Accession of Montenegro to the European Union

After voting for independence from Serbia and Montenegro in 2006, Montenegro began the process of accession to the European Union by agreeing to a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU, which officially came into force on 1 May 2010. Montenegro officially applied to join the EU on 15 December 2008. Membership negotiations began on 29 June 2012.

It is one of nine current EU candidate countries, together with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine. Among the 6 candidates with open negotiations (Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, Moldova and Ukraine), the most advanced stage of the negotiations—defined as meeting the interim benchmarks for negotiation chapter 23 and 24 which allow the closing process of all negotiation chapters to start—has so far been reached by Montenegro and Albania. As of early October 2026, 15 out of 33 chapters remain to be closed.

As of 2026, Montenegro's goal is to achieve membership of the EU by 2028, and the European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stated that Montenegro could complete the negotiation process by that date, placing it at the forefront of the enlargement process.

History

Since Montenegro's potential candidate status was granted

Montenegro's path toward European Union membership stretches back to December 2002, when it was still part of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. As a potential candidate, Montenegro was drawn into the broader framework of the EU's Stabilisation and Association Process (SAP), which was designed to guide the Western Balkans countries through political and economic reforms in preparation for eventual membership. The country's European integration track accelerated sharply following its independence in 2006, after which the EU moved quickly to establish a formal bilateral relationship, opening the door to a Stabilisation and Association Agreement, membership application, candidate status, and the launch of accession negotiations in 2012.

Identification

Montenegro was granted potential candidate status in December 2002, when it was still in a union with Serbia. The EU recognised the new and independent country's European Perspective on 21 June 2003 at the Thessaloniki Summit. The adoption of the Thessaloniki Declaration of 2003 was a promise by the EU that the former Yugoslav republics along with Albania have "unequivocal support for future integration and full membership of these states in the Union."

Following the 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum on 21 May 2006, in which 55.5% of voters supported independence, Montenegro declared independence from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro on 3 June 2006. The EU moved swiftly to recognise the new state and establish bilateral relations. A mandate for direct negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) was established in July 2006, and separate negotiations with an independent Montenegro began in September 2006. The Agreement was initialled in Podgorica on 15 March 2007 and formally signed in Luxembourg on 15 October 2007. On 13 November 2007, the Parliament of Montenegro ratified the SAA along with an interim agreement and agreements on visa liberalisation and readmission. On 1 January 2008, the Interim Agreement on trade and related issues, the Visa Liberalisation Agreement, and the Readmission Agreement all entered into force. The SAA itself entered into full force on 1 May 2010, after ratification by all 27 EU member states.

The SAA established a broad framework for political dialogue, economic cooperation, and the gradual harmonisation of Montenegrin law with the EU acquis. It committed Montenegro to democratic principles, the rule of law, respect for human rights, and cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. It also provided for the progressive establishment of a bilateral free trade area over a maximum period of five years, and made Montenegro eligible for EU financial assistance conditional on continued progress toward the Copenhagen criteria.

Membership application

Montenegro officially applied to join the EU on 15 December 2008. The application was submitted by Prime Minister Milo Đukanović to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who at the time held the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. The submission was presented during a ceremony in Brussels and built upon the foundation of the SAA, emphasising Montenegro's commitment to aligning with EU standards in areas such as the rule of law, economic reforms, and regional cooperation.

Questionnaire

On 23 April 2009, the Council invited the European Commission to submit its opinion on the application. The Commission presented Montenegro with a questionnaire to assess its application on 22 July 2009. On 9 December 2009, Montenegro delivered its answers to the EC questionnaire. In 2010, the Commission issued a favourable opinion on Montenegro's application, identifying seven key priorities that would need to be addressed for negotiations to begin.

Recommendation

The European Commission issued a favourable opinion on Montenegro's membership application on 9 November 2010, recommending it as a candidate country. The Commission's opinion identified seven key priority areas that Montenegro would need to address before accession negotiations could begin, including the rule of law, the fight against corruption and organised crime, and the freedom of the press. Montenegro officially was granted candidate status by the European Council on 17 December 2010.

Candidacy

Following the granting of candidate status, the Council agreed in December 2011 to launch the accession process, with a view to opening formal negotiations by June 2012. The accession negotiations with Montenegro were formally opened on 29 June 2012 at the first ministerial-level meeting of the Intergovernmental Accession Conference in Brussels. Montenegro was the first Western Balkans country to begin negotiations under the EU's "new approach," which required that Chapters 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights) and 24 (Justice, Freedom and Security) be opened first and remain open throughout the negotiation process, given their centrality to democratic reform.

