European Commission says Montenegro could join EU in 2028

Commission sets 2028 target

The 2026 Enlargement Package, presented to the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, named Montenegro the frontrunner among nine candidate countries. Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said Montenegro is on track to join in 2028 and that negotiations could realistically be completed by the end of this year, with the accession treaty likely signed in summer 2027.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the progress achieved by some candidates allows the EU to turn the promise of enlargement into reality. For the first time, the package included indicative roadmaps for the four frontrunners: Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine.

The Commission's assessment said Montenegro had made real progress on the rule of law and the fight against corruption. Kos said the country was in the last 100 metres of the process. No country has joined the bloc since Croatia in 2013.

21 of 33 chapters closed

The Commission said Montenegro had provisionally closed 21 of its 33 negotiating chapters, leaving 12 outstanding. It said the country must still implement reforms, particularly on fundamental rights and financial services.

Montenegro applied to join in 2008 and opened formal negotiations in 2012. The most difficult remaining areas include Chapters 23 and 24, which cover the judiciary, fundamental rights, justice and security.

Ratification and Croatia's conditions

The accession treaty needs consent from the European Parliament and ratification by all 27 member states, any one of which could stop the process. The Irish presidency of the Council said member states had agreed to close the chapter on free movement of goods, a decision due to be formalised at an intergovernmental conference in Brussels on 6 November, leaving 11 chapters outstanding.

Croatia has circulated eight conditions to EU capitals, several linked to war crimes and property disputes dating from the 1990s, and has blocked the chapter on foreign, security and defence policy since December 2024. Croatian public broadcaster HRT reported that in October Croatia secured the removal of deadlines for closing Montenegro's chapters from European Council conclusions.

Cost and public support

In June the Commission proposed a seven-year financial package for Montenegro, a country of about 620,000 people. Brussels Signal reported the package was worth around €3.2 billion, and the Commission said the bill for existing members would amount to little more than a coffee per citizen. Polling cited by Poland's Centre for Eastern Studies put support for membership at 71 per cent in September 2025, seven points lower than a year earlier.