Permanent representatives of the European Union member states agreed to close several chapters in the EU accession negotiations for Albania and Montenegro. This was reported by the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU on the social network X.

For Montenegro, the closure of Chapter 8 “Competition Policy” and Chapter 29 “Customs Union” was approved. This step confirms the country's status as one of the leaders among candidate countries in the Balkans.

At present, Montenegro has provisionally closed 15 of 33 negotiating chapters and is considered the most advanced candidate for accession to the European Union.

For Albania, the decision to close negotiating chapters was made for the first time. This concerns Chapter 25 “Science and Research,” Chapter 26 “Education and Culture,” and Chapter 30 “External Relations.”

The closure of individual chapters means the completion of negotiations in specific areas, but it does not constitute the countries’ final accession to the EU — the process continues until all chapters are agreed upon and the accession treaty is signed.