Accession of Montenegro to the European Union

Accession of Montenegro to the European Union (EU) is on the current agenda for future enlargement of the EU.

Montenegrin EU accession bid
Status
Negotiating
Chapter Progress	9.1% complete
Screening Progress	100% complete
Website	Montenegrin Ministry of European affairs website Delegation of EU to Montenegro EU Commission website
Statistics
EU average Montenegro PPP GDP ($M) 552,780 7,157 PPP per capita ($) 40,600 17,000 (2016 est.) [1] Area (km^2) 165,048 13,812 Population 18,583,598 625,000

The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro started the process of Accession to the European Union in November 2005, when negotiations over a Stabilisation and Association Agreement began. In May 2006, Montenegro voted for independence in a referendum and the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro was dissolved. Serbia continued with the existing negotiations, and separate negotiations were launched with Montenegro in September 2006.[2][3] The Agreement was initialled on 15 March 2007 and officially signed on 15 October 2007. In 2010, the Commission issued a favourable opinion on Montenegro's application, identifying seven key priorities that would need to be addressed for negotiations to begin, and the Council granted it candidate status. In December 2011, the Council launched the accession process with a view to opening negotiations in June 2012. The accession negotiations with Montenegro subsequently began on 29 June 2012. With all the negotiating chapters opened, the country enjoys a widespread support among EU members' officials, and accession of the country to the EU is considered possible by 2025. In its 2016 assessment of the accession progress, European Commission has identified Montenegro as having the highest level of preparation for membership among the negotiating states.

Montenegro is currently receiving €507 million of developmental aid until 2020 from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, a funding mechanism for EU candidate countries.

Application

Montenegro officially applied to join the EU on 15 December 2008.[4] On 23 April 2009, the Council invited the European Commission to submit its opinion on the application. The Commission presented Montenegro with a questionnaire to assess its application on 22 July 2009.[5] On 9 December 2009, Montenegro delivered its answers to the EC questionnaire.[6]

Stabilisation and Association Agreement

Negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between Montenegro and the European Union started in September 2006.[7] The agreement was officially signed on 15 October 2007, and on 1 May 2010 it came into force, after all the 27 member-states of EU had ratified the SAA.[8][9]

