Montenegro is on track to become the European Union's 28th member state in 2028, under the European Commission's annual enlargement package presented on Wednesday 4 November. The assessment is a projection, not a decision: membership still depends on reforms and on unanimous backing from the existing member states.

EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos told the European Parliament that Montenegro had provisionally closed 21 of 33 negotiating chapters, and that the remaining twelve were expected to be completed before the end of 2026. Member states have agreed to close the free movement of goods chapter, a decision to be formalised at an intergovernmental conference in Brussels on Friday 6 November, which would take the total to 22.

Treaty signing aimed for June 2027

The Commission plans for the accession treaty to be signed in June 2027 at the earliest, after which all 27 member states must ratify it. Montenegro's minister of European affairs, Maida Gorcevic, said the report pointed to completion of negotiations by the end of this year and signing of the treaty by June next year.

Montenegro, a Western Balkan nation of about 650,000 people, applied for EU membership in December 2008, became a candidate in December 2010 and opened accession negotiations in June 2012. Unresolved questions with Croatia, including compensation claims and commemorative plaques, remain the main obstacle, and the country must settle those disputes before the path is fully cleared.

Sources: SeeNews, Montenegro could sign EU accession treaty in June 2027 - Kos, 4 November 2026; Pollar, EU enlargement report: Montenegro on track for 2028 accession, 5 November 2026.