The draft program for Montenegro's accession to the European Union for the period 2026–2027 envisages the adoption of 564 acts, of which 490 in 2026, while 122 obligations are directly related to meeting benchmarks and closing negotiation chapters, the Ministry of European Affairs (MEP) announced.
Within this framework, as stated by State Secretary at the MEP Biljana Papović, 22 strategic documents, 48 laws and 52 by-laws are planned, and the obligations that represent a condition for closing the chapter in the document are marked in blue.
"Montenegro, in accordance with previous practice, faces a large number of obligations within the document itself, but it is necessary to make a clear distinction between those arising from the final benchmarks, i.e. the closure of negotiation chapters," said Papović at the presentation of the Draft EU Accession Programme of Montenegro (PPCG).
She emphasized that these obligations are the priority of the Government and the negotiating structure in the first two quarters of 2026, when the deadline for their implementation is set, all with the aim of closing all negotiation chapters by the end of 2026.
Acting Director General Denis Vukotić said that the PPCG represents a key strategic document of European integration, which defines the scope and dynamics of reforms necessary for harmonisation with the acquis communautaire and which, due to the continuous development of the EU acquis, is updated annually to reflect the latest changes and ensure harmonisation of national legislation with European standards.
He explained that the preparation of the PPCG began during the fourth quarter of 2025, with the aim of harmonizing the document with the new EU acquis from the period from October 1, 2024 to October 31, 2025, as well as with the dynamics of adopting national legislative and strategic documents necessary for the finalization of accession negotiations by the end of 2026.
"The preparation of the Programme for the Accession of Montenegro to the European Union for the period 2026–2027 involved a detailed analysis of 2.625 Union acts, with the relevant regulations being transposed into the national legal order being translated into planning obligations contained in the Programme," he stated.
As he added, the program is designed to clearly separate activities that represent an immediate prerequisite for closing negotiation chapters from those that are carried out within the regular process of further alignment with the acquis communautaire.
"Activities of key importance for closing the chapters are planned in the first two quarters of the year, in accordance with the practice of the European Commission according to which all obligations must be implemented at least four months before the planned closure of negotiation chapters," said Vukotić.
The Head of the Department for Agriculture and Fisheries at the Ministry of European Affairs, Granica Kovačević Petrić, presented the statistical aspect of the document, pointing out the scope of commitments within the strategic and legislative framework by year, with a special focus on negotiation chapters and institutions with the largest number of planned commitments.
In this context, she pointed out that the Draft PPCG planned the largest number of obligations in six negotiation chapters: 14 - Transport Policy (81 obligations); 12 - Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Affairs (80 obligations); 1 - Free Movement of Goods and Chapter 13 with the same number of obligations (55 obligations); 27 - Environment and Climate Change (37 obligations) and 23 - Judiciary and Fundamental Rights (28 obligations).
She said that the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management planned the most obligations - 94 obligations; the Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Administration - 80 obligations; the Ministry of Finance - 62 obligations; the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Development of the North - 41 obligations; the Ministry of Economic Development - 38 obligations; the Ministry of Transport - 36 obligations.
The MEP announced that the meeting, which was attended by representatives of the Committee on European Integration of the Parliament of Montenegro, members of the negotiating structure and non-governmental organizations, was an opportunity to exchange opinions with the aim of finalizing this strategic document in the best possible way.
Biljana Papović emphasized that it is extremely important for Montenegro to complete the negotiation process by the end of 2026, pointing out that the deadlines are short and, bearing in mind the importance of the role and activities of civil society in the EU accession process, she called on representatives of non-governmental organizations to get involved and contribute to completing the work in a quality and timely manner.
"During the discussion, civil society representatives showed interest in an overview of the status of fulfillment of obligations in the previous year. They also expressed interest in the adoption of acts under urgent procedure, issues of amendments to the Constitution, as well as issues of gender identity based on self-determination," the statement said.
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