Brussels – Montenegro has taken another step towards accession to the European Union by provisionally closing a further two negotiation chapters: Chapter 1, on the free movement of goods, and Chapter 12, on food safety and veterinary and phytosanitary policies. The agreement was reached today (6 November) during the third Intergovernmental Conference between Brussels and Podgorica, held under the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU.
With these two new closures, the number of chapters provisionally closed out of the total of 33 opened by Montenegro as part of its accession process has risen to 23. This progress follows the previous Intergovernmental Conference on 12 October, when Chapters 17 (economic and monetary policy), 18 (statistics) and 19 (social policy and employment) were closed.
“I very much welcome the progress made today,” said the Irish Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, emphasising that enlargement is “a geopolitical necessity for the EU” and that the Irish Presidency regards this agenda as a priority.
Further impetus was also given to Podgorica’s progress by the enlargement report published this week by the European Commission, which stated that accession negotiations with Montenegro could realistically be concluded by the end of 2026, provided the country carries out the necessary reforms.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