Status of SAA ratification

Event	North Macedonia [10]	Croatia [11]	Albania [12]	Montenegro [13][Note 1]	Bosnia and Herzegovina [15]	Serbia [16][Note 2]	Kosovo* [17][Note 3]
SAA negotiations start	2000-04-05	2000-11-24	2003-01-31	2005-10-10	2005-11-25	2005-10-10	2013-10-28[19]
SAA initialled	2000-11-24	2001-05-14	2006-02-28	2007-03-15	2007-12-04	2007-11-07	2014-07-25[20]
SAA/IA signature	2001-04-09	2001-10-29	2006-06-12	2007-10-15	2008-06-16	2008-04-29	2015-10-27[21]
Interim Agreement:
EC ratification	2001-04-27	2002-01-30	2006-06-12	2007-10-15	2008-06-16	2009-12-08	N/A [Note 4]
SAP state ratification	2001-04-27	2002-01-30	2006-10-09	2007-11-14	2008-06-20	2008-09-22	N/A [Note 4]
entry into force	2001-06-01	2002-03-01	2006-12-01	2008-01-01	2008-07-01	2010-02-01	N/A [Note 4]
Deposit of the instrument of ratification:
SAP state	2001-04-27	2002-01-30	2006-11-09	2007-11-13	2009-02-26	2008-09-22	2016-02-26
Austria	2002-09-06	2002-03-15	2008-05-21	2008-07-04	2009-09-04	2011-01-13	N/A
Belgium	2003-12-29	2003-12-17	2008-10-22	2010-03-29	2010-03-29	2012-03-20	N/A
Bulgaria	entered the EU later			2008-05-30	2009-03-13	2010-08-12	N/A
Croatia	entered the EU later						N/A
Cyprus	entered the EU later		2008-05-30	2008-11-20	2009-07-02	2010-11-26	N/A
Czech Republic	entered the EU later		2008-05-07	2009-02-19	2009-07-23	2011-01-28	N/A
Denmark	2002-04-10	2002-05-08	2008-04-24	2008-06-25	2009-05-26	2011-03-04	N/A
Estonia	entered the EU later		2007-10-17	2007-11-22	2008-09-11	2010-08-19	N/A
Finland	2004-01-06	2004-01-06	2007-11-29	2009-03-18	2009-04-07	2011-10-21	N/A
France	2003-06-04	2003-06-04	2009-02-12	2009-07-30	2011-02-10	2012-01-16	N/A
Germany	2002-06-20	2002-10-18	2009-02-19	2009-11-16	2009-08-14	2012-02-24	N/A
Greece	2003-08-27	2003-08-27	2009-02-26	2010-03-04	2010-09-20	2011-03-10	N/A
Hungary	entered the EU later		2007-04-23	2008-05-14	2008-10-22	2010-11-16	N/A
Ireland	2002-05-06	2002-05-06	2007-06-11	2009-06-04	2009-06-04	2011-09-29	N/A
Italy	2003-10-30	2004-10-06	2008-01-07	2009-10-13	2010-09-08	2011-01-06	N/A
Latvia	entered the EU later		2006-12-19	2008-10-17	2009-11-12	2011-05-30	N/A
Lithuania	entered the EU later		2007-05-17	2009-03-04	2009-05-04	2013-06-26	N/A
Luxembourg	2003-07-28	2003-08-01	2007-07-04	2009-06-11	2010-12-22	2011-01-21	N/A
Malta	entered the EU later		2008-04-21	2008-12-11	2010-01-07	2010-07-06	N/A
Netherlands	2002-09-09	2004-04-30	2007-12-10	2009-01-29	2009-09-30	2012-02-27	N/A
Poland	entered the EU later		2007-04-14	2009-02-06	2010-04-07	2012-01-13	N/A
Portugal	2003-07-14	2003-07-14	2008-07-11	2008-09-23	2009-06-29	2011-03-04	N/A
Romania	entered the EU later			2009-01-15	2010-01-08	2012-05-22	N/A
Slovakia	entered the EU later		2007-07-20	2008-07-29	2009-03-17	2010-11-11	N/A
Slovenia	entered the EU later		2007-01-18	2008-02-07	2009-03-10	2010-12-07	N/A
Spain	2002-10-04	2002-10-04	2007-05-03	2009-03-12	2010-06-15	2010-06-21	N/A
Sweden	2002-06-25	2003-03-27	2007-03-21	2009-03-11	2009-09-14	2011-04-15	N/A
United Kingdom	2002-12-17	2004-09-03	2007-10-16	2010-01-12	2010-04-20	2011-08-11	N/A
European Communities or European Union and Euratom	2004-02-25	2004-12-21	2009-02-26	2010-03-29	2015-04-30	2013-07-22	2016-02-24 [Note 5]
SAA entry into force	2004-04-01	2005-02-01	2009-04-01	2010-05-01	2015-06-01	2013-09-01	2016-04-01[25]
EU membership (SAA lapsed)	(TBD)	2013-07-01	(TBD)	(TBD)	(TBD)	(TBD)	(TBD)

N/A: Not applicable.

1. Montenegro started negotiations in November 2005 while a part of Serbia and Montenegro (SiM). Separate technical negotiations were conducted regarding issues of sub-state organizational competency. A mandate for direct negotiations with Montenegro was established in July 2006. Direct negotiations were initiated on 26 September 2006 and concluded on 1 December 2006.[14]
2. Serbia started negotiations in November 2005 while part of SiM, with a modified mandate from July 2006.
3. Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognized as an independent state by 97 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 112 UN member states recognized Kosovo at some point, of which 15 later withdrew their recognition. The European Union remains divided on its policy towards Kosovo, with five EU member states not recognizing its independence. The EU launched a Stabilisation Tracking Mechanism for Kosovo on 6 November 2002 with the aim of aligning its policy with EU standards. On 10 October 2012 the European Commission found that there were no legal obstacles to Kosovo signing a SAA with the EU, as independence is not required for such an agreement.[18]
4. No Interim Agreement associated with Kosovo's SAA was concluded.[22]
5. Kosovo's SAA was the first signed after the entry into force of the Lisbon treaty, which conferred a legal personality to the EU. As a result, unlike previous SAAs Kosovo's is exclusively between it and the EU and Euratom, and the member states are not parties independently.[19][23][24]

