Strasbourg – The European Parliament also has a role to play in Montenegro’s EU accession negotiations, as it approaches the final stretch of a 14-year journey and counting. “The last time the Parliament ratified an Accession Treaty for a future member state was with Croatia in December 2011. I genuinely hope you will do the same with Montenegro during this mandate,” Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović said before the MEPs.
During his address to the plenary session of the European Parliament on 16 June, President Milatović drew on Podgorica’s most recent progress on its EU path – the closure of two further negotiating chapters and the ongoing drafting of the Accession Treaty – to stress that “Montenegro stands at the doors of the European Union” just 20 years after its independence.
“This is a historic moment for my country, but also a crucial moment for enlargement policy,” he said, recalling that the last country joined the EU almost fifteen years ago – Croatia in 2011 – while, in the meantime, another has left the Union – the United Kingdom. “Therefore, this moment is an opportunity for Europe to demonstrate that reforms, democratic development and strategic consistency have a rightful place within the European project,” Milatović added.
“This Parliament has always been a strong supporter of Montenegro, and you can continue to count on that as we approach the final stretch towards accession,” European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said, welcoming the Montenegrin leader.
Responding to calls to green-light Podgorica’s Accession Treaty before the end of the current mandate in 2029 – which depends on the drafting of the text by the Commission and the Council – President Metsola made clear that “we want your voice in this House as we make decisions – your ideas, insights and energy as we work towards a better future for all Europeans.” With the hope that “one day soon, we may see Montenegrin Members of the European Parliament joining colleagues in these seats.”
The 27th in 1878, the 28th in 2028
Speaking before the plenary session in Strasbourg, President Milatović offered an insight that expands on the well-established notion of Montenegro becoming the 28th EU member state by 2028. “In 1878, at the Congress of Berlin, Montenegro became the 27th internationally recognised state,” he told MEPs. “After a century and a half, the time has come to shape history once again.”
Beyond the rhetoric, Podgorica’s accession to the EU “will mark the beginning of the fulfilment of the promise” made at the 2003 Thessaloniki Summit, where the EU perspective of the Western Balkans was reaffirmed, before former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker effectively stalled the enlargement process just two years after Montenegro opened accession talks in 2012.
Such a step would “restore confidence” in the enlargement policy, contribute to the region’s “long-term stability”, and “strengthen Europe’s global role”, he added. For this reason, President Milatović made clear that he was not speaking “merely about the accession of one country”, but rather about “the EU’s capacity to fulfil its own promises to the Western Balkans and uphold the principles upon which it was built“. Among those principles, one stood at the core of his message: “Progress must be measured by results, and those results must be recognised.”
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.
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.
To date, all 33 screened negotiating chapters have been opened, and 16 have been provisionally closed.
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.
