Montenegro has provisionally closed more than half of the chapters for EU accession
On Tuesday, July 14, during the 28th session of the conference on Montenegro’s accession to the EU, negotiations on competition policy (Chapter 8) and the customs union (Chapter 29) were provisionally closed. As a result, the country has now closed 18 negotiation chapters, which accounts for more than half of all required chapters.
EU enlargement remains a geopolitical necessity for ensuring European stability, security, and democratic reforms, and will be among the top priorities of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU. This was stated by Thomas Byrne, Ireland’s Minister of State for European Affairs and Defense, speaking on behalf of the Irish Presidency.
The closure of these new chapters came less than a month after the previous conference on June 15, when Chapter 2 (free movement of workers) and Chapter 28 (healthcare and consumer protection) were closed. In total, Montenegro has now opened all 33 negotiation chapters in the process of joining the European Union, maintaining its status as a leader in the negotiation process.
If necessary, the EU may revisit closed chapters at a later date. In accordance with standard negotiation principles, agreements on individual chapters are not considered final until a comprehensive agreement on the entire package is reached.
Source: “European Truth”
Montenegro is preparing to introduce a visa regime for Russians. The introduction of visa requirements is linked to Montenegro’s obligations on the path to full membership in the European Union. By the end of the third quarter of 2026, the country must bring its visa policy into full compliance with EU rules, which entails the abolition of the visa-free regime for Russian citizens.
Merz described Montenegro as nearly ready for EU accession.
Following inspections in May, the two largest payment terminal networks—EasyPay (LLC “FC ‘Kontraktovy Dom’”) and City24 (LLC “Swift Garant”)—were hit with massive fines: 135 million hryvnias each.
