The conference is expected to conclude chapters 3 - Right to establish a company and freedom to provide services, 4 - Freedom of movement of capital, 6 - Commercial law, 11 - Agriculture and rural development and 13 - Fisheries.
The goal of the Government of Montenegro is to close all remaining chapters by the end of next year, so that the country is ready for membership in the European Union in 2028.
German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz recently stated that the European Union can take the next step in negotiations with Montenegro and soon begin work on an accession agreement.
"It is with Montenegro, which has probably made the most progress among the candidates, that we can now move on to the next step and soon start working on an accession agreement. This is also in our interest, because the closer we are connected, the better we can act together in Europe, especially when it comes to limiting illegal migration," Merc said.
After today's conference, Montenegro would enter the next, probably crucial year with a total of 12 closed chapters. The goal is to close more than 20 chapters by 2026, which would meet the conditions for joining the European Union by the end of 2028.
Montenegro also met all the conditions for closing Chapter 31, which refers to foreign, security and defense policy, but the decision to close it was postponed earlier at Croatia's request.
Montenegro was granted candidate status for EU membership in December 2010, and negotiations began in June 2012. Since then, it has opened all 33 negotiation chapters.
