EU and Montenegro close accession negotiations on freedom of movement of workers and consumer and health protection

Today, the 27^th meeting of the Accession Conference with Montenegro provisionally closed accession negotiations on chapters 2 (freedom of movement for workers) and 28 (consumer and health protection).

I am delighted that we are delivering the third Intergovernmental Conference for Montenegro under the Cyprus presidency, with two more negotiating chapters provisionally closing today. Montenegro's progress is tangible proof that enlargement, a merit based process, delivers strategic results for both candidate countries and the European Union. With 16 chapters now provisionally closed - nearly halfway to the end - and the establishment of the Ad Hoc Working Party on Montenegro's accession treaty, which we delivered in April, Montenegro continues to lead by example and remains the frontrunner in the EU's enlargement process. At a time of growing geopolitical challenges, EU enlargement is not merely a policy choice - it is a strategic necessity.

Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, on behalf of the Cyprus presidency of the Council of the EU

The EU may, if necessary, return to this chapter at an appropriate moment.

This provisional closure follows two months after the previous accession conference on 17 March 2026, which provisionally closed chapter 21 on trans-European networks. Monitoring of progress in the alignment with and implementation of the EU acquis will continue throughout the negotiations.

Montenegro has opened all 33 negotiating chapters in its EU accession negotiations. With the provisional closure agreed today, a total of sixteen of these chapters have now been provisionally closed. According to the negotiating principles endorsed by the Accession Conference, agreements reached in the course of negotiations on specific chapters may not be considered as final until an overall agreement has been reached for all chapters.

In light of the progress achieved so far, the Council, during the Cyprus Presidency, has also established the Ad Hoc Working Party for the drafting of Montenegro's accession treaty.

Background

The European Union delegation was led by Ms Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, on behalf of the Cyprus presidency of the Council of the EU, with the participation of Commissioner for Enlargement, Ms Marta Kos. The Montenegrin delegation was led by Mr Milojko Spajić, Prime Minister of Montenegro.

• Twenty-sixth meeting of the Accession Conference with Montenegro, 17 March 2026
• Council conclusions on enlargement, 17 December 2024
• Enlargement: new enlargement methodology will be applied to Montenegro and Serbia (press release, 11 May 2021)
• Montenegro (background information)
• How EU enlargement works (background information)

Details