Moldova Could Catch Up with Montenegro in EU Accession Talks by 2027

Moldova could catch up with Montenegro on the path to the EU by the end of 2027

Moldova is capable of catching up with Montenegro in terms of progress in negotiations on accession to the European Union by the end of 2027, provided it maintains the current momentum of reforms. This was stated by Marta Kos, European Commissioner for Enlargement, during the annual conference on EU enlargement in Chișinău.

Marta Kos

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The European Commissioner for Enlargement is quoted by the Ukrainian publication ‘European Truth’, which points out that the EU has acknowledged in its ‘roadmaps’ that Moldova has overtaken Ukraine on the path to accession. The Commissioner’s assessment is corroborated by the European Commission’s official report on the progress of enlargement for 2026, which sets out objective indicators of progress:

Rapid rise in scores: Over the past three years, Moldova’s average score for readiness for EU membership has risen by almost a full point (from 1.9 points), enabling it to overtake Ukraine (which gained only 0.2 points) and join the ranks of the leaders in the enlargement process.
Focus on key reforms: Chisinau has made its main breakthrough in the so-called fundamental areas — the rule of law, judicial reform and the fight against corruption.
Comparison with Montenegro and Albania: Montenegro tops the ranking with 3.98 points out of a possible 4 (indicating full technical readiness) and plans to finalise its accession treaty by the end of 2026. Albania and Moldova follow in the ‘roadmaps’ – for both countries, the preparation of EU accession treaties is scheduled for 2028.

Prospects for leadership

European Commission experts note that, following Montenegro’s official accession to the European Union, it is Moldova that stands the best chance of taking the lead among the remaining candidate countries.

According to Brussels’ estimates, by the end of next year Moldova could provisionally close 25 out of 33 negotiation chapters. This would bring the country to a level comparable to Montenegro’s current performance; Montenegro has so far closed 23 chapters and is regarded as the leader of the European integration process in the Western Balkans.

Provided the pace of work remains high, Chisinau will be able to fully complete the negotiation process in early 2028. At the same time, according to preliminary forecasts, Montenegro may sign the EU accession treaty earlier – tentatively in June 2027.

To date, four out of six thematic clusters have been opened as part of the negotiations with Moldova. It is expected that by the end of 2026, the Council of the EU will approve the opening of the remaining two clusters. In parallel, the European Commission is finalising its assessment of the country’s fulfilment of the interim criteria in the area of the rule of law (IBAR).

In addition to political support, Brussels is preparing further economic incentives. Marta Kos announced the launch in 2027 of a new financial assistance package for Moldova, which will supplement the existing Growth Plan worth €1.9 billion.

At the same time, the European Commissioner emphasised that the success of this ambitious timetable depends on two key factors: the continuity of domestic reforms within Moldova itself and the unanimous political will of all 27 EU Member States, whose approval is required to close each chapter of the negotiations.

This story was translated with the assistance of artificial intelligence.The translation was also reviewed by the Logos Press editorial team.

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