Technical preparations and harmonization underway: Work on Montenegro's accession treaty has not yet formally begun

Work on the accession treaty between the European Union and Montenegro has not yet formally begun, but EU institutions are currently in the phase of technical preparations and harmonization with the European acquis.

This was unofficially told to "Vijesti" by the EU Council, explaining that experience from previous enlargements shows that working groups dealing with the drafting of accession treaties devote the first six to 12 months to technical adjustments to the EU acquis, after which the drafting of the treaty itself and accompanying legal acts follows.

The accession treaty, they state, must reflect the conditions of membership, in accordance with Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union.

The Council of the EU also explains that each member state independently determines its representatives in working groups and preparatory bodies, including the working group dealing with the accession of Montenegro.

When it comes to the dynamics of the process, Brussels emphasizes that it is not possible to precisely predict when the work will be completed, and that any estimate would constitute speculation.

"The mandate of the working group clearly defines that it will cease to exist only when work on the accession agreement with Montenegro and accompanying acts is completed," they concluded.

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 at the time 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.

The main negotiator of Montenegro with the EU Predrag Zenović He said in mid-May at a session of the Parliamentary Committee on European Integration that the Government expects the working group for drafting the Accession Treaty to 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.

He said that he would not bid on when the working group would complete its work, but that it is known for certain that it will "enter the results of the negotiation chapters into the text" and that it will have "a dominant mandate related to that legal-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 - that 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.

Montenegro has 14 closed chapters out of a total of 33 (all are open) in negotiations with the EU.

Two more chapters will be closed at today's Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels. These are Chapter 2 - Freedom of Movement for Workers and Chapter 28 - Consumer and Health Protection. This will bring the total number of chapters closed by Montenegro to 16.

The Government's plan is to close all chapters by the end of this year, so that Montenegro can become the 28th member of the Union in 2028.