BUDVA – A ministerial meeting of the Berlin Process, which brings together the foreign ministers of the Western Balkan countries, the representatives of the member states which participate in the initiative, as well as the EU and regional organizations, began today in Pržno near Budva. The meeting is attended by the European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, who said that 2026 has been a record year for EU enlargement policy.
According to Kos, Montenegro is in the final phase of negotiations with the EU and at the next intergovernmental conference in mid-October is expected to close several more negotiating chapters.
“You have already closed 18 negotiating chapters, and we expect that several more chapters will be closed at the next intergovernmental conference in mid-October. Now you are firmly in the final phase, so continue to invest all your energy in the successful completion of negotiations”, Kos stressed.
According to her, Montenegro’s progress has given new momentum to enlargement policy in the Western Balkans.
She reminded that the enlargement is a strategic, security and economic interest of Europe, stressing that geopolitical reasons and the merit-based principle do not contradict each other.
“Geopolitics determines why enlargement is important and how urgently we must act. And we remain committed to the principle based on merit, because it is the merit that determines the conditions – which country is ready to join the EU and when”, Marta Kos underlined.
She noted that 2026 “has been a record year when it comes to opening and closing of the negotiating chapters. “
“Nine months since the beginning of the year, we have already opened or closed more chapters than in any previous year in the last 25 years”, said Marta Kos, stressing that enlargement is not only a political issue, but also an issue of security, economic development and the resilience of European democracies.
