Albania and Montenegro are set to close additional chapters in their European Union accession negotiations during an intergovernmental conference scheduled for next Tuesday.
Albania will, for the first time, provisionally close three negotiating chapters—Chapters 25 (Science and Research), 26 (Education and Culture), and 30 (External Relations). Montenegro, meanwhile, will provisionally close Chapters 8 (Competition Policy) and 29 (Customs Union).
The upcoming Tuesday has been dubbed “Super Tuesday” in diplomatic circles, as four intergovernmental conferences will take place on the same day, advancing the EU accession process through the opening or provisional closure of negotiating chapters.
In addition to Albania and Montenegro, intergovernmental conferences will also be held with Ukraine and Moldova, with both countries expected to open one new negotiating chapter.
Among the six Western Balkan countries, Albania and Montenegro are widely regarded as the frontrunners in the EU accession process and are actively engaged in membership negotiations.
Serbia, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina currently hold EU candidate status, while Kosovo remains the only country in the Western Balkans that has yet to obtain candidate status, nearly four years after submitting its application for EU membership.
Initially, EU institutions had planned to hold five intergovernmental conferences on the same day, hoping Serbia would receive approval to open Chapter 3. However, several EU member states opposed the move, preventing the necessary unanimous agreement.
Following next week’s conference, Montenegro—the most advanced EU candidate country—will have provisionally closed 18 of its 33 negotiating chapters.
Ireland, which holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union until 31 December, aims to conclude Montenegro’s accession negotiations during its six-month presidency.
The European Union has already approved the drafting of Montenegro’s Accession Treaty, marking the final stage of the country’s membership negotiations.
Additionally, the European Commission has approved a financial framework worth nearly €3.2 billion for Montenegro, based on the assumption that the country could become a full member of the European Union by 2028.
