Key points
- The EU and Montenegro provisionally closed negotiations on two more accession chapters — free movement of goods (chapter 1) and food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy (chapter 12) — at an intergovernmental conference in Brussels on Friday 6 November 2026.
- With today's closures, 23 of the 33 negotiating chapters are now provisionally closed; Montenegro has opened all 33.
- The closures follow the accession conference on 12 October 2026, which provisionally closed chapters 17 on economic and monetary policy, 18 on statistics and 19 on social policy and employment.
- The European Commission's enlargement report this week said negotiations could realistically be closed by the end of 2026, once the necessary reforms have been implemented by Montenegro.
- The closures are provisional: nothing is final until an overall agreement is reached on all chapters, and the EU may return to a chapter if needed.
The EU and Montenegro have provisionally closed negotiations on two more accession chapters, taking the total closed to 23 of the 33 Montenegro must complete to join the bloc. The closures were agreed at the third intergovernmental conference for Montenegro held under the Irish presidency of the Council of the EU, in Brussels on Friday. Read more: EU says Montenegro could close accession talks by end of 2026, with treaty signing possible in June 2027
The chapters closed were chapter 1, on the free movement of goods, and chapter 12, on food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy, the Council of the EU said in a statement on Friday afternoon. The Montenegrin delegation was led by Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, according to Vijesti, and the meeting was chaired by Thomas Byrne, Ireland's Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, on behalf of the Irish presidency. The two men held a press conference after the meeting.
Mr Byrne welcomed the progress, saying: "I strongly welcome the progress made today at the third Intergovernmental Conference for Montenegro held under the Irish presidency, where we provisionally closed two more negotiating chapters. With 23 negotiating chapters now provisionally closed, Montenegro is making significant progress towards the closure of all remaining chapters. Enlargement is a geopolitical necessity for the EU, and the Irish presidency is prioritising this agenda. This week the Commission's enlargement report considered that accession negotiations with Montenegro could realistically be closed by the end of the year, once the necessary reforms have been implemented by Montenegro. Today's progress continues this momentum for Montenegro's EU accession."
The key figures
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Chapters provisionally closed after today | 23 of 33 | Council of the EU |
| Chapters closed today | 2 — chapters 1 and 12 | Council of the EU |
| Chapters closed on 12 October 2026 | 3 — chapters 17, 18 and 19 | Council of the EU |
| Accession talks opened | June 2012 | Brussels Signal |
| Negotiations could close | By the end of 2026 | European Commission, via Reuters |
| Accession treaty could be signed | As soon as June 2027 | European Commission, via Reuters |
What the two chapters cover
Chapter 1 covers the free movement of goods — the rules that let products move across borders inside the EU without tariffs or quotas. Chapter 12 covers food safety and the veterinary and plant-health rules that govern animals, plants and food products. Closing a chapter means the EU and the candidate have provisionally agreed that the candidate's laws and practice in that area match the EU's own rules — but, as the Council stressed, the agreement is provisional until all chapters are settled together.
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Montenegro is the furthest advanced of all the EU's candidate countries. It opened accession talks in June 2012, and the Commission's enlargement package adopted on Wednesday put it on course to be the first country since Croatia in 2011 to finish negotiating membership. The Commission said the talks could realistically close by the end of this year and an accession treaty could be signed as soon as June 2027, with membership possible in 2028.
What happens next
Monitoring of Montenegro's progress in aligning with EU rules will continue throughout the negotiations, the Council said, and the EU may return to chapters already closed if it considers that necessary. Ten chapters remain to be closed, and the next decisions belong to the member states.
Obstacles remain before any treaty is signed. Brussels Signal reported this week that Croatia has outstanding demands on Montenegro, which Zagreb presents as conditions for lifting its veto on the accession, and any treaty would need ratification by the parliaments of all 27 EU member states. Montenegro's stated objective is membership in 2028, which would make it the EU's 28th member. Europe Unfolded will report the remaining chapter closures as they are confirmed.
Updates & corrections
Published 6 November 2026.
No updates or corrections have been made to this article since publication.
Sources
- Council of the EU, "Enlargement: EU and Montenegro close accession negotiations on free movement of goods and food safety", press release, 6 November 2026, 15:04, on the two chapters provisionally closed, the total of 23 of 33 chapters now closed, the previous accession conference on 12 October 2026, the provisional nature of the closures, and Mr Byrne's remarks: consilium.europa.eu
- Vijesti, "EU: Montenegro closes two negotiation chapters today", 6 November 2026, on the Council confirming the two closures, the Montenegrin delegation led by Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, and the press conference with Mr Spajić and Mr Byrne at 14:50: en.vijesti.me
- Council of the EU, "29th Accession Conference with Montenegro", 12 October 2026, on the provisional closure of chapters 17, 18 and 19 at the previous conference: consilium.europa.eu
- Reuters, "Montenegro could sign accession treaty with EU in June 2027, European Commission says", 4 November 2026, on the Commission's view that negotiations could realistically be closed by the end of 2026, that a treaty could be signed as soon as June 2027, and that this would be the first closure since Croatia in 2011: reuters.com
- Brussels Signal, "Montenegro nears EU membership", 4 November 2026, on Montenegro opening accession talks in June 2012, the 2028 membership aim, and Croatia's outstanding demands presented as conditions for lifting its veto on accession: brusselssignal.eu