Montenegro and Iceland may eventually become members of the European Union at the same time — the possibility of combining the two countries' accession into one package is being discussed in Brussels by representatives of the European Commission and European diplomats, Politico reports.
This option is being considered against the background of Montenegro's rapid progress in membership negotiations and Iceland's possible return to the European integration process, which was frozen more than ten years ago. There is still no final decision of the EU on the joint accession of the countries.
The key event will be the referendum in Iceland on August 29, 2026, in which citizens will have to decide whether the country should resume negotiations on joining the EU. The Icelandic parliament approved the vote in May. If the majority supports the resumption of negotiations, their result will later have to be submitted to a second referendum - already directly on the country's membership in the European Union.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos called Iceland a "special case" because the country is already deeply integrated with the European Union through the European Economic Area and the Schengen Area.
According to her assessment, in the event of a positive referendum result, negotiations with Reykjavik can potentially continue only one or two years. Kos also stated that the EU is ready to seek special solutions regarding the most sensitive issues for Iceland, primarily fishing and agriculture.
This theoretically allows Iceland to catch up with Montenegro and reach the finish line of the negotiations at about the same time as Podgorica.
Montenegro is currently the candidate that has advanced the most in the process of joining the European Union.
All 33 negotiating chapters have already opened, and after the EU-Montenegro intergovernmental conference on July 14, 18 chapters were preliminarily closed. The chapters on competition policy and the Customs Union were closed last.
Thus, Podgorica has passed more than half of the process of closing the negotiation chapters and expects to complete the negotiations by the end of 2026.
The government of Prime Minister Milojko Spajc officially aims to become the 28th EU state in 2028. The European Union has already started preparatory work on the treaty on the accession of Montenegro, and the European Commission presented a financial package on June 30 that determines the budgetary consequences of the country's future membership.
One of Politico's interlocutors at the European Commission stated that there is a significant probability of forming a joint package for the two states.
The economic logic of such an option lies in the significant difference between the countries.
Iceland is a rich economy and in the case accession will likely become a net donor to the EU budget. Montenegro, on the contrary, due to the relatively low level of income of the population, will be one of the recipients of European funding.
According to European diplomats, combining the two states into a single package could therefore simplify the political negotiation of enlargement for the current EU members.
Montenegro's Minister of European Affairs Majda Horcevic told Politico that Podgorica is positive about the possibility of linking its accession with Iceland.
Icelandic Foreign Minister Torgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir also mentioned joint accession "absolutely" possible.
At the same time, each country will have to independently fulfill the terms of membership. The unification into a single treaty or political package does not cancel the need for the completion of negotiations and the agreement of all current EU states.
Despite the high level of economic integration, the possible return of Iceland to the negotiations does not guarantee their smooth completion.
For Iceland, control over fish resources has a much greater economic and political weight than for most EU states. The country's Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that maintaining control over fisheries will be one of the fundamental conditions of any future agreements with Brussels.
However, Iceland already applies a significant part of EU legislation thanks to its membership in the European Economic Area. This is why the process could potentially be much faster than for most current candidates.
Montenegro applied to join the European Union in 2008, received candidate status in 2010, and membership negotiations officially began on June 29, 2012. Currently, all 33 negotiation chapters are open, of which 18 have been previously closed. After the acceleration of reforms in 2024-2026, the country became the main candidate for the next enlargement of the EU.
Iceland followed a completely different path. After the global financial crisis, it applied to the EU in July 2009, and negotiations began in 2010. Before their termination, 27 negotiating chapters were opened, of which 11 were previously closed.
After the arrival of a new government in 2013, negotiations were frozen, and in March 2015, Reykjavik asked the European Union to no longer consider Iceland as a candidate country. At the same time, the country maintained the closest integration with the EU through the European Economic Area and Schengen.
In 2026, the issue of membership returned to the political agenda. Parliament scheduled a referendum on August 29 on whether negotiations should be restarted.
The very format of joint accession of several states is not something new for the EU. Spain and Portugal joined the Community simultaneously in 1986, ten countries joined the EU in the 2004 enlargement, and Bulgaria and Romania simultaneously in 2007.
If Iceland votes for the resumption of negotiations and is able to quickly agree on disputed issues with Brussels, 2028 becomes a theoretically possible date for the simultaneous accession of Montenegro and Iceland for the first time. For now, however, this is a political scenario, not an approved timetable for EU enlargement.
