The European Union and Montenegro temporarily closed two chapters of the accession negotiations on Friday. The talks on Chapter 1, covering the free movement of goods, and Chapter 12, covering food safety, veterinary and plant health policy, were paused for the time being. Thomas Byrne, Ireland’s Minister for European Affairs and the Irish Presidency of the EU, said the pause was a step toward the eventual closure of all remaining chapters. “We are celebrating the progress made at the third Intergovernmental Conference on Montenegro, held under the Irish Presidency, where we also temporarily closed two other negotiation chapters,” Byrne said. “With 23 chapters already closed, Montenegro is making significant progress toward closing all remaining chapters. The enlargement is a geopolitical necessity for the EU, and the Irish Presidency is prioritising this agenda.” The temporary closures follow the previous intergovernmental conference on 12 October 2026, when Chapters 17 (economic and monetary policy), 18 (statistics) and 19 (social policy and employment) were also put on hold. Monitoring of progress in aligning Montenegro’s legislation with EU law will continue throughout the negotiation process. Montenegro opened 33 negotiation chapters as part of its EU accession bid. With the latest closures, a total of 13 chapters have been temporarily shut. Under the principles agreed at the Accession Conference, agreements reached on individual chapters are not final until a comprehensive agreement covering all chapters is reached. The EU can, if necessary, reopen chapters at a later stage. A report from the European Commission’s Enlargement Directorate assessed that Montenegro’s accession negotiations could realistically be concluded by the end of the year, provided the necessary reforms are implemented. The recent progress, according to Byrne, preserves momentum for Montenegro’s eventual EU membership.