Croatia-Montenegro: Bilateral Conflicts Meet EU Veto Power

Among the candidate countries for accession to the European Union, Montenegro remains the frontrunner in the negotiation process when compared to its Western Balkan neighbours. All chapters of the acquis communautaire have already been opened, marking substantial progress in formal alignment with EU standards. Nevertheless, the country’s trajectory toward membership reached a standstill in December 2024, when Croatia exercised its veto power on the closure of Chapter 31 “Common Foreign, Security and Defence Policy”.