Montenegro to provisionally close chapters 1 and 12, total 23 in EU talks

Montenegro will provisionally close two more EU accession chapters — chapters 1 (free movement of goods) and 12 (food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy) — at the Intergovernmental Conference on 6 November 2026, the Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorčević told the Montenegrin Parliament. ([srpske.rs](https://srpske.rs/vesti/svet/2026/11/05/gorcevic-u-skupstini-crna-gora-sutra-zatvara-poglavlja-1-i-12))

Government says the pace of negotiations has accelerated

Gorčević said she received confirmation from Brussels shortly before her appearance in Parliament and announced that the two provisional closures will raise Montenegro’s total of provisionally closed chapters from 21 to 23. ([kolektiv.me](https://www.kolektiv.me/308269/gorcevic-crna-gora-sjutra-zatvara-dva-pregovaracka-poglavlja))

At the same session the minister repeated the government’s assessment that, by the end of October, Montenegro had delivered the negotiating positions and met the obligations needed for provisional closures of the outstanding chapters. The government has set an objective to complete the negotiating phase by the end of 2026. ([en.vijesti.me](https://en.vijesti.me/vijesti/politika/832890/gorcevic-vlada-poslala-pregovaracke-pozicije-evropskoj-komisiji-ispunila-sve-obaveze-iz-pregovarackih-poglavlja))

Gorčević framed the development as part of a sustained acceleration of the accession process and outlined the government’s timetable: to finalise negotiations this year, to prepare an accession treaty for signature in 2027 and to aim for full EU membership in 2028. ([srpske.rs](https://srpske.rs/vesti/svet/2026/11/05/gorcevic-u-skupstini-crna-gora-sutra-zatvara-poglavlja-1-i-12))

When questioned by MPs she stressed the political significance of the steps and reflected on the government’s record. She said: "I believe that, when we talk about the successes of this government and of the whole of Montenegro, we can say that they are simply piling up," attributing the momentum to sustained reform efforts. ([kolektiv.me](https://www.kolektiv.me/308269/gorcevic-crna-gora-sjutra-zatvara-dva-pregovaracka-poglavlja))

Officials and EU bodies still have to complete the internal procedures that formally confirm provisional closures. If the planned schedule holds, the final intergovernmental conferences this autumn and in December would bring Montenegro closer to the stage where an accession treaty can be drafted and negotiated. ([srpske.rs](https://srpske.rs/vesti/svet/2026/11/05/gorcevic-u-skupstini-crna-gora-sutra-zatvara-poglavlja-1-i-12))

Photo: press material from the event