The register of craftsmen should be operational from the beginning of March, after which plumbers, painters, carpenters and companies engaged in these and similar jobs will have three months to register in it. The Ministry of Economic Development told "Vijesti" that the database would be managed by the Chamber of Crafts of Montenegro, while it would register craftsmen, the types of work they do and the municipalities from which they work.
However, the Public Institution Chamber of Crafts of Montenegro and the non-governmental association Chamber of Crafts and Entrepreneurs claim that the deadline for establishing this register is February 13th and that the Market Inspection will be able to fine unregistered craftsmen - companies up to 20.000 euros, and entrepreneurs up to 6.000 euros. As the executive director of these chambers told "Vijesti" Boris Marđonović, craftsmen must at least begin the registration procedure by February 13th, so that inspections do not have grounds for a fine.
In Montenegro, no one currently has data on how many carpenters, plumbers, bricklayers and other craftsmen work legally or "on the black market", but it is known that the value of the gray market is enormous and that millions of euros do not end up in the state budget. The value of the gray economy in 2024 was 1,5 billion euros, or about 20 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), which amounted to 7,64 billion euros.
This is planned to change with amendments to the Crafts Law adopted by the Parliament in July last year, which stipulate the introduction of a register of craftsmen. The law officially entered into force on 13 August 2025 and states that the Register must be established within six months - that is, by 13 February.
Asked about deadlines and potential penalties, from the Ministry he heads Nick Djelosaj said that the Chamber of Crafts distanced itself from public statements and interpretations that appeared in the media because, as they claim, they were not given on behalf of the official and legitimate Chamber of Crafts - but rather in the capacity of a representative of a non-governmental association that acts in accordance with its own goals and interests.
"Accordingly, such statements and interpretations cannot be considered official positions of the Chamber of Crafts of Montenegro, nor a relevant interpretation of applicable legal solutions. All rights and obligations of craftsmen, including issues related to the register of craftsmen, deadlines and possible consequences of failure to act, are regulated exclusively by applicable regulations and acts of competent institutions, about which craftsmen will be informed in a timely manner through official communication channels. Activities to establish an electronic register are underway, with the plan for it to be operational after March 1, 2026," the Ministry stressed.
For three months enrollment
The Ministry claims that data on craftsmen will be monitored and published through the register, while respecting the rules on personal data protection and modern information technologies, that a centralized and up-to-date overview will be provided, records of registration, changes and deletion of data, an overview by type of craft, activity and municipality...
They also pointed out that there would be no problems because the right to practice a trade does not depend on licenses, but solely on compliance with the law.
"The law also clearly stipulates the deadline for submitting an application for registration, so that a craftsman is obliged to submit an application for registration to the Chamber of Crafts within three months from the date of establishment of the register of craftsmen (Article 20b). At this moment, it is not possible to give a precise estimate of the total number of craftsmen who will be registered in the register, given that this is the first time that a single, centralized electronic record is being established at the state level. Legal solutions governing the field of crafts, including the establishment of the register of craftsmen, were prepared with the active and direct participation of representatives of the Chamber of Crafts, which ensured that the solutions were aligned with the needs of the sector and real circumstances in practice. This approach contributes to the consistent application of regulations, legal certainty for craftsmen and stable development of crafts in Montenegro," they said.
The Ministry emphasized that they believe that three months is a sufficient period for the registration of all craftsmen in Montenegro, because the registration will be simple and clear, so they do not expect any difficulties in the work of this sector if there is a gap between registration in the register and the start of its full implementation.
The law is worse than before
Marđonović emphasized that the Ministry issued a statement on January 22nd of this year stating that craftsmen do not have to rush and that the fines are not binding, which, he claims, led to confusion among craftsmen because some believed that these obligations could be suspended by the statement.
He pointed out that the Law is valid until the Parliament changes it, that is, it cannot be derogated from by a statement. That is why, as he says, on January 23, they publicly explained that the fines are valid and can be issued if the inspections decide to do so. Marđonović called on the craftsmen to start the registration procedure, so that the inspection can see that the responsibility does not lie with them.
"The ministry is putting pressure on craftsmen, encouraging uncertainty about legal obligations and undermining trust in the legal system. We warned them about problems during the drafting of the law, we sent analyses, proposals, pointed out risks. They turned a deaf ear. The result: they passed a worse law than the previous one and increased paralysis in the system. The data from the register denied them. The legal vacuum has become obvious. The law clearly states: the deadline for establishing the register is February 13, 2026. Craftsmen should already have been in it. The consequences of delay can be serious: the market inspection has the right to impose fines of up to 20.000 euros for legal entities and up to 6.000 euros for entrepreneurs. These are not our wishes - this is stipulated in Article 18 of the Crafts Law adopted by the Parliament," he stressed.
