France has agreed to form a working group to draft a treaty on Montenegro's accession to the European Union (EU), but, at the request of Paris and with the support of some EU member states and candidate countries, an informal agreement was reached to postpone the start of its work until several conditions are met - "Vijesti" has learned.
The editorial team's sources from diplomatic circles and the Government claim that French representatives tried to "squeeze" their conditions for the working group into the EU Council conclusions on enlargement, but that, instead, an informal agreement was reached on the conditions for starting its work, which was also hinted at in the draft conclusions.
It was agreed that the working group would convene for the first time once Montenegro “has closed a sufficient number of chapters” and the EU and member states have gained insight and provided guidance “on the future format of accession treaties.” Some member states are reportedly calling for the accession treaty with Montenegro to be a model for other candidate countries.
The French justification for delaying the start of work on the agreement with Montenegro was allegedly that it was important to give member states more time in the coming period to assess the progress made in reforms. For this purpose, experts should arrive in Montenegro in early 2026 to work on the evaluation of reforms.
However, it remains unclear how many chapters are sufficient to close to convene a working group.
France is one of the EU members skeptical about the expansion of the union. That is why it blocked the closing of two chapters for Montenegro on Friday. However, after intensive diplomatic activities by representatives of Montenegro and member states, Paris gave the "green light" to the two initially blocked chapters, and all five chapters were formally closed yesterday in Brussels, at the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) between Montenegro and the EU.
Chapters 3 (Right of establishment and freedom to provide services), 4 (Free movement of capital), 6 (Commercial law), 11 (Agriculture and rural development) and 13 (Fisheries) have been closed.
This means that Montenegro has so far closed a total of 12 chapters in negotiations with the EU, which were opened in 2012. The government plans to close the remaining chapters - 21 - by the end of next year.
The EU Council could soon establish an ad hoc working group to draft an accession treaty with Montenegro, as envisaged in the draft conclusions of the EU Foreign Affairs Council (GAC), but the adoption was blocked last night by Hungary, due to its opposition to Ukraine's entry into the EU.
However, these conclusions will, as announced by the Danish Minister for European Affairs, Mary Bjere, to be transformed into conclusions of the EU Presidency, with the support of 26 member states.
"Hungary is blocking us from adopting the Council conclusions. Our attempts to find a solution were rejected. And for that I am truly sorry. As several members have said, this sends the wrong signal to the candidate countries. We want them to choose the EU, not Russia," Bjere said at a press conference.
The Draft Conclusions, which "Vijesti" had access to, emphasize that in an increasingly unstable geopolitical context, in which war is being waged on the European continent (Russian aggression against Ukraine), the EU remains a pillar of peace, prosperity and security.
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It points to Montenegro's progress and 12 closed chapters, as well as the expectation of "redrawing" additional chapters as soon as possible.
"The Council decides to establish an ad hoc working group to draft an accession treaty with Montenegro. In this regard, and as a matter of priority, the Council expects the necessary preparatory activities to ensure the efficient functioning of the ad hoc working group after its establishment, including the clarification of key principles of future accession treaties," the draft conclusions state.
As "Vijesti" reported in early October, a working group to draft an agreement (contract) on Montenegro's accession to the EU may be formed at the end of the year because Denmark is ready to put it on the agenda before the end of their presidency.
The Draft Council Conclusions, in the section on Montenegro, also state that the Council encourages the Government to continue implementing the ambitious plan for the successful conclusion of accession negotiations, and all political actors to maintain broad political consensus, step up efforts and work together to ensure further progress.
The Council states that Montenegro must continue to make progress on the path of reforms, especially in the areas of the judiciary, freedom of expression, freedom of the media, the fight against corruption and organized crime, as well as in public administration.
Kos: There's still a lot of work ahead of you.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos She said after the intergovernmental conference that Montenegro has never been closer to the EU, emphasizing that Podgorica still has a lot of work to do, especially when it comes to strengthening the rule of law, which "starts by prioritizing appointments that ensure an independent judiciary, in which judges can make decisions freely and without political pressure."
"This also means continuing the strong fight against corruption and organized crime, so that no one is above the law and so that criminal networks cannot buy influence or capture public institutions," Kos said, adding that professional institutions are needed that work fairly for every citizen, based on rules and merit, not personal connections or party loyalty.
She said that free and independent media are the backbone of every democracy.
"Finally, we expect full alignment with the EU visa policy. This work is not easy, but it is the only way to build trust with member states and be ready for EU entry," Kos added.
She said that the coming year will be decisive for Montenegro's path to the EU and that more than ever, the country will need focused and dedicated leadership and national unity to reach its goal.
Prime Minister Milojko Spajic He said that Montenegro has closed more than a third of the chapters so far, which, in his opinion, is a great success. He said that Montenegro is very grateful to France, which gave it "a somewhat more difficult task in recent days", but which has shown how European partners can work together.
Danish Minister for European Affairs Bjere said that this is a big step forward for Montenegro and the EU.
"As the EU Presidency, Denmark has been committed to ensuring that the enlargement process maintains credibility, momentum and clarity. We will continue to support Montenegro and all candidate countries in fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria and progressing towards membership," she said.
European Parliament Rapporteur for Montenegro, Marjan Sharec He stated that the progress in the negotiations that Montenegro has achieved requires a clear and equal response from the Union, "which must demonstrate through concrete decisions that enlargement is a strategic priority."
Gorčević: Support given and hope that Montenegro will become a member of the EU in 2028.
Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorcevic She said after the intergovernmental conference that she was particularly grateful that all 27 EU member states had given direct support to Montenegro to continue with the reforms it was implementing.
"This has given us support and hope that we will become the twenty-eighth member in 2028, and what is perhaps most important - the willingness has been expressed that, if we continue like this, a working group will be formed very soon to draft an accession treaty," she said.
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