Montenegro, if it continues to fulfill its obligations and with the support of the European Union (EU) institutions and member states, can reach the end of the negotiation process during the Irish presidency of the Council of the EU, said European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos.
She told reporters ahead of the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg, where the Intergovernmental Conference between the EU and Montenegro will be held today, as well as conferences with Ukraine and Moldova.
Kos said that two more negotiation chapters with Montenegro will be closed today, bringing their total number to 16.
"That's about half of the total work that Montenegro needs to complete," Kos said in a statement published on the X network.
She said that she had just returned from Ireland, which will take over the next presidency of the EU Council, and assessed that, if the European Commission, Montenegro and the member states continue to work together to fulfill their obligations, it would be possible to bring the negotiations to a conclusion during that presidency or at the end.
Kos pointed out that the enlargement process is today one of the most important instruments of EU foreign policy.
“We have accomplished more in the last 16 or 17 months than in the previous 15 years,” Kos said.
She assessed that today is a significant day for the EU's enlargement policy, recalling that Ukraine and Moldova will make the biggest step forward since receiving candidate status in 2023 by opening the first cluster of negotiations for both countries.
Kos said she expects the remaining five clusters to be opened for those two countries during July, if they continue to meet the set conditions.
Kos, in a post on the X network, stated that today is a day for celebration, but also emphasized that she will use the opportunity to appeal to candidate countries to continue the momentum of reforms.
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