Directorate-General for the European Union

Accession to the European Union is a strategic foreign policy goal of Montenegro. In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has Directorate-General for the European Union which, in close cooperation with the European Integration Office, other institutional bodies, and international actors, participates in activities aimed at monitoring EU policies and country's integration into the European Union.

Directorate-General for the European Union has two directorates: the Directorate for the European Union and the Directorate for the European Neighborhood Policy. 

Directorate for the European Union 

Chapter 31 – Foreign, Security, and Defense Policy

Chapter 31 covers political dialogue with the EU, issues relating to the candidate country’s relations with the EU and its institutions, the cooperation with international organizations, in particular with the UN, the OSCE and the CoE, a developed weapons control system, the European security and defence policy, the cooperation with NATO and fight against terrorism.

Foreign, security and defence policy is based on legal acts, including legally binding international agreements, and political documents. The acquis composes of political declarations, activities and agreements.

This chapter is particular in the sense that the European External Action Service (EEAS) also monitors the progress. This certainly gives the political meaning of the negotiations under this chapter and emphasizes the candidate country's alignment with the EU's foreign policy orientation. 

Negotiation Chapter 31 was opened at the Intergovernmental Conference in Luxembourg on 24 June 2014. Montenegro has defined one closing benchmark within this chapter, as follows:

• Montenegro, as a signatory to the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC), fully aligns its position with Council Decision 2011/168/CFSP of 21 March 2011 and the EU Guiding Principles on the Agreements of the Signatories of the Rome Statute on the ICC and the United States of America regarding the conditions for the extradition of persons to the Court, supplementing the Council’s conclusions on the International Criminal Court of 30 September 2002.

Alignment with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy

Montenegro, as a responsible candidate for membership in the EU, consistently follows the EU's Foreign and Security policy, where, without exception, we join the positions and decisions of the EU and contribute to EU peacekeeping missions.

Restrictive measures (sanctions) are an essential tool of the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy, which the European Union resorts to when necessary to prevent conflict or respond to new or current crises. Despite their colloquial name "sanctions", they are not punitive. The aim of the EU sanctions is to change the policies, activities and behavior of individuals or entities in non-EU countries in order to establish international peace, the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms, fight terrorism, develop and strengthen democracy and the rule of law and other objectives in accordance with international law.

EU-Montenegro Intergovernmental Accession Conference 

During the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the 13ᵗʰ Intergovernmental Conference was held in Luxembourg on June 22, 2021, which is the first political Intergovernmental Conference between the European Union and Montenegro after the adoption of the new enlargement methodology. At the Intergovernmental Conference, the revised methodology for Montenegro, as a frontrunner in the process of European integration was formalized, as well as for Serbia. The importance of the revised enlargement methodology is reflected in the fact that its implementation will recognize emphasized political character of the negotiation process and the relevance of stronger political and leadership orientation, through dynamizing political dialogue at the highest levels, more frequent and regular EU-WB Summits, intergovernmental conferences and contacts. It envisages the thematic division of negotiating chapters into six clusters, the so-called cluster approach:

1. Fundamentals;
2. Internal Market;
3. Competitiveness and inclusive growth;
4. Green agenda and sustainable connectivity;
5. Resources, agriculture and cohesion;
6. External relations 

In light of the implementation of the new methodology, it is essential for Montenegro that the rule of law retains a central role in the EU accession process. In this respect, the focus of our country will be on addressing the challenges in Chapters 23 - Judiciary and Fundamental Rights and 24 - Justice, Freedom and Security, primarily bearing in mind that no chapter will be opened until the interim benchmarks for these chapters are met.

Directorate for the European Neighborhood Policy

Regional initiatives

Regional cooperation represents one of the main foreign policy priorities of Montenegro and contributes to its integration to the European Union, through the commitment to fostering good neighborly relations, stability in the region, long term reconciliation, identification of sectorial areas of cooperation and inclusion in projects of interstate interest, positioning into macro-regional and regional frameworks and regular monitoring of activities. 

With the aim of strengthening regional cooperation, Montenegro is involved in more than 30 regional and macro-regional initiatives, as a member state, observer, or sectorial partner for dialogue. 

The Berlin process as a regional initiative with a significant importance, has been launched in 2014 in Berlin in order to deep regional cooperation and create adequate conditions for easier integration process of the Western Balkans states into the EU, with support of the European Commission, international financial institutions and EU member states involved into the process. The Berlin process is based on several key areas: good neighborly relations and regional cooperation, security and anticorruption, economic cooperation (trade and investments), transport and connectivity, digital integration, mobility (youth cooperation) and scientific cooperation. Montenegro participates regularly in meetings at the line ministry level (areas: foreign and internal affairs, economy, health, minority and human rights, transport, public administration, education), then in thematic meetings dealing with issues related on missing persons, anticorruption measures, civil society, and active citizens involvement in issues of interest to certain social affairs. The main activities take place on annual Berlin process summits, at the level of Prime ministers. 

Montenegro is involved in numerous macro-regional initiatives, following up regularly activities through departments division in various ministries and administrative institutions. Those initiatives provide a common framework for cooperation among member states of initiatives or organization, partner states and European institutions and enable participation in many projects, financed by EU and investments funding through diverse transnational financing programs. The Adriatic-Ionian Initiative for dialogue and cooperation in the Adriatic-Ionian region should be singled out, which was launched in 2000 in Ancona, in order to create space for peace, stability, and prosperity.

Montenegro regularly follows the Union for Mediterranean meetings which is an international organization established in 2008 that promotes peace and good neighborly relations, allows means for realization of numerous projects, aiming to integrate and protect rights of the most vulnerable people categories with the focus on women and youth, combating all forms of violence, xenophobia, extremism, racism, and other current social phenomena in the Euro-Mediterranean region. Montenegro holds partner country’ status in the Euro-Mediterranean Foundation Anna Lindh, which promotes intercultural dialogue and cherishes cultural and linguistic diversity and mutual respect. 

As a partner country for sectorial dialogue, Montenegro follows ministerial and working groups meetings in the framework of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation – BSEC, which exists since 1995 with headquarter in Istanbul. The organizational activities are focused on multilateral, political and economic initiatives, aiming for peace, stability, cooperation, and prosperity in the Black Sea region. A special focus of this organization is on developing infrastructural project, striving to a sustainable road network construction and region connectivity towards road, railway, and water transport.  

Montenegro participates in full capacity in annual multilateral level summits of the Process Brdo – Brioni at the presidential level, initiated by Slovenian and Croatian presidents in 2013. The process has been created for acceleration of European enlargement process of all Western Balkans countries, towards fostering good neighborly relations, peace, and stability in the region, as a political precondition for sustainable, secure, and stable European future.