Montenegro Faces Urgent Need to Settle Bilateral Disputes With Croatia Over EU Accession

Montenegro’s goal of becoming the EU’s 28th member by 2028 hangs in the balance unless it promptly settles its protracted bilateral disputes with Croatia.

Brussels was compelled to postpone a planned intergovernmental conference with the bloc’s frontrunner candidate on Tuesday after Croatia renewed its objections to closing several negotiation chapters over the unresolved issues.

Podgorica has already concluded 18 negotiating chapters and aims to complete the remaining 15 by month’s end, leaving member states to approve them thereafter.

Yet the long-standing disputes with Croatia risk derailing the entire process. Diplomats with direct knowledge of the talks indicate that Montenegro’s self-imposed year-end deadline remains achievable, though the window is closing fast.

Zagreb’s demands include compensation for war camp survivors, Montenegro’s cooperation in locating the 14 people still missing from the Croatian War of Independence, prosecutions for war crimes, and resolution of Croatian families’ outstanding property claims in Montenegro.

“In an effort to find a way forward and resolve open issues, Croatia reiterated at the end of 2024 its call for dialogue with Montenegro to conclude outstanding matters so as not to burden the key final phase of accession,” Croatia’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs stated in a July declaration.

Croatia also seeks the renaming of a swimming pool honoring Zoran Gopčević, a former Yugoslav water polo player linked to the Morinj detention camp, as well as resolution of the disputed maritime boundary and the return of the school ship Jadran.

Bilateral talks have continued at ministerial level in recent weeks with European Commission support, but no solution has been found, leading Croatia to maintain its blockade of chapter 14 on transport policy at Tuesday’s technical meeting.

Zagreb is also blocking chapters on foreign and security policy, judiciary and fundamental rights, and justice, freedom and security.

A bilateral meeting is due to take place in Zagreb in early October. If sufficient progress is made, an intergovernmental conference is expected to close further negotiating chapters on 12 or 13 October.

Hopes persist that an agreement between the two foreign ministries could unblock the situation within the next two months, though admittedly not all grievances are equally complex.

“It is just a matter of time,” an official told Euronews, speaking on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the talks. “Both sides need to continue discussing. But these negotiations cannot be time-framed.”

Time, however, is precisely what Montenegro may be short of if it is to meet its ambitious two-year timeline, all while trying to maintain momentum ahead of elections in June 2027.

The Commission is wary that the ongoing bilateral disputes risk significantly slowing progress for its best-in-class candidate country and has been playing a mediating role to help broker an agreement.

At the same time, following an intergovernmental conference in July, Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos sought to reassure that even if Montenegro did not close every chapter this year, it could still join by 2028.

But in that case, Podgorica would have to hope for swift ratification, a prospect complicated by upcoming elections in key member states such as France and Spain, where rising right-wing forces tend to be skeptical of enlargement.

“The decisive point will be how quickly the process of ratification will go on in all the member states,” Kos said.

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