29/11/24 (Agence Europe) – Montenegro could close all the chapters in its EU accession negotiations by the end of 2026, according to the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), following the 19th meeting of the EU-Montenegro Joint Consultative Committee on Wednesday 27 November. “This has been a crucial year for our negotiations. We have achieved the interim targets set for Chapters 23 and 24. We have a precise timetable for closing all the chapters by 2026”, enthused Maida Gorčević, Montenegro’s Minister for European Affairs. A joint declaration adopted at the end of the Committee meeting stresses the importance of political consensus, reforms and broad social dialogue in achieving this objective. The country’s ambition is to become the 28th EU Member State by 2028, a timetable supported by the Commissioner-designate for Enlargement, Marta Kos. The next meeting of the Consultative Committee will be held in Montenegro in 2025. (IS)