Government Members meet with COELA representatives: Negotiations can be successfully concluded by the end of the year

A meeting between members of the Government and the negotiating structure and members of the Working Party on Enlargement and Countries Negotiating Accession to the EU (COELA) and the Working Party for the drafting of Montenegro’s Accession Treaty to the European Union was held in Podgorica today. The meeting reaffirmed strong support for finalising the accession negotiation process by the end of 2026 and achieving Montenegro’s full membership in the European Union in 2028.

Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Filip Ivanović said that the reform process is nearing completion and that the remaining legislation and all documentation to be adopted by the Government will be finalised very soon, after which Parliament will adopt the final pieces of legislation necessary for closing the remaining negotiating chapters.

“This means that, within the shortest possible timeframe, Montenegro, together with all its institutions, will be fully ready to close all negotiating chapters,” Deputy Prime Minister Ivanović said, expressing the expectation that the European Union and its Member States would subsequently confirm this achievement. He stressed that this would be a joint effort and that Montenegro counts on the support of the Member States during the final stage of the accession negotiation process.

Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorčević said that, while Montenegro is fulfilling its obligations, it also counts on the Member States to ensure that measurable progress is translated into concrete decisions, both on the closure of negotiating chapters and on advancing preparations for the Accession Treaty.

“I believe that Montenegro’s choice to become a member of the European Union is unequivocal. Equal responsibilities imply equal rights, and vice versa,” Gorčević said.

The Minister said that Montenegro should become an equal EU Member State, as it has demonstrated that it is not only a predictable but also a reliable partner on which the Union can count.

“We have demonstrated this not only now, over the past three years, but from the very beginning of the accession negotiations. Our 100 per cent alignment with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy has confirmed this for years,” Gorčević said.

Minister of the Interior Danilo Šaranović stressed that, in the final stage of the accession negotiations, Montenegro is committed to achieving concrete and sustainable results under Chapter 24, through strengthening the rule of law, migration and asylum management, improving border control and reinforcing the security sector.

“Our commitment to border security is reflected not only in the policies we implement, but also in the resources we allocate. In the 2026 capital budget, we have allocated €54 million for the modernisation of the police, as well as up to €21 million for the procurement of state-of-the-art scanning equipment for border crossing points and the Port of Bar.”

Speaking about the fight against organised crime and corruption, he stressed that organised crime must not be allowed to find shelter within state institutions and that no one can be above the law, noting that internal control, anti-corruption mechanisms and the operational capacities of the police are being strengthened at the same time.

As part of the meeting, two working sessions were held, focusing on the closure of the remaining negotiating chapters and the preparation of the Accession Treaty. Chief Negotiator Predrag Zenović and members of the negotiating structure held discussions with COELA members.

Representatives of COELA conveyed the strong support of the Member States for completing the comprehensive reform process and provisionally closing the remaining negotiating chapters by the end of the year.