The European Union commended the OSCE Mission in Montenegro for two decades of partnership and praised the country's progress in EU accession negotiations, including the provisional closure of numerous negotiating chapters during 2025 and 2026, in a statement delivered at the OSCE Permanent Council on 25 June 2026. The statement, published by the EEAS on 26 June 2026, also acknowledged Montenegro's request to close the Mission by the end of 2027 and supported the Mission's intention to complete its strategic workplan for long-term sustainability.
The EU highlighted the Mission's support in strengthening police capacities to combat organized crime, corruption, trafficking in human beings, and the misuse of small arms and light weapons. It commended increased focus on forensic activities and inter-agency cooperation to improve criminal investigations and prosecutions. The EU also valued cooperation with Montenegro's Parliament to strengthen parliamentary governance, democratic oversight, gender mainstreaming, and scrutiny capacities, welcoming support for the third Action Plan for a Gender Sensitive Parliament.
In the media field, the EU appreciated the Mission's focus on journalist safety, including the establishment of Montenegro's national press safety mechanism, the first of its kind in the region, and efforts to strengthen media self-regulation and professional standards. The EU also highlighted contributions to justice sector reform through the Regional Trial Monitoring Project, aimed at improving efficiency and fairness in judicial proceedings, particularly for high-level organized crime and corruption cases.
The EU reaffirmed its commitment to the enlargement process, stating that Montenegro's recent achievements signal readiness to move forward with candidate countries based on credible reforms and fair conditionality. The statement was also aligned with Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, and Ukraine.