Montenegro advances EU accession with progress on key negotiation chapters

Montenegro is making significant progress in its EU accession process, with several negotiation chapters nearing closure. The Ministry of Social Welfare announced that Chapter 19 (Social Policy and Employment) is set for provisional closure at an intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg on October 12, ahead of the original December deadline. This follows reforms in nine areas, including labor legislation and social protection services.

Additionally, officials expect the provisional closure of Chapter 12 (Food Safety, Veterinary, and Phytosanitary Control) by the end of the year. Vladimir Đaković, director of the relevant administration, noted that while aligning legislative frameworks with European standards has been a major challenge, the Netherlands has publicly expressed support for closing this chapter. To address administrative capacity needs, an action plan has been adopted to recruit new professional staff through 2030.

Regarding the broader EU membership framework, discussions continue over European Commission proposals concerning voting rights. While the Commission has not proposed automatic restrictions on veto rights for new members, it has suggested mechanisms such as political obligations to prevent the blocking of certain decisions and the potential suspension of voting rights in cases of serious violations of European values.