Recommendation

The European Commission on 9 November 2010 recommended Montenegro as candidate country. This candidate status was officially granted on 17 December 2010.[26]

Progress

Montenegro is experiencing ecological, judicial and crime-related problems that may hinder its bid.[27] Montenegro signed an agreement with the Bulgarian government in December 2007 in which Bulgaria will assist Montenegro with its Euro-Atlantic and EU integration for the following three years.[28] To work on these matters the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Montenegro has a special agency dedicated to accession to the EU, the Office for assistance to the Chief Negotiator. The goal of the office is to support the task of the Chief Negotiator for Montenegro’s Accession to EU, Aleksandar Drljević.

On 27 July 2010, the Montenegrin Parliament passed a non-discrimination law that includes sexual orientation and gender identity as prohibited grounds of discrimination. This was one of the requirements the country had to meet for EU membership.[29]

Domestic opinion

Montenegro's population is overwhelmingly pro-EU, with 76.2% being in favour according to polling and only 9.8% against, in October 2009.[30]

Chronology of relations with the EU

Timeline[31]

Date	Event
22 January 2007	Council adopts European Partnership for Montenegro
15 October 2007	Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) signed in Luxembourg
1 January 2008	Agreements on trade and trade-related matters, visa facilitation, and readmission enter into force
15 December 2008	Montenegro applies for EU membership; formal application for membership submitted
22 July 2009	Commission applied Questionnaire to the Montenegro.
9 December 2009	Montenegro submits answers to the Commission's Questionnaire.
19 December 2009	Visa requirement lifted for Montenegrins visiting the EU
12 April 2010	Montenegro submits additional answers to the Commission's Questionnaire.
1 May 2010	Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) enters into force
9 November 2010	European Commission replies to the answers of the Questionnaire with a positive opinion (Avis).
17 December 2010	Montenegro receives official candidate status.
12 October 2011	Commission recommends starting of negotiations.[32]
26 March 2012	Screening started.
26 June 2012	European Council sets a target date of 29 June for the beginning of accession negotiations.[33]
29 June 2012	Accession negotiations begin with the screening process.
18 December 2012	Chapter 25 Science and Research is opened and provisionally closed.
15 April 2013	The first accession conference is held in Brussels. Chapter 26 Education and Culture is opened and provisionally closed.
27 June 2013	Screening completed[34]
18 December 2013	Five chapters are opened (Chapter 5 - Public procurement; Chapter 6 - Company law; Chapter 20 - Enterprise and industrial policy; Chapter 23 – Judiciary and fundamental rights; Chapter 24 – Justice, freedom and security)
31 March 2014	Two chapters are opened (Chapter 7 – Intellectual property rights and 10 – Information society and media)
24 June 2014	Three chapters are opened (Chapter 4 – Free movement of capitals, Chapter 31 – Foreign, security and defence policy, Chapter 32 – Financial control)
16 December 2014	Four chapters are opened (Chapters 18 – Statistics, Chapter 28 – Consumer and health protection, Chapter 29 – Customs Union, Chapter 33 – Financial and budgetary provisions)
30 March 2015	Two chapters are opened (Chapter 16 – Taxation, Chapter 30 – External relations)
22 June 2015	Two chapters are opened (Chapter – Financial services and Chapter 21 – Trans-European Networks)
21 December 2015	Two chapters are opened (Chapter 14 – Transport policy and Chapter 15 – Energy)
30 June 2016	Two chapters are opened (Chapter 12 – Food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy and Chapter 13 – Fisheries)
13 December 2016	Two chapters are opened (Chapter 11 - Agriculture and rural development and Chapter 19 - Social policy and employment)
20 June 2017	Two chapters are opened (Chapter 1 - free movement of goods and Chapter 22 - regional policy) and one chapter is provisionally closed (Chapter 30 - External relations)
11 December 2017	Two chapters are opened (Chapter 2: Freedom of movement for workers and Chapter 3: Right of establishment and freedom to provide services)
25 June 2018	One chapter is opened (Chapter 17: Economic and monetary policy)
10 December 2018	One chapter is opened (Chapter 27: Environment and climate change)
30 June 2020	One chapter is opened (Chapter 8: Competition Policy)

