Montenegro is entering what European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described as the “final stretch” of its long road towards EU membership, with Brussels backing Podgorica’s ambition to complete accession negotiations by the end of 2026 and become the bloc’s 28th member in 2028.
The message from von der Leyen’s latest visit to Podgorica on October 1 was direct: the European Commission believes in “Montenegro 28 by 28” and is preparing a concrete roadmap for the country’s remaining steps towards membership.
Yet the final phase may prove more complicated than the political optimism suggests. Alongside the demanding domestic reforms still needed to close the accession negotiations, Montenegro must manage sensitive bilateral issues with EU member Croatia, including disputes over war-related cases, maritime questions and property and military assets inherited from the former Yugoslavia.
A country preparing for membership
Montenegro has been an EU candidate since 2010 and formally opened accession negotiations in 2012. It remains the most advanced Western Balkan candidate in the negotiation process.
According to von der Leyen, Montenegro has now provisionally closed more than half of the negotiating chapters and has made particularly important progress in the rule-of-law area during the summer.
The European Commission is now working with Podgorica to close all remaining chapters by the end of 2026.
“This is the last part of the road to the European Union,” Prime Minister Milojko Spajić said after meeting von der Leyen, adding that the government would not relax its efforts.
Spajić said Montenegro had already sent most of the remaining chapters to the European Commission for evaluation and remained confident that all chapters would be closed by the end of the year.
Montenegro has opened all 33 negotiating chapters, with 18 already provisionally closed.
After negotiations are completed, an accession treaty must be prepared, signed and ratified by Montenegro and all EU member states.
Brussels is preparing for Montenegro too
Von der Leyen stressed that enlargement is a two-way process. While candidate countries must be ready to join, the EU must also prepare its institutions, policies and budget for new members. The Commission is therefore reviewing its own policies and institutions as part of preparations for future enlargement.
The Commission also plans to prepare roadmaps for the most advanced candidates, including Montenegro. These are intended to translate the accession process into concrete steps, identifying what remains to be done, who is responsible and what progress should be achieved.
In Montenegro’s case, preparations for its accession treaty are already advancing. The Commission proposed an accession financial package in June designed to facilitate the transition from candidate country to member state and ensure continuity from the first day of membership.
That is an important signal because EU accession is not simply a political decision. Membership changes how a country’s public finances, institutions, businesses and citizens interact with the EU’s budget, regulations and Single Market.
“…we are preparing for Montenegro’s borders to become European Union borders,” von der Leyen stated in Podgorica.
The Growth Plan is already bringing parts of the EU closer
Montenegro’s EU path is also producing tangible economic benefits before membership.
The EU may also give advanced candidate countries a greater role in its institutions before they formally join the bloc.
According to draft documents seen by the Brussels Rapporteur, Montenegro and Albania could be allowed to nominate a commissioner to Brussels during the final phase of their accession process, under new plans being considered by the European Commission.
In Podgorica, von der Leyen stated that under the EU’s Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, Montenegro has an allocation of more than €380mn, of which €89mn has already been received. Montenegro had implemented more than 90% of the reforms required under the plan, putting it ahead of its regional peers.
The Growth Plan is designed to accelerate economic convergence with the EU by combining reform requirements with increased access to European funding and parts of the Single Market.
One example is Montenegro’s entry into the Single Euro Payments Area, or SEPA. The move has sharply reduced the cost of cross-border euro transactions, with transaction fees in Montenegro falling by more than 90%, according to von der Leyen. Transfers of up to €200 are free.
For businesses, this is one of the less visible but potentially significant consequences of closer integration with the EU: economic integration can begin before formal membership.
Montenegro is also moving towards lower roaming costs with the EU, while EU-backed investment initiatives have brought European and Western Balkan companies together. At an investment conference in Luštica last year, more than 14 deals were signed between EU and Western Balkan companies, according to the Commission.
Croatia problem is becoming harder to ignore
Behind the optimistic language about Montenegro’s EU future is a more complicated political reality.
Recent reports have highlighted unresolved bilateral disputes between Montenegro and Croatia, raising questions about whether they could become an obstacle during the final phase of accession.
The two countries have outstanding issues linked to maritime borders, war crimes and property, while the division of assets following the dissolution of Yugoslavia has emerged as a particularly sensitive question.
One of the most politically prominent disputes concerns the training ship Jadran, which was part of the former Yugoslav Navy. Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman has said Zagreb is seeking not only the vessel but other military assets, with the total value of the claims reportedly reaching about €2.7bn.
Montenegrin historian Vukota Vukotić told RTCG that the succession of military property after the breakup of Yugoslavia was an exceptionally complicated issue because the agreements reached at the time did not settle all questions.
He said Croatia’s position was legitimate in the sense that Zagreb was entitled to defend what it considers its interests, but argued that this did not automatically mean its demands were legally well founded.
The difficulty, he said, is that the strength of the respective arguments depends on documentation and questions of international and property law that require detailed legal assessment.
For Montenegro, the preferred solution would be direct negotiations with Croatia rather than international arbitration.
Final stretch
Von der Leyen explicitly linked Montenegro’s final phase to continued political stability and broad cross-party support.
She also warned against attempts to divide and polarise society, while stressing the importance of strong relations with EU member states.
Montenegro’s small size and relatively advanced negotiating position give it an opportunity to move quickly. But the final stage also leaves less room for political disputes or unresolved bilateral questions.
Montenegro’s population is around 620,000, meaning that if it joins, it would be by far one of the EU’s smallest member states.