Zenović: Government expects completion of EU Accession Treaty soon after closing the last chapter

The government expects that the Working Group for the Drafting of the Treaty on the Accession of Montenegro to the European Union will complete its work not much later than the closing of the last negotiation chapter, in order to meet the goal of Montenegro becoming a member of the EU in 2028.

This was stated by Montenegro's chief negotiator with the EU, Predrag Zenović, at a session of the Parliamentary Committee on European Integration, answering questions from MPs about when the Working Group would complete its work.

The inaugural meeting of the ad hoc working group for drafting the Treaty on the Accession of Montenegro to the EU was held on 13 May. The Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU said that this "important step" sends a strong and positive message that enlargement remains a credible and promising priority, and that the European future of the Western Balkans is progressing steadily.

Zenović said that he would not bid on when the Working Group will complete its work, but it is known with certainty "that the working group will enter the results of the negotiation chapters into the text and will have a dominant mandate related to the legal and technical procedure - how to make the negotiation results part of the contract and all accompanying documents."

"Everything else, the broader political framework, what the agreement will look like in political terms, will be the mandate of COREPER (Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Governments of the EU Member States), but it is important that this work has begun and is proceeding with strong momentum," he said.

Speaking about geopolitical circumstances, Zenović said that geopolitics can accelerate, but cannot replace, the essence of the process.

"The process is being monitored by the European Commission (EC) and it must not and cannot allow any candidate country to become a member without that process being accompanied not only by the transposition of legislation but also by its full implementation," Zenović stated.

He pointed out that geopolitics may be a good framework for enlargement today, but Montenegro, as a leader in the European integration process, has an additional responsibility.

"Montenegro will be the one to open a new phase of enlargement and it is seen as a student from whom the best is expected. All those assessments that geopolitics brought a safe passage to membership are not correct, but they are not well-intentioned towards what is the historical dream of this society," said Zenović at the meeting of the Committee that adopted the 48th quarterly report on overall activities within the process of Montenegro's integration into the EU, for the period October - December 2025 and the 24th semi-annual report on overall activities within the process of Montenegro's integration into the European Union, for the period July - December 2025, and considered the Programme for the Accession of Montenegro to the European Union 2026-2027.

MP from the ruling Europe Now Movement Branka Marković said that the Parliament will make its contribution (to the EU accession process).

"We are here all summer if necessary, we will not go on vacation, just to get the job done and become a member of the EU in 2028," she said.