Visa liberalisation process

On 1 January 2008, the visa facilitation and readmission agreements between Montenegro and the EU entered into force.[35] Montenegro was added to the list of visa exempt nationals on 19 December 2009, allowing their citizens to enter the Schengen Area, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania without a visa when traveling with biometric passports.[36] Visa liberalisation process does not include travels to Ireland or the United Kingdom as these countries operate their own respective visa regimes outside of the Schengen Agreement.

Unilateral euro adoption

Main article: Montenegro and the euro

Montenegro has no currency of its own. As a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia following World War II, and later of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav dinar was the official currency in Montenegro. In November 1999, the government of Montenegro unilaterally designated the Deutsche Mark as its co-official currency with the dinar, and on 1 January 2001 the dinar officially ceased to be a legal tender in Montenegro.[37][38] When the euro was introduced and the Deutsche Mark yielded in 2002, Montenegro followed suit and began using the euro as well, with no objection from the European Central Bank (ECB).[39][40] The European Commission and the ECB have since voiced their discontent over Montenegro's unilateral use of the euro on several occasions".[41] A statement attached to their Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU read: "unilateral introduction of the euro was not compatible with the Treaty."[42] The EU insists on the strict adherence to convergence criteria (such as spending at least 2 years in the ERMII system) which are not negotiable before euro adoption, but have not intervened to stop the unilateral adoption of the euro by Montenegro in 2002.[41][43]

The issue is expected to be resolved through the negotiations process.[41] The ECB has stated that the implications of unilateral euro adoption "would be spelled out at the latest in the event of possible negotiations on EU accession."[42] Diplomats have suggested that it's unlikely Montenegro will be forced to withdraw the euro from circulation in their country.[39][42] Radoje Žugić, Montenegro's Minister of Finance, has stated that "it would be extremely economically irrational to return to our own currency and then later to again go back to the euro."[44] Instead, he hopes that Montenegro will be permitted to keep the euro and has promised "the government of Montenegro, will adopt some certain elements, which should fulfil the conditions for further use of the euro; such as adopting fiscal rules."[44]

Negotiation progress

There are currently thirty chapters opened, three chapters that have been provisionally closed, and two chapters in which there is nothing to adopt.

