Tivat Braces for EU Summit: 40-Plus Delegations and Lockdown
Montenegro has released the final list of participants and a special security regime for June 4 to 6: full road closures, a drone ban and police filming across six municipalities.
- The EU and Western Balkans summit is set for June 5 in Tivat, hosted by Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic.
- Around 1,000 participants from 42 delegations and more than 30 leaders are expected, among them Sanchez, Meloni, Merz, Macron and von der Leyen.
- A special regime runs from June 4 to 6: full closures of the Adriatic highway through Tivat, a drone ban and police filming across six municipalities.
- Montenegro enters the summit as the front-runner candidate, aiming to become the EU's 28th member state by 2028.
Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic will host the European Union and Western Balkans summit in Tivat on June 5, and on the eve of the gathering Podgorica has published the final list of participants along with a special security regime running from June 4 to 6. The summit was convened on the initiative of European Council President Antonio Costa, drawing delegations from across the Union and the region to the Adriatic coastal town.
According to Montenegrin authorities, around 1,000 participants from 42 foreign delegations are due to arrive in Tivat. Milatovic has announced the presence of more than 30 leaders, placing the event among the largest diplomatic occasions the country has ever hosted. The host enters the summit with a clear message: Montenegro sees itself as the front-runner among candidate states, aiming to become the EU’s 28th member by 2028.
Who is coming and what is on the table?
The attendance of senior European officials has been confirmed. Among the leaders expected in Tivat are Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron. From the top of the Union’s institutions come European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, High Representative Kaja Kallas and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
For Serbia the summit carries particular weight, since President Aleksandar Vucic has, according to earlier announcements, confirmed his participation. The diplomatic framing of the gathering comes at a moment of regional tension, recalled by the recent incident in which a charter flight from Belgrade was turned back. That episode lingered in the public mind as a reminder that relations within the region and toward Brussels remain delicate, despite the shared table.
What the security regime looks like
For the duration of the summit Montenegro has introduced a set of measures that will affect both residents and visitors along the coast. From 2 p.m. on June 4 until the late evening hours of June 5, the Adriatic highway through Tivat will see intermittent full traffic closures, including for pedestrians.
The measures do not stop at the roads. For June 4, 5 and 6 the following restrictions apply:
- The use of drones is banned across the areas of Cetinje, Njegusi, Lovcen, Tivat and Kotor.
- Police are conducting filming in six municipalities covered by the security plan.
- The filming also covers the waters of the Bay of Kotor and Tivat Bay.
Montenegro enters the summit as the front-runner candidate, aiming to become the EU’s 28th member state by 2028.
For a town of only a few thousand residents, an event of this scale is a logistical test, but also a chance to place Tivat and the Porto Montenegro marina in the shop window of European diplomacy. The open question is how far the meeting of leaders will move real enlargement deadlines, and how much will remain at the level of symbolism.
Do you believe the summit in Tivat can speed up the Western Balkans’ path toward the European Union, or is this another diplomatic gathering without concrete progress?
