ME4EU – Provisional closure of Negotiating Chapter 13 – Fisheries




ME4EU – Provisional closure of Negotiating Chapter 13 – Fisheries

A post has been published on the ME4EU portal about the provisional closure of Negotiating Chapter 13 - Fisheries at the Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels, held on 16 December 2025, under the title “Fisheries Without Borders: What Has the Closure of Chapter 13 Brought to Montenegro?” (link, available in Montenegrin only).

The article explains that, upon joining the EU, Montenegro will adopt the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy, which governs the management of fish stocks, the fleet and the market, relying on data exchange and support mechanisms for fishers. Particular emphasis is placed on safeguarding traditional fishing, and Montenegro has been granted three three-year derogations (temporary exemptions). Two relate to the Bay of Kotor (the use of coastal beach seine nets with a smaller mesh size for sardine and anchovy, as well as the use of surrounding seine nets on a limited area, closer to shore and at shallower depths), while the third relates to offshore waters (an exemption from the restriction limiting net height to 120 metres).

The text also highlights growing pressures on wild fish stocks and points to mariculture as an important response, while noting that this sector remains underdeveloped in Montenegro. In this context, it states that the Institute of Marine Biology, with the support of European funds, is strengthening its capacity to provide scientific and expert support for the development of mariculture, including a modern laboratory for oyster and shellfish cultivation and microalgae production. The article concludes by stressing that the closure of the chapter does not mean the end of obligations, but rather opens a new phase of development for fishers and the communities whose livelihoods depend on the sea.

The post is accompanied by a short video on the ME4EU Facebook page:

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