The EU Council's Ad Hoc Working Party on Drafting the Accession Treaty with Montenegro is scheduled to meet on 13 July 2026 at 10:00 in Brussels to discuss technical adaptations for five chapters of the acquis communautaire, according to a notice of meeting and provisional agenda published on 9 July 2026. The meeting, to be held at the Council's Justus Lipsius building, will cover chapters on food safety, judiciary and fundamental rights, justice and security, customs union, and foreign and security policy, all referencing the acquis up to July 2013 as the cut-off point.
The working party will examine technical adaptations for Chapter 12 (Food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy), Chapter 23 (Judiciary and fundamental rights), Chapter 24 (Justice, freedom and security), Chapter 29 (Customs union), and Chapter 31 (Foreign, security and defence policy). These adaptations are necessary to align Montenegro's legal framework with EU standards as part of the accession treaty drafting process. The meeting format is 1+2, indicating limited participation, and the agenda includes a slot for any other business.
This meeting marks a procedural step in Montenegro's EU accession negotiations, which have been ongoing since the country opened talks in 2012. The technical adaptations are part of the final phase of drafting the accession treaty, which will be submitted to the Council for approval and then to the European Parliament for consent. The working party's work is expected to contribute to the overall timeline for Montenegro's accession, though no specific deadline for treaty completion has been announced.
The document does not specify any contentious issues or disagreements among member states regarding the adaptations. The meeting is a routine technical session aimed at ensuring the treaty text accurately reflects the acquis at the time of closure of the relevant chapters. The outcome of the meeting will be reported to the Council's General Affairs Council or the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) for further action.