Negotiations proceeded gradually over the following years. The screening of all 33 negotiating chapters was completed by June 2013, and the Council regularly opened chapters in subsequent years through a series of Intergovernmental Conferences. However, progress toward the provisional closure of chapters remained slow through much of the 2010s. By 2018, the accession process had effectively stalled due to a lack of substantial progress in the rule-of-law area and insufficient political will for reform.

Momentum resumed following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which prompted the EU to reinvigorate its enlargement policy as a strategic priority. In May 2021 the Council had already agreed to apply a revised enlargement methodology to the accession negotiations with Montenegro and Serbia, placing stronger emphasis on fundamental reforms and providing greater political impetus. Following the election of Prime Minister Milojko Spajić in October 2023, Montenegro's government regained momentum, reaching agreement on long-delayed judicial appointments and accelerating its reform agenda. In June 2024, Podgorica received a positive Interim Benchmark Assessment Report (IBAR), confirming that it had met the interim benchmarks in Chapters 23 and 24 — a prerequisite for provisional closure of other negotiating chapters. All 33 negotiating chapters have since been opened, and as of early October 2026, eighteen have been provisionally closed.

Ad Hoc Working Party

On May 1, 2026, the EU approved an Ad Hoc Working Party made up of representatives from various EU countries to work out the legal fine print on Montenegro's accession. According to one diplomat the document will be around 80 percent to 85 percent identical to Croatia's accession treaty. At the time Montenegro had closed out 14 of the 33 chapters needed for accession, and had set out a timetable to join the EU by 2028. The EU has rapidly accelerated their accession process and intends for Montenegro to act as an experiment in "two-tier" accession to join the EU but without veto powers. On May 27 Montenegro's Prime Minister Milojko Spajić led a delegation which met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace where Macron, one of the leading proponents of the "two-tier" system, stated “Montenegro can count on French support in the final stage of the EU accession process.”

One of the major final hurdles is the issue of the Montenegrin language which, if Montenegro would join the EU, would become one of the bloc's official languages. EU diplomats have raised issue with the prospect of employing a group of Montenegrin interpreters since the language is so similar to Croatian.

7 more chapters are free with a Lably account.

Treaties

Stabilisation and Association Agreement

The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro started the process of Accession to the European Union in November 2005, when negotiations over a Stabilisation and Association Agreement began. The EU concluded such agreements with states that wish to become members. In exchange for commitments to political, economic, trade, or human rights reform in the country, tariff-free access to some or all EU markets (industrial goods, agricultural products, etc.), and financial or technical assistance may be offered by the EU.

In May 2006, Montenegro voted for independence in a referendum, and the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro was dissolved. Serbia continued with the existing SAA negotiations, and separate negotiations were launched with Montenegro in September 2006.

The Agreement was initiated on 15 March 2007 and signed on 15 October 2007. After all the 27 member-states of EU had ratified the SAA, it came into force on 1 May 2010.

EU programs and organisations

Eastern Partnership: 22 January 2007
Energy Community: joined 15 December 2006
European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity:
Southeast Europe Transport Community: since establishment in 2017

Public opinion

Montenegro's population is overwhelmingly pro-EU, with 76.2% being in favour according to polling and only 9.8% against, in October 2009.

As of May 2023, the support of the citizens of Montenegro for the country's membership in the European Union reached a record high of 79.3%, according to a survey commissioned by the EU Delegation to Montenegro. The survey reported 75.9% of citizens believe that Montenegro will become a member of the EU. Over 90% of citizens would vote in the referendum, and 81.1% of those voting would support Montenegro's membership in the EU.

According to a survey carried out in March and April 2025 by Eurobarometer, 83% of citizens of Montenegro tend to trust the EU, while 17% tend not to trust it. When it comes to EU membership, the situation is similar: more than 80% of citizens of Montenegro believe it would be a good thing.

According to the 2025 annual survey of opinion in Montenegro, 60% of citizens have a positive attitude towards the EU (16% very positive, 44% fairly positive), while trust in the EU is 69%. It is also revealed that 64% of citizens would vote in favour of Montenegro's membership of the EU if a referendum was held, while 75% of citizens believe that EU membership would bring more advantages than disadvantages.

Negotiations and conditions

Montenegro signed an agreement with the Bulgarian government in December 2007 in which Bulgaria would assist Montenegro with its Euro-Atlantic and EU integration for the following three years. Reports at that time indicated Montenegro had ecological, judicial, and crime-related problems that may hinder its accession bid.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Montenegro has a special agency dedicated to accession to the EU, the Office for Assistance to the Chief Negotiator. The office's goal is to support the task of the Chief Negotiator for Montenegro's Accession to the EU, Zorka Kordić. On 27 July 2010, the Parliament passed a non-discrimination law that includes sexual orientation and gender identity as prohibited grounds of discrimination. This was one of the requirements the country had to meet for EU membership.

