishment of a dedicated working group on 22 April, while the Council of the EU formally established an ad hoc working group in May to draft Montenegro’s Accession Treaty.
The working group is tasked with preparing the treaty and accompanying legal acts. These documents will define the conditions under which Montenegro will become an EU member state, including possible transitional periods, institutional arrangements, financial obligations and safeguard clauses.
Preparations for the treaty are proceeding in parallel with the closure of the remaining negotiating chapters.
The information that the first draft of the document could be ready by the end of September comes from Pobjeda’s high-level sources within the European Commission.
According to the sources, the recommendations submitted to the Commission envisage closing all remaining chapters with Montenegro by the end of the year, while simultaneously accelerating work on the text of the Accession Treaty.
At the next intergovernmental conference between Montenegro and the European Union, another four or five negotiating chapters are expected to be provisionally closed, according to Pobjeda.
The plan also envisages greater involvement by European partners in resolving outstanding bilateral issues between Montenegro and Croatia. Brussels believes that dialogue between the two countries should be intensified and that a compromise should be found that would prevent these issues from blocking the completion of Montenegro’s accession negotiations.
