When granting citizenship to foreign investors, Montenegro will have to comply with strict European norms and criteria for preventing security risks, and this will be assessed during the negotiation process, the European Commission (EC) said.
On July 26, the government adopted the citizenship-by-investment program, and it is planned to begin its implementation on October 1.
The EC told "Vijesti" that member states should ensure that the necessary steps are taken to prevent security risks when granting citizenship. They must also apply rigorous criteria for identifying and combating criminality and corruption.
"Granting citizenship is a national competence. As expected from EU member states and candidate countries, they should use their strengths to grant citizenship in a spirit of sincere cooperation and refrain from any measures that could jeopardize the achievement of the Union's goals. Montenegro, like all other candidate countries, will have to comply with these norms and criteria. This will be assessed during the negotiation process", said the press service of the EC in response to the questions of "Vijesta" addressed to European Commissioner Vera Jourova.
"Vijesti" asked the commissioner, who recently criticized some EU members for awarding "golden passports", whether the program for awarding citizenship based on investment, prepared by the Government of Montenegro, can bring benefits to the state as claimed by the executive power, what risks the program carries and can whether to slow down the European path of Montenegro.
Last week, Jourova asked EU members, who grant "golden passports" to rich people from countries outside the EU, to do more to ensure that such citizenships are not obtained by criminals.
"Granting citizenship can be a serious security risk, because it gives rights such as freedom of movement in the EU," Jurova told Germany's Welt. Brussels believes that citizenship should be granted only in cases where there is a real connection with the state. Malta and Cyprus are among the countries that have come under criticism.
The head of the EU Delegation in Podgorica, Aivo Orav, said the day after the adoption of the program that the Montenegrin Government should carefully consider the issue of economic citizenship in order not to create any obstacle on Montenegro's path to the EU.
The government's Economic Citizenship Program will, as planned, be available to a maximum of 2.000 top applicants from non-EU countries during a limited period of three years.
Interested individuals will have the option to invest 250.000 euros in one of the development projects previously approved by the Government in an underdeveloped area of Montenegro or 450.000 euros in a developed area.
In addition, the government will charge a fee of up to 100.000 euros per submitted request. The fee will be directed to a special fund for the development of underdeveloped areas.
The government claims that it is not a project to sell passports and economic citizenship, but a project that should ensure economic development and speed up the fulfillment of economic criteria that are part of Montenegro's European agenda.
In 2010, the government suspended the economic citizenship program due to EU suggestions. At that time, the proposal was that Montenegrin citizenship would cost 500.000 euros, a good part of which was supposed to go to the state coffers.
At the end of July 2016, the government started working on the economic citizenship program again and adopted a decision on the procedure for selecting bidders for the development and implementation of a special economic citizenship program.
In recent years, on the proposals of the Government and the President, Montenegrin passports have been distributed, even to those suspected of criminal offenses in their own countries. Among the "famous Montenegrins" are the former Palestinian minister Muhamed Dahlan, whom the Palestinian authorities suspect of embezzling hundreds of millions from state funds, as well as the former Prime Minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was convicted of corruption in that country.
The opposition believes that the sale of passports is risky
The opposition criticizes the program for awarding "golden passports" and warns that it may jeopardize the European integration of Montenegro.
The President of Democratic Montenegro, Aleksa Bečić, said earlier that it is obvious that the economic citizenship program is just another proof that the President of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović, wants to stop Montenegro's further path to the European Union. "Citizenship of Montenegro throughout its virtuous and libertarian history has never been for sale. "There is no doubt that the EU has sent a clear warning that the introduction of economic citizenship in the manner presented could be an obstacle to further European integration," said Bečić.
MP of United Montenegro Goran Danilović warned that the introduction of economic citizenship could further worsen the status of Montenegro in the international community. He believes that this opens up additional space for corruption, stating that the introduction of economic citizenship is a security risk.
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