Enlargement: EU and Montenegro close accession negotiations on competition policy and customs union

Today, the 28^th meeting of the Accession Conference with Montenegro provisionally closed accession negotiations on competition policy (chapter 8) and customs union (chapter 29).

I am proud that we are delivering the first Intergovernmental Conference for Montenegro under the Irish presidency, at which we provisionally closed two more negotiating chapters. With 18 chapters now provisionally closed - more than half-way to the end - Montenegro remains the frontrunner in the EU's accession process. EU enlargement is a geopolitical necessity to ensure European stability, security and democratic reforms. It will remain at the top of our presidency's priorities.

Thomas Byrne, Minister of State for European affairs and defence of Ireland, on behalf of the Irish presidency of the Council of the EU

The EU may, if necessary, return to these chapters at an appropriate moment.

This provisional closure follows less than a month after the previous accession conference on 15 June 2026, which provisionally closed chapters 2 on free movement of workers and 28 on health and consumer protection. 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 eighteen 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.

Background

The European Union delegation was led by Mr Thomas Byrne, Minister of State for European affairs and defence of Ireland, on behalf of the Irish 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.

• EU common position regarding chapter 8
• EU common position regarding Chapter 29
• Twenty-seventh meeting of the Accession Conference with Montenegro, 15 June 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)

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