Montenegro has adopted and submitted negotiating positions for nine chapters to the European Commission, while the remaining six will be submitted by the end of September. The goal is to close all negotiating chapters by the end of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU, through several intergovernmental conferences, Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorčević said at an informal meeting of EU ministers for European affairs in Dublin, held as part of the Irish Presidency of the EU.
She stressed that accelerating the accession process for Montenegro does not mean shortcuts or lowering standards, but rather an expectation that the merit-based principle should work in both directions.
“Montenegro is not asking for special treatment. We have shown that we can deliver results and we expect every result achieved to be followed by corresponding progress in the process. The destination remains full membership by 2028, with equal rights and equal responsibilities,” Gorčević said.
Gorčević recalled that over the past three years, Montenegro has translated its political commitment to European integration into measurable results, which has enabled a significant acceleration of the negotiating process.
She stressed that, in parallel with the final stage of the negotiations, Montenegro is systematically preparing for the obligations that membership will bring, through further strengthening the professionalism of the public administration, improving institutional capacities and training officials.
“We are not building an administration just to complete the accession process. We are preparing the administration for full membership,” Gorčević said.
The Minister also pointed to strong public support for Montenegro’s European path, noting that around 70 per cent of citizens support membership in the European Union.
“That is one of the strongest foundations of our European path and an additional obligation to bring the process to its conclusion,” Gorčević said.
She said that the upcoming enlargement package would represent an important political moment for Montenegro, but also for the European Union as a whole.
“We expect recognition of the results achieved, an objective assessment of the work ahead of us and a clear presentation of the progress Montenegro has made. Let Montenegro be the answer to the question of why the European Union remains the right place to which we aspire,” Gorčević concluded.
MINISTRY OF EUROPEAN AFFAIRS