In December 2011, the Council agreed to launch the accession process, with negotiations beginning on 29 June 2012.

The 2015 European Commission Progress Report on Montenegro noted that the country had made good progress toward meeting the benchmarks to join the EU, but the nation needed to address institutional frameworks, including competition policy, fighting against corruption and organized crime, and work in the areas of the environment and climate change. A 2015 study of the readiness to join the EU by using data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey collected from enterprise owners and management indicated that Montenegro passed three out of six business dimensions: basic infrastructure, goods delivery, and secure legal secure environment, but was lower than four other candidate nations in resources, technology support, and regulations.

In its 2016 assessment of the accession progress, the European Parliament identified Montenegro as having the highest level of preparation for membership among the negotiating candidate nations.

From 2014 through 2020, Montenegro received €279.1 million of developmental aid (not including the allocation for Cross-border Cooperation) from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, a funding mechanism for EU candidate countries. The priority areas for these funds include: democracy and governance, rule of law and fundamental rights, environment and climate action, transport, competitiveness and innovation, education, employment and social policies, agriculture and rural development, regional and territorial cooperation.

With all the negotiating chapters opened as of 2021, Montenegro had widespread support among EU members' officials with possible accession to the EU considered by 2025.

On 22 April 2026 EU ambassadors approved the creation of an ad hoc working group for the drafting of Montenegro's accession treaty.

As of early October 2026, fifteen chapters are open, eighteen have been provisionally closed, and in two which there is nothing to adopt.

The Parliament of Montenegro voted on amendments to the Constitution of Montenegro on 6 July 2026. These amendments were needed to fulfill benchmarks for the closing of Chapter 23 (Judiciary & Fundamental Rights) and Chapter 24 (Justice, Freedom & Security).

On 17 August 2026, the Constitutional Committee of the Parliament of Montenegro approved a proposal for constitutional amendments concerning the Judicial and Prosecutorial Councils and the Central Bank of Montenegro (CBCG) and a constitutional law regulating their implementation. Chair of the Constitutional Committee Jelena Božović said the amendments proposed by the government had been coordinated with the European Commission and were linked to the country’s obligations under closing negotiating Chapters 17 and 23. The Parliament of Montenegro adopted constitutional amendments on 24 August 2026 that change the composition and appointment procedures of the Judicial and Prosecutorial Councils, reduce the direct influence of the executive branch over the judiciary, and provide additional guarantees for the independence of the Central Bank of Montenegro.

At the next accession conference with Montenegro, another four or five chapters are expected to be provisionally closed, according to Montenegrin daily Pobjeda.

On 27 August 2026, the announced closure of the new negotiating chapters with the EU will be accompanied by coordinated hybrid actions involving officials from at least two countries in the region, announced by prime minister Milojko Spajić.

On 31 August 2026, the European Commission stated that any interference in Montenegro’s EU accession process would be unacceptable. Responding to questions from Vijesti about prime minister Spajić’s statement that the closing of negotiating chapters would be accompanied by hybrid activities, involving at least two countries from the region, the Commission stated that the EU was already supporting the Montenegrin authorities in addressing growing hybrid threats, including those aimed at disrupting the country’s European path. They added that it remained in close contact with the Montenegrin authorities and continued to closely monitor developments in order to support Montenegro’s stability and its path towards EU membership.

Local media in Montenegro learned that the EU was preparing a new, accelerated plan to complete accession negotiations with Montenegro, which envisages closing all remaining chapters by the end of 2026 and preparing the first draft of the Accession Treaty.

The government adopted the country's updated negotiating position on Chapter 15, which has been agreed with the European Commission and confirms that Montenegro has fulfilled all final benchmarks in aligning its energy sector with the EU aquis. This creates the conditions for the provisional closure of chapter 15 on 19 November 2026.

According to the Montenegrin Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorčević, Chapter 18 (Statistics) will be provisionally closed during the next General Affairs Council meeting, which was expected to be held on 22 September 2026 but got cancelled. On 18 September 2026, Montenegro’s public broadcaster RTCG reported that the intergovernmental conference that was expected to take place on 22 September 2026 would not be held.

Podgorica-based daily Dan reported on 19 September 2026, citing an unnamed source in Brussels, that the Netherlands had requested a pause in Montenegro’s further EU integration in order to allow for an additional assessment of the country’s compliance with EU standards.