The Administrative Inspection should also react
Marđonović claims that the master's exam is meaningless, that experience and tradition are not recognized and that only formal papers without practical knowledge are accepted, which endangers customers because the quality of craft education is impossible without certified craftsmen in workshops. He emphasized that the prevention of risks to health and life has been removed for so-called complex crafts, i.e. someone can do electrical or gas installations without a master's exam.
He added that there must be responsibility and not arbitrariness on the part of state authorities, and that until the problem is resolved, artisans will be protected, but that they cannot be held hostage to the dispute because the Ministry has a different interpretation of the law. Marđonović states that the Law is clear, that artisans must be warned of the deadline and protected from penalties - which is why they have digitalized the process.
"Unconstitutional dual membership has been introduced - craftsmen must be members of both the Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Crafts at the same time. The MPs have obviously not read the negative opinion of the Ministry of Finance on this provision. In order to cover all this up, the Ministry is now seeking support from factions within the Chamber of Crafts, using the old division mechanism. They are interfering in the work of an independent and independent public-legal institution. They are sending individual notifications to beneficiaries of public assistance with incorrect information, appointing persons who do not have the legitimacy to represent the Chamber. This is no longer a professional disagreement. This is a conscious undermining of the institution. I hereby call on the Administrative Inspection to conduct an investigation and initiate appropriate proceedings against the Ministry of Economic Development for interfering in the work of an independent public-legal institution," he said.
Everyone loses
Marđonović stressed that the Government cannot form its own infrastructure for taking the master craftsman exam, because its bodies are not involved in craft activities and do not have workshops, craftsmen or practical experience. He claims that in other systems, powers are transferred to the profession, while the Government exercises legal supervision over the work of the Chamber, updates qualifications and adopts regulations, strategies and support programs.
He stated that communication on these issues is persistently rejected, while instead of dialogue they are accused of destroying the education system and placing crafts at the lowest level. As he says, while in the EU more and more young people are choosing craft education, in Montenegro there is more and more retraining at an age when young people should form families and establish stability.
He claims that the problem must be resolved through dialogue after the Chamber of Crafts' elective assembly is held, because they have complied with everything required of them by the new Law - they have built the infrastructure for preparation and passing the master's exams, they have craftsmen's workshops, masters, and decades of experience.
"We expect the Government's call for a constructive dialogue and offer the highest level of social partnership, expertise, resources and practical experience. At the end of the story, we will receive tens of thousands of papers that are not backed by uniform standards, knowledge and skills. You get a certificate that you are an "electrician" regardless of whether you only know how to connect nine wires with triumphant exhilaration "it works" or understand which wires need to be connected to make it work safely. You get a certificate that you are a "plumber" regardless of whether you can design a system or just replace a faucet. First, consumers lose - citizens who will no longer know whether they are being approached by a qualified craftsman or someone with a paper that will actually cost them much more. Honest craftsmen lose - those who have learned their trade for years, passed the master's exam, built up experience. Now they are competing with those who paid for a month-long course and received the same paper. The state loses - because it does not have a quality control system. When a citizen calls an electrician and he causes damage, who is responsible? The paper says he is qualified. But he is not", explained Marđonović.
He stressed that they had discussions with the Ministry, that they had sent them detailed analyses, a draft law, pointed out the risks and that everything was documented, but that all proposals were rejected without a response. Marđonović claims that the solution to the situation depends on whether the Ministry will understand that 102.996 craftsmen, 38.405 companies and billions of euros cannot be held hostage to the refusal of dialogue, that is, that the craftsmen will not forget who brought them into legal uncertainty in order to cover up their shortcomings.
Disputed membership fee
Marđonović emphasized that mandatory membership also introduces a membership fee, but that the problem is the unconstitutionality of double charging - because craftsmen must be members of both the Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Crafts at the same time.
He said that this means double the membership fee for the same job.
"Since we do not want legal risks around this issue, we have decided to offer voluntary payment of the membership fee, which we need for the technical infrastructure. In the Chamber, we all work voluntarily. None of us receive a salary. The membership fee is five euros per month, or 60 euros per year. Of the 129 craftsmen who received confirmation of the initiation of the registration procedure, 99 chose voluntary membership," he added.
They have had the register since 2013.
Marđonović also said that the register of craftsmen has existed and is operating since 2013 and that in December last year it was harmonized with the new amendments to the Law on Crafts - fully digital and publicly available on the Chamber's website.
He emphasized that after processing all applications, it will be known who performs which trade, with what qualifications and experience, and that it will finally be known how many craftsmen there are in Montenegro, by city, who is registered, in which sectors they operate...
"We currently have 38.407 registered business entities, 102.996 craftsmen and 5,75 billion euros in revenue in 2024. These numbers are growing daily. There are 155 different crafts in Montenegro that appear through 197 out of 201 craft activity codes. So far, 36 entities have received a certificate of registration in the register, while 92 have started the procedure (data from February 6, 2026)," he said.
Marđonović added that this is data of national interest and that they are ready to respond to the challenges that will come with the opening of the market to the EU and European competition.
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