The European Commission will publish, alongside its Progress Report on enlargement candidate countries, guidelines setting out the timelines and steps for concluding Montenegro's accession to the European Union. The draft of this document is scheduled to be adopted at tomorrow's meeting of the College of Commissioners. Montenegro is the country that has made the most progress in the enlargement process.
According to the European Commission's plan, Montenegro should conclude all remaining chapters by the end of this year. Six chapters are expected to be closed during November, while the remaining six are to be concluded during December. Work on drafting the accession treaty should be completed in the spring, with June serving as the indicative deadline for signing the treaty. By that time, the treaty must be approved by all 27 EU member states and Montenegro, translated into all official languages of the Union as well as Montenegrin, and the Commission must confirm Montenegro's readiness for membership. The European Parliament is also required to give its consent.
The Commission includes a disclaimer in the document stating that this indicative timeframe does not prejudge the final outcome, the pace of negotiations, or any decision by the Council, the Commission, or the European Parliament. The Commission will continue to monitor Montenegro's fulfilment of conditions even after the conclusion of accession negotiations. This year's progress report is expected to be the last for Montenegro. In the future, until membership is achieved if negotiations are concluded, a "monitoring report" will be produced. In the event of serious backsliding, the instrument of delaying the date of accession may be used as a last resort.
In addition to Montenegro, the European Commission will publish guidelines with timeframes for Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine tomorrow. For Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine, the targets for concluding negotiations are described as "their ambition". In the case of Albania, the target for concluding negotiations is by the end of 2027. Albania, which has made the most progress after Montenegro, still needs to close 31 chapters. Concluding accession negotiations by the end of next year appears overly ambitious to many EU diplomats.
