(ANSA) - BELGRADO, JUL 27 - Montenegro tops the list of candidate countries for accession to the European Union, but there is one obstacle standing in its way: Croatia. Zagreb has set out a series of conditions for giving its consent to Podgorica's progress, blocking negotiations with Brussels on Chapter 31, which concerns foreign, security and defence policy. As early as 2024, Zagreb had officially raised objections, contesting a resolution passed by the Podgorica Parliament on the genocide of Serbs at the Ustasha fascist extermination camp in Jasenovac during the Second World War. Touching on a sensitive issue, Croatia regards this political move as a provocation instigated by Belgrade. According to Serbian daily Blic, a report also carried by Serbian Monitor, Croatia has requested Montenegro to take decisive steps by the end of the year on six unresolved bilateral issues in order to secure the green light for the continuation of negotiations with the EU. Zagreb is demanding that Montenegro pay compensation to former Croatian prisoners held in Montenegrin prisoner-of-war camps, and that it continue the search for the 14 people still officially listed as missing from the Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995), the effective prosecution of war crimes, the resolution of disputes over property confiscated from Croatian families, the demarcation of maritime borders and the return of the training ship Jadran, and the preservation of the commemorative plaque at the site of the former Morinj camp in Montenegro, where hundreds of Croats were imprisoned from 1991 onwards. Despite the obstacles imposed by Croatia, Montenegro is continuing its technical work with the European institutions and is still considered to be in pole position. In mid-July 2026, Podgorica managed to provisionally close a further two important chapters, bringing the total to 18 closed chapters out of 33. (ANSA).