Montenegro navigates final stages of EU accession
Montenegro’s Minister of Justice, Bojan Božović, said that Montenegro must seize a historic moment and complete the technical part of its European Union (EU) membership negotiations.
He added that a roadmap for closing chapters is already prepared, CE Report quotes FENA.
“No member state has entered the EU smoothly, it’s simply the way it is. It’s no different for us, but we must remain optimistic. Until this year, it hadn’t happened that we reached such a high percentage and were seen as a candidate country for the EU,” Božović said, adding that the greatest challenges for Montenegro lie ahead in chapters 27 and 31, which concern the environment, and foreign, security, and defense policy.
After a seven-year pause, Montenegro closed three chapters in January: on intellectual property, the information society, and industrial policy. This was seen as an important signal that the accession process is gaining momentum again.
However, on the same day, Croatia blocked the closure of chapter 31, which deals with foreign, security, and defense policy, while Montenegrin authorities currently claim that all conditions for closing that chapter have been met.
In December, Montenegro closed five more chapters, including key areas such as public procurement, free movement of capital, and rural development. This was regarded as a turning point toward entering a new phase of negotiations and transforming the country from a candidate to a serious EU membership contender.
Montenegro applied for EU membership in December 2008, and accession negotiations between Montenegro and the EU began in June 2012. The country still faces critical chapters 23 and 24, which concern the judiciary, rule of law, and anti-corruption efforts. The EU has emphasized that Montenegro needs to make progress in these areas to join the European family.
“We’ll see how it goes, but I expect more intergovernmental conferences to complete this process,” Božović said during an appearance on Montenegro’s national television morning program, adding that the Montenegrin government is committed to continuously monitoring the process.
The EU-Western Balkans Summit will be held in Montenegro in June 2026, and Montenegrin officials highlight that the country could potentially join the Union in 2028, although the upcoming period will bring numerous obligations that the Montenegrin administration must fulfill on its path to EU membership.
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Foto: Hina