Chapter and Accession Dates

Progression	33 / 33 100% complete	33 / 33 100% complete	33 / 33 100% complete	3 / 33 9.1% complete
Acquis chapter	Screening started	Screening completed	Chapter opened	Chapter closed
Overview	33 out of 33	33 out of 33	33 out of 33[45]	3 out of 33[45]
1. Free Movement of Goods	2013-01-14	2013-03-06	2017-06-20	–
2. Freedom of Movement For Workers	2013-05-13	2013-06-07	2017-12-11[46]	–
3. Right of Establishment & Freedom To Provide Services	2012-10-23	2012-11-30	2017-12-11[46]	–
4. Free Movement of Capital	2013-01-18	2013-02-21	2014-06-24[47]	–
5. Public Procurement	2012-09-27	2012-11-19	2013-12-18	–
6. Company Law	2012-10-02	2012-11-22	2013-12-18	–
7. Intellectual Property Law	2012-10-11	2012-11-21	2014-03-31	–
8. Competition Policy	2012-10-03	2012-12-04	2020-06-30	–
9. Financial Services	2013-04-17	2013-06-11	2015-06-22[48]	–
10. Information Society & Media	2012-12-06	2013-01-22	2014-03-31	–
11. Agriculture & Rural Development	2012-11-06	2012-12-13	2016-12-13	–
12. Food Safety, Veterinary & Phytosanitary Policy	2012-10-15	2013-02-01	2016-06-30	–
13. Fisheries	2013-03-14	2013-06-06	2016-06-30	–
14. Transport Policy	2013-04-22	2013-05-30	2015-12-21	–
15. Energy	2013-02-27	2013-04-11	2015-12-21	–
16. Taxation	2013-04-08	2013-04-30	2015-03-30	–
17. Economic & Monetary Policy	2013-01-10	2013-02-26	2018-06-25	–
18. Statistics	2013-06-03	2013-06-25	2014-12-16[49]	–
19. Social Policy & Employment	2013-01-23	2013-03-13	2016-12-13	–
20. Enterprise & Industrial Policy	2012-10-25	2012-11-28	2013-12-18	–
21. Trans-European Networks	2013-04-22	2013-05-30	2015-06-22[48]	–
22. Regional Policy & Coordination of Structural Instruments	2012-11-14	2012-12-18	2017-06-20	–
23. Judiciary & Fundamental Rights	2012-03-26[50]	2012-05-31	2013-12-18	–
24. Justice, Freedom & Security	2012-03-28[50]	2012-05-25	2013-12-18	–
25. Science & Research	2012-09-24	2012-09-25	2012-12-18	2012-12-18[51]
26. Education & Culture	2012-09-26	2012-11-16	2013-04-15	2013-04-15[52]
27. Environment & Climate Change	2013-02-04	2013-03-22	2018-12-10[53]	–
28. Consumer & Health Protection	2013-02-19	2013-04-16	2014-12-16[49]	–
29. Customs Union	2013-05-23	2013-06-21	2014-12-16[49]	–
30. External Relations	2013-05-14	2013-06-12	2015-03-30	2017-06-20
31. Foreign, Security & Defence Policy	2013-05-17	2013-06-27	2014-06-24[47]	–
32. Financial Control	2013-05-16	2013-06-19	2014-06-24[47]	–
33. Financial & Budgetary Provisions	2013-05-15	2013-06-26	2014-12-16[49]	–
34. Institutions	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
35. Other Issues	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

May 2019 European Commission Report[54]

Acquis chapter	Chapter Status	Ability to Assume Acquis
Overview	30 chapters open 3 chapters provisionally closed 2 chapters with nothing to adopt	Opened 1 chapter at an early stage 4 chapters with some level of preparation 20 chapters with a moderate level of preparation 5 chapters with a good level of preparation Closed 3 chapters with good level of preparation
1. Free Movement of Goods	Open	Moderately prepared
2. Freedom of Movement For Workers	Open	Some level of preparation
3. Right of Establishment & Freedom To Provide Services	Open	Moderately prepared
4. Free Movement of Capital	Open	Moderately prepared
5. Public Procurement	Open	Moderately prepared
6. Company Law	Open	Good level of preparation
7. Intellectual Property Law	Open	Good level of preparation
8. Competition Policy	Open	Moderately prepared
9. Financial Services	Open	Moderately prepared
10. Information Society & Media	Open	Moderately prepared
11. Agriculture & Rural Development	Open	Moderately prepared
12. Food Safety, Veterinary & Phytosanitary Policy	Open	Moderately prepared
13. Fisheries	Open	Some level of preparation
14. Transport Policy	Open	Good level of preparation
15. Energy	Open	Good level of preparation
16. Taxation	Open	Moderately prepared
17. Economic & Monetary Policy	Open	Moderately prepared
18. Statistics	Open	Moderately prepared
19. Social Policy & Employment	Open	Some level of preparation
20. Enterprise & Industrial Policy	Open	Moderately prepared
21. Trans-European Networks	Open	Moderately prepared
22. Regional Policy & Coordination of Structural Instruments	Open	Moderately prepared
23. Judiciary & Fundamental Rights	Open	Moderately prepared
24. Justice, Freedom & Security	Open	Moderately prepared
25. Science & Research	Provisionally closed	Good level of preparation
26. Education & Culture	Provisionally closed	Good level of preparation
27. Environment & Climate Change	Open	Some level of preparation
28. Consumer & Health Protection	Open	Moderately prepared
29. Customs Union	Open	Moderately prepared
30. External Relations	Provisionally closed	Good level of preparation
31. Foreign, Security & Defence Policy	Open	Good level of preparation
32. Financial Control	Open	Moderately prepared
33. Financial & Budgetary Provisions	Open	Early stage
34. Institutions	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt
35. Other Issues	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt
Legend: Chapters in bold indicate completed chapters.   totally incompatible   early stage   considerable efforts needed   some level of preparation   further efforts needed   moderately prepared   no major difficulties expected   good level of preparation   well prepared / well advanced