On 20 September 2026, Montenegro’s Ministry of European Affairs called on the media to carefully verify information concerning the country’s EU accession negotiations, after reports emerged that five EU member states had sought to halt Montenegro’s accession process. Claims are also denied by the EU delegation in Podgorica. The Ministry said that, as the negotiations approach their final stage, there has been an increase of disinformation and content displaying characteristics of both domestic and foreign information manipulation, particularly regarding the positions of EU member states, the pace of negotiations and the closure of negotiating chapters. According to Dan, Croatia, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia joined the Dutch request, making it uncertain when Montenegro could close additional negotiating chapters and hold its next intergovernmental conference. The EU delegation in Podgorica dismissed the claims as unfounded, noting that the scheduling of intergovernmental conferences and the closure of negotiating chapters require the completion of the relevant procedures, compliance with EU standards and the consent of all member states. At the same time, the Delegation said Montenegro had made significant progress in its accession negotiations but needed to continue implementing the remaining reforms, particularly in the area of the rule of law.

Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorčević told the RTCG on 20 September 2026 that there was neither a political nor a technical blockade of Montenegro’s EU path and that the member states had not slowed down the negotiation procedures. She said that Chapter 18, covering statistics, and Chapter 19, covering social policy and employment, were ready to be closed, but that the completion of the procedure in the Dutch parliament was still required.

According to Marta Kos, Montenegro is in the final phase of negotiations with the EU and at the next intergovernmental conference in mid-October 2026 is expected to close several more negotiating chapters.

Ursula von der Leyen stressed that Montenegro has made progress in reforms “and that is why it had closed so many chapters”, adding that “EU membership is within reach, which will send a strong message to the Western Balkans”, it was reported by Vijesti. She underlined that “the work is now advancing to prepare Montenegro’s Accession Treaty”.

Current chapter status tables

Economy

Developmental Aid

Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance

IPA I
€236 M
(2007-2013)

IPA II
€271 M
(2014-2020)

IPA III
c. €300 M
(2021-2027)

Unilateral euro adoption

Montenegro has no currency of its own. As a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia following World War II, and later of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Montenegro used the Yugoslav dinar as its official currency. In November 1999, the government of Montenegro unilaterally designated the Deutsche Mark as its co-official currency with the dinar, and on 1 January 2001 the dinar officially ceased to be a legal tender in Montenegro. When the euro was introduced and the Deutsche Mark yielded in 2002, Montenegro followed suit and began using the euro as well, with no objection from the European Central Bank (ECB).

The European Commission and the ECB have since voiced their discontent over Montenegro's unilateral use of the euro on several occasions. A statement attached to their Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU read: "unilateral introduction of the euro was not compatible with the Treaty." The EU insists on the strict adherence to convergence criteria (such as spending at least 2 years in the ERM II system) which are not negotiable before euro adoption, but have not intervened to stop the unilateral adoption of the euro by Montenegro in 2002. The issue is expected to be resolved through the negotiations process. The ECB has stated that the implications of unilateral euro adoption "would be spelled out at the latest in the event of possible negotiations on EU accession."

Diplomats have suggested that it is unlikely Montenegro will be forced to withdraw the euro from circulation in their country. Radoje Žugić, Montenegro's Minister of Finance, has stated that "it would be extremely economically irrational to return to our currency and then later to again go back to the euro." Instead, he hopes that Montenegro will be permitted to keep the euro and has promised "the government of Montenegro, will adopt some certain elements, which should fulfill the conditions for further use of the euro; such as adopting fiscal rules."

Travel

Schengen Visa liberalisation process

On 1 January 2008, the visa facilitation and readmission agreements between Montenegro and the EU entered into force. Montenegro was added to the list of visa exempt nationals on 19 December 2009, allowing their citizens to enter the Schengen Area and Cyprus without a visa when traveling with biometric passports. The visa liberalisation process does not include travels to Ireland which, with the United Kingdom which left the EU during Montenegro's accession process, operate the Common Travel Area for visas outside of the Schengen Area.

In 2027 citizens of Montenegro will be required to register on the EU's ETIAS before entering the Schengen area.

The government of Montenegro adopted information on 24 September 2026 on the need to terminate the agreements regulating the visa-free regime with Russia, Belarus, and Turkey, starting from 1 November 2026. As explained, Montenegro, in the process of joining the European Union, is required to fully align its visa policy with that of the EU, RTCG reports. On 23 July 2026, the government adopted amendments to the Regulation on the Visa Regime stipulating that, as of 1 November 2026, citizens of Russia, Belarus, and Turkey will need a visa to enter, transit through, and stay in Montenegro.