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Montenegro's EU candidacy moved one step closer to the finish line on Wednesday, as EU officials began work on the accession treaty that would bring the Western Balkan country into the bloc.
EU ambassadors approved a group, known as the Ad Hoc Working Group, composed of representatives from European Union countries, which will meet regularly to fine-tune the legal details of Montenegro's EU membership path.
“This marks an important step forward in Montenegro’s accession process and sends a strong signal to all enlargement partners that EU accession remains achievable,” a spokesperson for the Cypriot presidency told POLITICO after the first meeting.
Podgorica has closed 14 of the 33 chapters that need to be provisionally closed before joining the bloc. The rule of law remains the most difficult obstacle, with Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos urging Montenegro to continue reforms.
The country of around 600,000 people became an EU candidate in 2010, four years after splitting from Serbia, and opened accession talks in 2012. It has set a goal of becoming a member by 2028, even putting the '28 out of 28' branding on its national airline.
The Commission aimed to use Montenegro as a test case for its plans to prevent another “Hungary 2.0,” a two-tiered gradual accession proposal designed to curb democratic backsliding once the countries join, but which has faced opposition from EU member states in recent months.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also met with Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic on Wednesday during a visit to the country. Milatovic wrote in X that they discussed “the main factors we need to work on as a country in the final phase of negotiations with the European Union,” including regional stability and credible NATO membership.
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