Past European Commission Assessments

Acquis chapter	October 2011[55]	October 2012[56]	October 2013[57]	October 2014[58]	November 2015[59]	November 2016[60]	April 2018[61]	May 2019[62]
1. Free Movement of Goods	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
2. Freedom of Movement For Workers	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Some level of preparation	Some level of preparation	Some level of preparation
3. Right of Establishment & Freedom To Provide Services	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Considerable efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
4. Free Movement of Capital	Some level of preparation	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
5. Public Procurement	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
6. Company Law	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation
7. Intellectual Property Law	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation
8. Competition Policy	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
9. Financial Services	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
10. Information Society & Media	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
11. Agriculture & Rural Development	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Some level of preparation	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
12. Food Safety, Veterinary & Phytosanitary Policy	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Some level of preparation	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
13. Fisheries	Further efforts needed	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Some level of preparation
14. Transport Policy	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation
15. Energy	Moderately prepared	Early stage	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation
16. Taxation	Further efforts needed	Early stage	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
17. Economic & Monetary Policy	Considerable efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
18. Statistics	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Some level of preparation	Some level of preparation	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
19. Social Policy & Employment	Early stage	Considerable efforts needed	Further efforts needed	Early stage	Some level of preparation	Some level of preparation	Some level of preparation	Some level of preparation
20. Enterprise & Industrial Policy	Considerable efforts needed	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
21. Trans-European Networks	Further efforts needed	Early stage	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
22. Regional Policy & Coordination of Structural Instruments	Early stage	Considerable efforts needed	Early stage	Early stage	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
23. Judiciary & Fundamental Rights	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Further efforts needed	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
24. Justice, Freedom & Security	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Further efforts needed	Early stage	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
25. Science & Research	Moderately prepared	Further efforts needed	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation
26. Education & Culture	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation
27. Environment & Climate Change	Considerable efforts needed	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Some level of preparation	Some level of preparation	Some level of preparation
28. Consumer & Health Protection	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	No major difficulties expected	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
29. Customs Union	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
30. External Relations	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	No major difficulties expected	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation
31. Foreign, Security & Defence Policy	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	No major difficulties expected	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation
32. Financial Control	Some level of preparation	Early stage	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
33. Financial & Budgetary Provisions	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage
34. Institutions	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt
35. Other Issues	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt
Legend: Chapters in bold indicate completed chapters.   totally incompatible   early stage   considerable efforts needed   some level of preparation   further efforts needed   moderately prepared   no major difficulties expected   good level of preparation   well prepared / well advanced

Impact of joining

Member countries	Population	Area (km²)	GDP (billion US$)	GDP per capita (US$)	Languages
Montenegro	621,400	13,812	4.42	7,113	Montenegrin
EU27	446,824,564	4,138,071	14,550	32,563	24
EU27+1	447,445,964 (+0.14%)	4,151,883 (+0.33%)	14,554.42 (+0.030%)	32,528 (−0.11%)	25

See also

• Montenegro–NATO relations
• Yugoslavia and the European Economic Community

References

1. World Factbook, CIA, accessed on 21 June 2017
2. Enlargement Process – Montenegro Key Events Archived 22 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine, European Commission, accessed on 10 January 2007
3. Germany prepares to take over EU presidency, Southeast European Times, 19 December 2006, accessed on 10 January 2007
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