Montenegro will provisionally close two additional negotiating chapters with the European Union on Friday during an Intergovernmental Conference, European Affairs Minister Maida Gorčević announced on Thursday.
Speaking in the Montenegrin Parliament, Gorčević said she had received confirmation from Brussels that Chapters 1 and 12 would be closed. Chapter 1 concerns the free movement of goods, while Chapter 12 covers food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy.
“I believe that when speaking about the achievements of this Government and Montenegro as a whole, we can say that they continue to accumulate,” Gorčević said while responding to parliamentary questions.
Montenegro has so far provisionally closed 21 of the 33 negotiating chapters. Friday’s decision would bring that number to 23.
Gorčević said the current government had significantly accelerated the country’s European integration process in less than three years, moving Montenegro from years of stagnation towards the final stage of accession negotiations and preparations for an EU Accession Treaty.
According to the minister, Montenegro had fulfilled the requirements for the provisional closure of the remaining negotiating chapters by the end of October and submitted its negotiating positions to the European Commission and the Council of the EU.
The government’s objective is to conclude accession negotiations by the end of 2026, sign the Accession Treaty in 2027 and secure EU membership in 2028.
The European Commission presented its annual Montenegro progress report on Wednesday, describing the country’s achievements in the accession process as exceptional. The Commission said Montenegro could complete negotiations by the end of this year, provided EU member states give their approval.
Presenting the report in Podgorica, EU Ambassador to Montenegro Johann Sattler said EU membership was within Montenegro’s reach. He noted that, for the first time, the European Commission had concluded that a candidate country was ready to complete its accession negotiations.
However, Sattler stressed that Montenegro must maintain its focus on reforms during the final stage of the process. Key priorities include constitutional changes, necessary judicial appointments and resolving outstanding bilateral issues with Croatia.
He also highlighted the need for stronger results in combating high-level corruption, saying the EU expects more final convictions and more efficient judicial proceedings.
Although significant progress has been made in strengthening the rule of law, lengthy court proceedings remain a concern, and the EU will continue monitoring the implementation of reforms until Montenegro joins the bloc.
Prime Minister Milojko Spajić described the European Commission’s report as the most positive to date, expressing confidence that it could be Montenegro’s last annual progress report as an EU candidate country.
He said the Commission had supported the government’s ambition to provisionally close all negotiating chapters by the end of 2026, confirming that Podgorica and Brussels were aligned on the timeline for completing the negotiations.
Spajić stressed that the progress achieved was the result of collective efforts by state institutions rather than the work of any single individual. He also called for continued reforms, consistent implementation of legislation and lasting results in the fight against organised crime and corruption.
The European Commission confirmed that preparations for Montenegro’s EU Accession Treaty had already begun. According to the current timeline, the agreement could be signed as early as June 2027.
Montenegro has been negotiating EU membership since June 2012 and aims to become the bloc’s 28th member in 2028. However, accession will require the ratification of the treaty by all EU member states.
