CEGAS: The government must not continue the program of economic citizenship, there is no desire for transparency

The government must not continue the economic citizenship program because in March it adopted a decision according to which this program will not be continued, said the Center for Civil Liberties (CEGAS), adding that even then the explanation for canceling the program was non-compliance with the principles of the European Union and possible endangerment of the European integration process in case of its extension.

CEGAS says that they repeatedly warned "about the non-transparency and bad practice of passing legally invalid opinions and decisions from the competent ministry, with a mere reference to the article of the law on the basis of which citizenship is granted, without stating the decisive facts, which is why the given person achieved that right."

They state that based on the Request for Free Access to Information, they sent a question to the Investment Agency of Montenegro in order to find evidence of "compliance with the legal norm and fulfillment of the conditions for obtaining economic citizenship", but that in response they received only blank forms.

CEGAS concludes from the attached that "there is no desire to achieve transparency and legal clarity and security, when this way of granting citizenship is concerned".

"We note that we recognized economic citizenship as a good way to attract investments and that it was approved by the Government of Montenegro in 2019, with the Decision on criteria, method of acquisition and selection procedure of persons who can acquire Montenegrin citizenship by admission for the implementation of a special investment program of special importance for the economic and economic interest of Montenegro and that as such, it was harshly criticized, not only by European institutions but also by the opposition at the time," the announcement concludes.