News: Enlargement: Further chapters closed for Montenegro and Albania

The Council of the European Union has accelerated the enlargement process by adopting positive decisions regarding Montenegro and Albania.

Montenegro has obtained the provisional closure of two additional negotiation chapters: Chapter 8 (Competition) and Chapter 29 (Customs Union). With these decisions, the number of provisionally closed chapters rises to 18, representing more than half of the 33 negotiation chapters. The closure remains provisional, as each chapter is part of a broader thematic “cluster” that can only be definitively concluded once all chapters within the relevant group have been completed.

Albania has also made significant progress, obtaining the provisional closure of its first three negotiation chapters: Science and research (25), Education and culture (26), and External relations (30). The European Union recognised the progress made through the reforms implemented by Tirana, while reiterating the need to continue the process of alignment with the EU acquis.