Montenegro could complete its European Union accession negotiations by the end of December 2026, while its accession treaty could be signed in June 2027.
These deadlines are outlined in a preliminary plan drawn up by the European Commission.
The plan forms part of a roadmap that the European Commission is expected to publish on November 4 for the four countries that have made the most progress towards EU membership: Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine and Moldova.
According to the document obtained by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Montenegro is expected to provisionally close its remaining negotiating chapters during two intergovernmental conferences scheduled for November and December this year.
The drafting of the accession treaty is then expected to be completed in spring 2027, with the agreement potentially signed by the summer, possibly in June.
So far, Montenegro has provisionally closed 21 of the 33 negotiating chapters.
At least one additional chapter is expected to be closed by the end of this week.
However, the European Commission stresses that these deadlines are not final.
According to the Commission, progress in the negotiations will depend on how quickly Montenegro fulfils the conditions for EU membership.
The Commission also clarifies that the plan does not guarantee that negotiations will be completed or the accession treaty signed within the proposed timeframe.
The relevant decisions will also depend on EU institutions, including the Council of the European Union, the European Commission and the European Parliament.
Two Intergovernmental Conferences Planned by the End of the Year
Montenegro aims to provisionally close all its negotiating chapters with the European Union by the end of this year. To achieve this, two intergovernmental conferences have been scheduled for November and December.
According to the European Commission’s roadmap, five chapters are expected to be provisionally closed at the November conference:
- Energy
- Transport policy
- Food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy
- Taxation
- Free movement of goods
The Commission plans to hold the final intergovernmental conference in December, when the remaining chapters are expected to be provisionally closed:
- Financial services
- Regional policy and coordination of structural funds
- Environment and climate change
- Foreign, security and defence policy
- Financial and budgetary provisions
- Judiciary and fundamental rights (Chapter 23)
- Justice, freedom and security (Chapter 24)
- Institutions and other issues (Chapters 34 and 35)
Montenegro opened Chapters 23 and 24, which concern the rule of law, back in 2013.
These are among the most important chapters in the accession process, as progress in these areas affects the overall pace of negotiations.
Under EU rules, they are among the first chapters to be opened and the last to be provisionally closed.
For this reason, the European Commission’s plan places their closure in the final stage of the negotiations.
In its enlargement package, which the European Commission is scheduled to publish on Wednesday, Montenegro is assessed as having continued to make progress on reforms related to fundamental rights and to have met the final benchmarks for the provisional closure of Chapters 23 and 24.
However, the closure of negotiating chapters remains provisional.
Under the rules of the accession process, agreements on individual chapters are not considered final until an overall agreement has been reached on all chapters.
Draft Accession Treaty Expected in Spring 2027
The European Commission expects the drafting of Montenegro’s EU accession treaty to be completed in spring 2027.
To achieve this, the Commission must submit the remaining part of the draft at the beginning of next year.
A special working group established in April is currently working on the treaty and meets regularly in Brussels.
The text of the agreement must subsequently be finalised and approved by all EU member states and Montenegro.
It must also be translated into all official EU languages, as well as Montenegrin.
Accession Treaty Could Be Signed in June 2027
According to the preliminary plan, Montenegro’s accession treaty could be signed in June 2027.
However, several conditions must be fulfilled before the signing can take place:
- The EU acquis must be translated into Montenegrin, with the translation reviewed by the Council of the European Union.
- The European Commission must issue a positive opinion on Montenegro’s accession.
- The European Parliament must give its consent to Montenegro’s membership.
- The Council of the European Union must approve the decision to admit Montenegro to the EU.
Monitoring Until Accession and the Possibility of Delaying Membership
Montenegro’s accession treaty is expected to be the first of a new generation of agreements incorporating stronger safeguards, in line with the new pre-accession policy published by the European Commission on September 30.
The treaty предусматри that the EU will continue monitoring Montenegro until the day it becomes a member.
For this purpose, progress reports in the form of scorecards will be prepared twice a year to assess the country’s progress.
If Montenegro backtracks on meeting the membership conditions during this period, and corrective measures fail to address the problems, the EU could postpone its accession as a last resort.
After signing, the treaty must be ratified by all EU member states and Montenegro.
Croatia, the last country to join the European Union, signed its accession treaty in December 2011 and became an EU member on July 1, 2013.
The Montenegrin government has set 2028 as its target for the country to become the European Union’s 28th member.
