Cooperation and Development Institute

Montenegro has provisionally closed Chapter 21 on Trans-European Networks in its accession negotiations, marking a significant step in aligning its transport, energy, and digital infrastructure with EU standards. 👏

📌 This milestone reflects a broader regional shift: progress on connectivity is no longer driven by formal EU alignment alone, but increasingly by the capacity of actors to coordinate, exchange expertise, and operationalize their transport and energy standards in practice.

In this context, our initiative acts as an enabling platform whose main objective is to support TEN-T rail network readiness of region and increase region’s footprint in EU policy-making in the transport sector.

Read more: https://cdinstitute.eu/2026/03/19/montenegro-closes-chapter-21/

Interreg IPA South Adriatic
Željeznička infrastruktura CG

Montenegro strengthens TEN-T alignment with closure of chapter 21 CDINSTITUTE Latest News Montenegro has provisionally closed Chapter 21 on Trans-European Networks in its EU accession negotiations.

📌 At the Panel discussion “The EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans – Governance coordination, reform delivery and institutional communication” organized last week by the Regional School of Public Administration, we highlighted three main issues from field experience with the Reform and Growth Facility that deserve attention as the Facility evolves:

🔹 Stakeholders’ engagement is not a box to tick. For performance-based EU instruments to deliver legitimate outcomes, cooperation with civil society must be treated as a core governance requirement - with clear roles, defined responsibilities, and dedicated resources.

🔹 The RGF currently measures progress, not performance. As evidenced by CDI’s , most of reform steps are tracked by outputs - laws adopted, strategies approved, etc., - rather than by the results they produce for citizens and businesses. This gap between activity and impact needs to be addressed, including by strengthening the existing monitoring frameworks so they can detect implementation gaps, communicate reforms and support a mid-term review of the Facility implementation.

🔹 won’t happen without stronger governance and inclusion. Clearer assessment methodologies, greater transparency, and structured stakeholder engagement are preconditions for fund absorption and public trust.

➡️ With potential revisions to the instrument ahead, there is an opportunity to strengthen civil society engagement and improve monitoring and evaluation practices. Getting this right matters not just for the , but also for the next Global Europe Instrument.

🙏 Thank you to Lorela Simoni, Bojana Bajić and Jelena Mrdak for the insightful discussion and Regional School of Public Administration for the opportunity of contribution.