European Commission 8 November 2023, COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Montenegro 2023 Report Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions 2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy

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This European Commission Staff Working Document constitutes the 2023 annual progress report on Montenegro's accession to the European Union, prepared pursuant to the EU enlargement methodology and accompanying the 2023 Communication on EU Enlargement Policy (COM(2023) 690 final). The report assesses Montenegro's compliance across all negotiating clusters and chapters, finding that progress has been largely stalled due to deep political polarisation, a prolonged caretaker government, an inoperative Constitutional Court, and persistent deficiencies in the rule of law—particularly in judicial reform, the fight against corruption and organised crime, and fundamental rights protection. The report concludes that no further chapters will be provisionally closed until Montenegro demonstrates measurable progress on the interim benchmarks in Chapters 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights) and 24 (Justice, Freedom and Security), which remain the central conditions for advancement in the overall accession negotiations.AI