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Is Montenegro's path to the EU being postponed? 5 countries demand verifications for negotiation chapters

Politiko 2026-09-19 21:41:13

Is Montenegro's path to the EU being postponed? 5 countries demand

Montenegro risks facing a new delay in the European Union membership negotiation process, as several member states have not yet given the green light for the closure of new chapters.

The situation calls into question Podgorica's goal of completing negotiations by the end of the year and paving the way for EU membership in 2028, N1 reports.

According to unofficial diplomatic sources in Brussels, the Netherlands has requested a pause in Montenegro's further integration process, arguing that additional analysis and more consistent implementation of European standards are needed. The request has also been joined by Croatia, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.

On the other hand, an EU Council official has stated that the postponement is mainly related to the lack of time to complete national procedures.

However, according to diplomatic sources of Radio Free Europe, the reasons for some countries' reservations are not only technical.

One of the issues that has influenced the positions of some member states is related to the reactions of Montenegrin politicians after the death and during the funeral of Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb commander, convicted of genocide and war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

The Croatian government has previously condemned the condolences of the Speaker of the Parliament of Montenegro, Andrija Mandic, following the death of Mladic.

According to diplomatic sources, some EU countries are requesting additional verifications to meet key criteria, while there are still differences among the 27 member states regarding the advancement of the process.

However, it is not ruled out that new chapters will be closed by the end of next week. The official date of the intergovernmental conference and approval by all member states have not yet been confirmed. If no agreement is reached, the next opportunity could be in October.

 

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