MONTENEGRO CLOSING TWO MORE EU ACCESSION NEGOTIATION CHAPTERS TODAY

PODGORICA, NOVEMBER 6 /SRNA/ – Montenegro is set to provisionally close two more negotiating chapters in its EU accession process today at an Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels.

The conference will see the provisional closure of Chapter 1, which concerns the free movement of goods, and Chapter 12, which covers food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy, Montenegrin media reported.

Montenegro has so far provisionally closed 21 of the 33 negotiating chapters.

The Government of Montenegro has set a goal of closing the remaining negotiating chapters by the end of this year, with a view to signing the Accession Treaty next year and becoming an EU member state in 2028.

EU officials said on Wednesday, November 4, following the presentation of the Enlargement Package and Montenegro's Progress Report, that the Accession Treaty could be signed as early as June next year.

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos previously stated that Montenegro had met all the requirements for closing the remaining negotiating chapters and that accession negotiations could be completed by the end of the year.