Croatia initiates changes to EU conclusions on Montenegro

The European Council’s conclusions on Montenegro were amended following an intervention by Croatia, with references to deadlines for the provisional closure of negotiating chapters removed, Croatian public broadcaster HRT reported Friday.

The earlier draft called for an agreement on the provisional closure of all negotiating chapters by the end of 2026, provided Montenegro implemented the necessary reforms, and for work on its accession treaty to be completed as soon as possible.

The revised conclusions welcome ongoing work on drafting an accession treaty with Montenegro and take note of the Irish Council presidency’s intention to work toward the provisional closure of negotiating chapters, provided Montenegro implements the appropriate reforms.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said after the first day of the European Council meeting in Brussels that Croatia remained a supporter of EU enlargement but stressed that candidate countries must meet the required criteria.

“We amended the conclusions at our initiative, sending a realistic message to our colleagues in Montenegro that they should get down to talks with Croatia,” he said.

Plenkovic said Zagreb had raised outstanding issues with Montenegro related to Chapter 23, covering the judiciary and fundamental rights, and Chapter 31, covering foreign, security and defense policy.

Croatia has presented eight demands to Montenegro, six concerning Chapter 23 and two related to Chapter 31.