Brussels warns Montenegro to be more discerning when approving citizenship

Montenegro will have to harmonize with strict EU norms and criteria for the prevention of safety risks in giving citizenship to foreign investors, which will be assessed during the negotiation process, the European Commission (EC) announced.

On July 26, the Government of Montenegro adopted the program of obtaining citizenship based on investments, and the plan is for this program to start being implemented on October 1.

The EC stated for Vijesti that member states need to secure several necessary steps to the end of preventing security risks in giving citizenship. They also must implement rigorous criteria to identify and counter criminality and corruption.

The Head of the EU Delegation to Podgorica, Aivo Orav, said earlier that the Montenegrin Government needed to consider the issue of economic citizenship very carefully so that it doesn't jeopardize the country's road to the EU.

The government's program of economic citizenship, as planned, will be available to up to 2,000 applicants from non-EU countries for a limited period of three years.

Interested individuals will have the option of investing EUR 250,000 in one of the development projects previously approved by the government in an undeveloped area in Montenegro, or EUR 450,000 in a developed area.

In addition to that, the government will charge a fee of up to EUR 100,000 per submitted request. The revenues collected will be put into a special fund for the development of undeveloped areas.

The government claims that this is not a project of the sale of passports and economic citizenship, but a project which should secure the economic development and accelerate the meeting of the economic criteria which are a part of Montenegro's EU agenda.

Due to the EU's suggestion, the government halted the program of economic citizenship in 2010. The proposition at the time was for Montenegrin citizenship to cost EUR 500,000, a large portion of which was supposed to be paid to the budget.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION Bruxelles

Delegation of the European Commission to Montenegro

Montenegrin citizenship

economic citizenship

citizenship for investments

giving citizenship to foreign investors

European Commission

EC

EU Delegation to Podgorica

Aivo Orav