Montenegro inches closer towards EU membership

Published connected 25/04/2026 - 13:38 GMT+2•Updated 13:40

Montenegro this week made further advancement successful its EU accession process, arsenic the bloc's existent members agreed to commencement enactment connected an accession pact for the tiny Balkan nation.

On Wednesday, ambassadors from each EU subordinate states said they had decided to acceptable up an "ad hoc moving party" to draught an accession pact, described arsenic a "key milestone" and "a large measurement towards accession to the European Union" by European Council President António Costa.

At a Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) held connected Friday successful Montenegro's superior metropolis Podgorica, Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorčević said that alongside the closing of the dialog chapters, the drafting of an accession pact heralds the "final thigh of a fourteen-year marathon connected the way towards the EU". She added that the determination marks the last signifier of the dialog process, with EU rank slated for 2028.

The JCC, established betwixt the EU and Montenegrin civilian society, is simply a level that provides a civilian nine position wrong the EU's organization model successful narration to the Stabilisation and Association Agreement betwixt the 2 parties.

Gorčević besides highlighted the important relation civilian nine plays successful Montenegro's accession process done its information successful moving groups.

Speaking astatine the aforesaid event, the lawman caput of the EU's Delegation to Montenegro Riccardo Serri said “Montenegro has a historical accidental to bring its European Union accession process to a close."

"But determination is nary clip to suffer – advancement depends connected the implementation of factual reforms successful the coming months," Serri added, noting that this process indispensable beryllium driven by institutions successful collaboration with civilian society.

Montenegro, alongside Albania, has been a frontrunner campaigner to articulation the bloc since Croatia's accession successful 2013. It presently has a distinctive narration with the European Union, arsenic portion its not portion of the Eurozone, Montenegro has unilaterally adopted the Euro arsenic its currency.

Accession talks person present been ongoing for astir 14 years, though respective cardinal obstacles remained, which Montenegro is present trying to address.

The European Union has created alleged "clusters," which are grouping of definite criteria, from taxation to biology policy, that Montenegro needs to align with to person EU membership.

Podgorica has truthful acold concluded negotiations connected 14 of the 35 clusters.

On Wednesday, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos confirmed "Montenegro’s spot wrong the EU is present taking shape".

"It besides offers a accidental to gully lessons from past enlargements and see caller and stronger safeguards successful aboriginal accession treaties to forestall backsliding connected the regularisation of instrumentality and cardinal values," said Kos.