Tourists from Saudi Arabia and several other countries can stay in Montenegro without visas this year as well, despite criticism from the European Commission (EC) last year, which stated that Podgorica is moving away from the visa policy of the European Union (EU).
At the last session on April 26, the government made a decision that Saudi tourists can stay in Montenegro without visas for up to 30 days, from May 5 to October 31.
Given that it has advanced the furthest in the accession process, Montenegro is expected not to abolish the visa regime for citizens of third countries, who cannot even enter the EU without previously approved visas.
Adviser to the Prime Minister for foreign policy Đorđe Radulović explains to Radio Free Europe (RSE) that non-compliance with the EU visa regime occurs mainly during the summer months.
"The temporary exemption from visas, during the tourist season, would attract guests from the growing markets of third countries and help our economy," points out Radulović.
At the Government session, Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Joković said that he does not see any reason why the procedure to permanently abolish visas for Saudi Arabia should not be initiated.
"Of course, no one will come from such a rich country to cause trouble in Montenegro, we can only benefit from it," Joković is convinced.
However, Radulović rejects the possibility of a complete abolition of visas for entering Montenegro.
"There is no question of a permanent exemption from visas for citizens of Saudi Arabia or any of the mentioned countries, because, as Prime Minister Abazović [Dritan] mentioned at the Government session, this could affect the visa-free regime of our EU citizens," adds Radulović.
At the Government session, Prime Minister Dritan Abazović also warned that Montenegro must harmonize its visa policy with the EU if it wants to preserve the visa-free regime.
Apart from Saudi Arabia, the Government decided to temporarily cancel visas this year, among others, for residents of Egypt, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
The measures of seasonal exemption from obtaining visas are not in accordance with European regulations and these countries are on the list of those who need them to enter the EU.
Special conditions for entering Montenegro
In order to protect Montenegro from possible abuses, special procedures and measures are foreseen for tourist entry into the country from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Uzbekistan.
According to the newspaper "Saudi Gazet", in order to enter Montenegro, Saudi tourists must come directly from Saudi Arabia, with confirmation that they have a return flight, paid accommodation expenses and an invitation letter from a travel agency.
Criticism of the European Commission
In the latest report, the European Commission stated that Montenegro is not fully aligned with the list of countries whose citizens need visas for the EU.
"On the contrary, in 2021 and at the beginning of 2022, Montenegro moved further away from the recommended alignment. In May 2022, the Government approved the temporary exemption of visas for citizens of Saudi Arabia, valid from June to September, with the aim of compensating for the decline in the number of tourists from Russia and Ukraine." , the document states.
The drop in tourists was caused by the corona virus pandemic in 2020 and Russia's invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022, which was followed by sanctions and the ban on flights of Russian planes.
Zdravko Krivokapić headed the Government until the end of April 2022, who was succeeded in that position by Dritan Abazović.
During that period, the number of countries temporarily exempted from the obligation to have a visa increased.
The European Commission states in the report that Montenegro previously exempted citizens of 13 countries from visas, temporarily or permanently, including Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, China, Cuba, Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey.
Problems due to UAE concessions
The European Commission pointed out that even foreigners who have a residence permit in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can enter Montenegro and stay up to ten days without a visa.
Several cases of abuse of this visa regime were recorded by Montenegrin institutions.
In the Fifth Report of the European Commission under the Visa Suspension Mechanism, it is specified that "some foreign nationals with UAE residence permits have not returned to the UAE and instead disappeared with the probable intention of entering the EU".
The document adds that any further departure from the list should be avoided.
"Montenegro should ensure progress in harmonizing its policy with the EU list, especially for those third countries that represent an unregulated migration and security risk," it said.
The European Union said in December that all countries of the Western Balkans must harmonize the visa regime for citizens of so-called third countries, in order for all of them to deal with irregular migration.
"The harmonization of visas is mandatory. It is unthinkable and unacceptable that our partners from the Western Balkans have a visa-free arrangement with third countries, whose citizens use legal loopholes to enter the territory of the EU", emphasized the Vice President of the European Commission, Margaritis Skinas, responsible for the promotion of the European way of life .
One of the recommendations to Montenegro in the latest report of the European Commission is to take steps towards full alignment with the list of the European Union this year.
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