Montenegro’s biggest obstacle on its path to the EU membership will, by all accounts, be Croatia, which blocked the closing of Chapter 31 – covering foreign, security, and defence policy – just ten days ago.

In doing so, Zagreb presented Podgorica with a list of no fewer than six demands or, rather, conditions for progress on its European path, raising growing questions over whether Montenegro can still join the EU by 2028.

On the so-called “Super Tuesday” on 14 July – triumphantly announced in Brussels as one of the most critical dates in the EU enlargement process – it became clear that Croatia is a thorn in Montenegro’s side on its EU path. Zagreb refused to allow Podgorica to close one of the three scheduled chapters on that day, and followed up a few days later with an open letter.

In the document, Croatia called on Montenegro to take “decisive steps, engage in constructive dialogue, and accelerate work on unresolved bilateral issues”, while reminding Podgorica that good-neighbourly relations are one of the key political criteria in the EU enlargement process.

The letter also noted that the EU “cannot and does not wish to import bilateral disputes”, concluding that “open issues must be resolved so they do not burden the accession process”.

Croatia delivers six demands to Montenegro

Zagreb stated that it expects concrete progress from Podgorica regarding six demands:

• Compensation for former camp inmates,
• Continued search for the 14 missing persons from the Homeland War,
• Prosecution of war crimes,
• Resolution of property claims by Croatian citizens,
• Preservation of the memorial plaque at the former Morinj camp,
• Continuation of talks on maritime border demarcation and the return of the training ship Jadran.

“Only a few months left until the end of 2026”

Furthermore, the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs reminded Podgorica that “there are only a few months left until the end of 2026”. These moves by Zagreb came shortly after a visit by the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, who met with Andrej Plenković, the Prime Minister of Croatia, and Gordan Grlić Radman, the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs.

Guillaume Mercier, spokesman for the European Commission, stated that Kos and Croatian officials agreed that “the accession process must remain based on the candidates’ concrete results in implementing reforms”. “Commissioner Kos emphasized that building good relations between EU member states and future member states is an integral part of the accession process. We are confident that disagreements can be overcome in pursuit of our shared goal: a larger, safer, and more independent Europe,” Mercier said in a statement to Radio Free Europe (RFE).

Podgorica: Resolving issues through open, continuous, and good-faith dialogue

The Montenegrin Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the letter from Zagreb by stating that open issues would be addressed through “open, continuous, and good-faith dialogue”.

“We will continue to approach the resolution of open issues with friendly Croatia in an open, responsible, and good-faith manner, confident that relations between two friendly and allied states should serve as an example of how even complex issues can be resolved through discussion, mutual respect, and a focus on a shared European future,” the Montenegrin Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

“Serbian influence” and the Jasenovac resolution remain stumbling blocks

Augustin Palokaj, Brussels correspondent for the Croatian daily Jutarnji list, believes that statements from both Zagreb and Podgorica “show there are no hidden motives”, but simultaneously warns Montenegro of the “sensitivity of the Croatian public regarding war crimes, the destruction of Dubrovnik, and the perception of Serbian influence in Montenegro”.

As an example, he cited the adoption of the Resolution on the Genocide in Jasenovac, which he believes seriously damaged trust between the two countries.

“Attempts in Montenegro to present this as a matter of principle that is not directed against Croatia or in favour of Serbia only further complicate relations,” Palokaj argues.

He expects that “a solution could be found by the end of the summer” and warns Podgorica “not to repeat Zagreb’s past mistake”.

“At one point, Croatia counted on other European Union member states to pressure Slovenia. That did not happen. In the end, Zagreb and Ljubljana had to reach an agreement on their own to unblock the negotiation chapters,” said Palokaj. He added that at this moment, one cannot strictly speak of a complete Croatian blockade of Montenegro’s European path, as “Croatia has blocked one chapter and holds reservations about another, but has given its consent to close all the remaining chapters”.

Croatia first blocked Chapter 31 two years ago

As a reminder, Croatia first blocked the closing of Chapter 31 for Podgorica back in 2024, after the Parliament of Montenegro passed the Resolution on the Genocide in Jasenovci – a move official Zagreb assessed as a provocation.

Regardless, Montenegro remains the most advanced candidate country for European Union membership. To date, it has provisionally closed 18 out of a total of 33 negotiation chapters, while Chapter 31 remains open.

(Blic, 27.07.2026)

https://www.blic.rs/vesti/politika/hrvatska-blokirala-crnu-goru-na-putu-ka-eu-ovo-je-spisak-zahteva-poslatih-u-pismu/tpclqkz