Montenegro and Iceland could eventually join the European Union at the same time — the possibility of combining the two countries’ accession into a single package is being discussed in Brussels by representatives of the European Commission and European diplomats, according to Politico.
This option is being considered against the backdrop of Montenegro’s rapid progress in accession negotiations and Iceland’s possible return to the European integration process, which was put on hold more than ten years ago. The EU has not yet reached a final decision on the two countries’ joint accession.
A key event will be the referendum in Iceland on 29 August 2026, in which citizens will have to decide whether the country should resume negotiations on EU accession. The Icelandic parliament approved the referendum in May. If a majority supports the resumption of negotiations, the outcome will subsequently have to be put to a second referendum — this time directly on the question of the country’s membership of the European Union.
Marta Kos, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, described Iceland as a ‘special case’, as the country is already deeply integrated with the European Union through the European Economic Area and the Schengen Area.
In her view, should the referendum yield a positive result, negotiations with Reykjavík could potentially last just one or two years. Kos also stated that the EU is prepared to seek special solutions to the issues of greatest sensitivity to Iceland, primarily in the fields of fisheries and agriculture.
This theoretically allows Iceland to catch up with Montenegro and enter the final stage of negotiations at roughly the same time as Podgorica.
Montenegro is currently the candidate that has progressed furthest in the process of joining the European Union.
All 33 negotiation chapters have already been opened, and following the EU–Montenegro Intergovernmental Conference on 14 July, 18 chapters were provisionally closed. The most recent chapters to be closed were those relating to competition policy and the Customs Union.
Podgorica has thus completed more than half of the process of closing the negotiation chapters and expects to conclude negotiations by the end of 2026.
The government of Prime Minister Milojko Spajić has officially set the goal of becoming the 28th EU member state in 2028. The European Union has already begun preparatory work on Montenegro’s accession treaty, and on 30 June the European Commission presented a financial package setting out the budgetary implications of the country’s future membership.
One of Politico’s sources at the European Commission stated that there is a significant likelihood of a joint package being drawn up for the two countries.
The economic rationale behind this option lies in the substantial differences between the two countries.
Iceland is a wealthy economy and, should it join, is likely to become a net contributor to the EU budget. Montenegro, by contrast, will be one of the recipients of European funding due to its comparatively low level of household income.
According to European diplomats, combining the two countries into a single package could therefore simplify the political negotiations on enlargement for current EU members.
Montenegro’s Minister for European Affairs, Maida Gorčević, told Politico that Podgorica is open to the possibility of linking its accession to that of Iceland.
Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Torgurdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, also described joint accession as ‘absolutely’ possible.
However, each country would have to fulfil the conditions for membership independently. The mere fact of being grouped together under a single treaty or political package does not remove the need to complete negotiations and secure the consent of all current EU member states.
Despite the high level of economic integration, Iceland’s possible return to the negotiations does not guarantee their smooth conclusion.
For Iceland, control over fisheries resources is of far greater economic and political significance than for most EU member states. The country’s Foreign Minister has stated that retaining control over fisheries will be one of the fundamental conditions of any future agreements with Brussels.
However, Iceland already applies a significant proportion of EU legislation thanks to its membership of the European Economic Area. This is precisely why the process could potentially proceed much more quickly than for most current candidate countries.
Montenegro applied for EU membership in 2008, was granted candidate status in 2010, and membership negotiations officially began on 29 June 2012. All 33 negotiation chapters are now open, of which 18 have been provisionally closed. Following the acceleration of reforms in 2024–2026, the country has become the leading candidate for further EU enlargement.
Iceland has taken a completely different path. Following the global financial crisis, it applied to join the EU in July 2009, and negotiations began in 2010. At the time negotiations were suspended, 27 negotiation chapters had been opened, of which 11 had been provisionally closed.
Following the arrival of a new government in 2013, negotiations were put on hold, and in March 2015, Reykjavík asked the European Union to no longer consider Iceland as a candidate country. However, the country has maintained close integration with the EU through the European Economic Area and the Schengen Area.