Montenegro’s successful EU accession would send “a powerful message” across the Western Balkans

Tivat – Everything passes through Montenegro, for a new enlargement of the European Union in the Balkans – 13 years after Croatia joined – and for the revival of a process that is once again a “strategic policy rather than a purely bureaucratic exercise.”

Speaking to The New Union Post on the margins of the 2026 EU–Western Balkans Summit hosted in Tivat on 5 June, Ambassador Petar Marković, Head of Mission of Montenegro to the EU, sets out the main message and the significance of the “largest political gathering of European leaders in our history,” at a moment when the country sees the finish line. “This is a chance for a new beginning.”

After years of a vicious circle of “ineffective” conditionality on the EU side and “faked and disingenuous” reforms on the part of candidate countries, the question today is different: how can the political unification of Europe be carried out in a way that strengthens the Union itself? “If the EU wants to demonstrate that enlargement remains credible, there needs to be a country that reaches the finish line. Montenegro is in a position to become that country,” Ambassador Marković makes clear.

With 14 negotiating chapters provisionally closed – and two more in the pipeline, possibly even four by the end of the summer – and an Accession Treaty currently being drafted, Podgorica’s experience demonstrates that EU enlargement, “although increasingly difficult as it attempts to keep pace with the Union’s shifting target, still works when there is strong political steering and measurable commitment on both sides.” A successful Montenegrin EU accession “would send a powerful message” across the Western Balkans that “reforms matter, commitments matter, and that the European project remains open to those who are prepared to do the work.”

While candidate countries must undertake “difficult” reforms, the Union is asked to demonstrate that progress is not only “recognised and rewarded” but also “faster-paced and mutually reinforcing.” A step in this direction is the upcoming opening of negotiations on extending the free roaming area to the Western Balkans – “finally levelling the playing field” with Ukraine and Moldova – alongside expectations of “more tangible and equal access” to the Single Market.

According to Ambassador Marković, the fact that the 2026 EU–Western Balkans Summit is taking place in Montenegro represents an “important signal” both of the progress of the frontrunner candidate and of a “broader recognition” that the Western Balkans’ future within the Union “is truly within reach.”

Not to forget that, thanks to “out-of-the-box proposals” such as the German–French non-paper, the high-level Summit in Tivat represents a “timely opportunity for open and strategic discussion” among EU and Western Balkans leaders to “rescue the enlargement policy from the dustbin of history and restore its rightful place as the most successful tool” in the EU’s toolbox. As the Head of Mission of Montenegro to the EU to the EU puts it, this is the only “inbuilt mechanism” of territorial, economic and regulatory expansion, “not through war and conquest but through consensual, almost Kantian, progress towards a shared community of the rule of law and values.”

The way forward for Montenegro’s EU accession

Discussions are ongoing in the Council on the potential closure of Chapter 2 (Freedom of Movement of Workers) and Chapter 28 (Consumer and Health Protection), which could be adopted at an Accession Conference on the margins of the General Affairs Council on 16 June. Moreover, the drafting of the common position on Chapter 8 (Competition Policy) and Chapter 29 (Customs Union) is also on the table at technical level.

As Ambassador Marković highlights, Montenegro is “no longer discussing a distant accession perspective,” nor is it engaged in cherry-picking “where to reform fully and where to make compromises” in the face of political realities and particular interests. In recent months, “a dynamic unseen since Croatia joined the Union” has led to a “shared understanding” between Podgorica, the institutions in Brussels and the 27 EU capitals that “this process has entered a decisive phase.”

Without speculating on the exact number of chapters to be provisionally closed at the next Accession Conferences – “at least two additional this summer” – the Montenegrin Ambassador points to “substantial progress” on the fulfilment of all closing benchmarks in the remaining chapters “by the end of the Irish Presidency” (31 December 2026). This would determine whether Montenegro can conclude negotiations in early 2027 and join the EU by 2028.

Podgorica is not scared by member states that have traditionally been sceptical of EU enlargement. Following encouraging developments such as the joint Franco-German initiative and French President Emmanuel Macron‘s explicit support, “the old map of enlargement sceptics and enlargement supporters is becoming less relevant.” It is also worth noting that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, growing global geopolitical competition and questions around European security “have changed the context in which enlargement is viewed.”

Ambassador Marković explains that countries like France “are no longer asking whether enlargement should happen,” as the discussion has shifted to “which candidate countries can deliver, and when and how.” A decade after Brexit, its “ripple effects must finally be reversed.” However, it must not be forgotten that the final say for the ratification of the new Accession Treaty in some EU member states – including France – lies not in the institutions but in citizens’ will through referendums.

For this reason, trust in EU enlargement must be reinforced within current member states as well. From Podgorica’s perspective, “we have consistently argued that enlargement should remain merit-based,” with all requirements and reforms matched by strong political support “if it is to serve as a viable model for other candidates.”

In any case, the fact that some member states once considered the most cautious are today among the strongest supporters of Montenegro’s EU path “speaks volumes,” Ambassador Marković makes clear. “Results still matter in the European Union – it remains a normative powerhouse and a beacon for an increasingly volatile world.”

The state of EU-Montenegro relations

Montenegro submitted its application for EU membership in 2008. Candidate status was granted in June 2010, and accession negotiations began in 2012. To date, all 33 screened negotiating chapters have been opened, and 14 have been provisionally closed.

Moreover, in June 2024, Podgorica received a positive Interim Benchmark Assessment Report (IBAR), indicating that it has met the interim benchmarks in Chapter 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights) and Chapter 24 (Justice, Freedom and Security) – a prerequisite for closing chapters deemed ready for provisional closure.

On 22 April 2026, the EU ambassadors endorsed the establishment of the Ad Hoc Working Party on Drafting the Accession Treaty, which started working on 13 May. Montenegro is considered the most advanced country in the EU enlargement process, with the aim of closing all chapters by the end of 2026.