On Thursday 4 December, the Cypriot Ambassador to the EU, Christina Rafti, announced that the Cyprus Presidency of the EU Council, the term of which will cover the first half of 2026, would make progress on Montenegro’s accession to the EU with the creation of a group to draft its accession treaty.
“Our intention is to set up a working group to draft Montenegro’s accession treaty. Montenegro has made a great deal of progress, and we need to set an example by showing that the enlargement process is underway”, she explained at the EPC when presenting the priorities of the Cyprus Presidency of the EU.
Montenegro has opened 33 accession negotiation chapters and closed seven. The country could conclude its accession process during the term of the Irish Presidency of the EU Council, which will succeed Cyprus.
The Presidency has given assurances that it will make progress with all the candidates, whether from the Western Balkans – including Kosovo, a potential candidate the independence of which is not recognised by Cyprus – Moldova, or Ukraine. With regard to the latter, the Ambassador explained that the Presidency will continue with the technical work needed to ensure that Ukraine’s accession negotiations can proceed rapidly, as soon as conditions allow. Hungary is still blocking the opening of accession negotiation chapters with Kyiv. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)