EU begins work on draft accession treaty for Montenegro

The Cypriot Presidency has made significant efforts to ensure the swift establishment of the working group, particularly given the extensive technical work that must be completed before drafting can begin, a spokesperson for the Presidency said, adding that they are confident this will send a strong signal that accession is within reach for enlargement partners.

Montenegro has opened all negotiation chapters and closed 14.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said in a debate in the European Parliament on Monday that the EU must draw lessons from previous enlargements to avoid repeating situations such as Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orban was seen by some as a “Trojan horse” blocking decisions.

“A lesson learnt from 2004 is that we need to have safeguards that ensure new members stick to the rules and the integrity of our Union is assured,“ Kos said, adding that the accession treaty with Montenegro will be the first to include such safeguard clauses.

She stressed that these safeguards would not be noticeable to countries that comply with EU values and principles, but would be felt in cases of backsliding on democracy and the rule of law.

“This is not about creating additional criteria. But if countries go backwards on our fundamentals, such as democracy and rule of law, the safeguards must bite and we must always be able to protect our Union. We need this to maintain trust. Trust among Member States. Trust with our citizens. And trust in the enlargement process itself,” Kos said.

She also announced that she will present a financial package for Montenegro before the summer.