The EU Commission announced on Wednesday that Montenegro is nearing the conclusion of its EU accession negotiations. The Brussels authorities noted that the country has achieved “remarkable progress” and could preliminarily conclude the remaining chapters by the end of this year, pending the approval of member states. The ongoing work on Montenegro’s accession treaty and the adoption of the Council’s conclusions on the financial package confirm that the country is now “shortly before the final phase” of its accession process. Sustained reform efforts and a broad political consensus remain vital for the nation’s future within the EU.
The EU Commission also acknowledged progress in Albania’s journey towards EU membership. Albania has opened the final thematic area and met the interim goals in the chapters relating to rule of law, which has paved the way for the provisional completion of four chapters. While more work is required across all remaining chapters, the Commission stressed that to achieve the challenging yet attainable goal of concluding accession negotiations by 2027, the reform momentum must be maintained and an inclusive political dialogue must be fostered.
The Commission’s assessment of the goals for Moldova and Ukraine, aiming to conclude respective accession negotiations by early 2028, varied. Regarding Moldova, the Commission stated that the country must continue to maintain its pace of reform to keep pursuing its “ambitious, but achievable” target. Conversely, the EU noted that Ukraine must accelerate the pace of its reforms.
