According to data from the Ministry of Finance, the Government of Montenegro, namely the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Culture and Media, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, paid a total of 1.246.538,34 euros to religious communities in 2025.
The funds were distributed to the Serbian Orthodox Church (Metropolitanship of Montenegro and the Littoral and the Eparchy of Budimlje and Nikšić), the Islamic Religious Community, the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, the Episcopal Ordinariate of Kotor, the Archbishopric of Bar and the Jewish Community.
The Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral received the most money from the state treasury, which was paid a total of 372.638,34 euros on various grounds. The Diocese of Budimlje-Niksic received 114.846,66 euros.
In a state of religious tolerance, the Islamic Religious Community was paid 399.449,03 euros, and the Jewish Community (31.513), the Montenegrin Orthodox Church (9.196), the Archbishopric of Bar (7.900), and the Bishopric (117.840) also received funds.
It is interesting that the Parliament of Montenegro also paid 5.000 euros to the Jewish Community. How much does this donation have to do with Nina Ofner Bokan, President of the Jewish Community of Montenegro, who has been an advisor to the President of the Parliament since November last year Andrije Mandić, one can only speculate.
The Ministry of Justice, or the Directorate for Cooperation with Religious Communities, as they point out, based on the Law on Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Legal Status of Religious Communities, and in accordance with internal rules, allocates money from the state budget to religious communities that are registered in the Unified Register of Religious Communities of the Ministry of Justice.
Article 35, paragraph 2 of the Law on Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Legal Status of Religious Communities stipulates that "funds may be approved from the state budget and the budget of local self-government for religious communities for activities that affirm the spiritual, cultural and state tradition of Montenegro, as well as for support for social, health, charitable and humanitarian activities of special importance," the Directorate for Cooperation with Religious Communities states.
Acting on the recommendation of the State Audit Institution, the Directorate for Cooperation with Religious Communities adopted the Rules on the method of allocating material resources to religious communities and controlling the legality of the designated spending of religious community funds from the state budget, as well as formed a commission that assesses the justification of religious communities' requests for material support. Based on the conclusion of the commission, the Director General issues a decision on the allocation of material resources to religious communities.
The Law on the Budget of Montenegro for 2025 allocated funds to the Ministry of Justice for support to religious communities in the amount of 500.000,00 euros. Of this amount, 439.593,65 euros were paid out as support to religious communities.
When it comes to the amounts allocated to specific religious communities, the Islamic Community in Montenegro received 134.445,03 euros from the Ministry of Justice, the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral - 91.979,74 euros, the Budimlje-Niksic Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church 67.449,27 euros, the Montenegrin Orthodox Church 9.196,00 euros. The Jewish Community of Montenegro 23.513,09 euros, the Archdiocesan Ordinariate of Bar 7.900,00 euros and the Episcopal Ordinariate of Kotor 60.840,72 euros.
The Directorate distinguishes between these funds and states that from the budget of the Ministry of Finance, current budget reserves, and in accordance with the conclusion of the Government of Montenegro, the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral of the Serbian Orthodox Church was paid funds in the amount of 250.000 euros to support the construction of the Church of St. Petka in Danilovgrad.
Silence in the Ministry of Culture and Media
The Ministry of Culture and Media, according to data from the Ministry of Finance, paid a total of 613.000 to religious communities in 2025.
From the department he heads Tamara Vujović did not answer "Vijesti"'s questions about the purpose and intended use of the funds paid out.
The Ministry paid the Islamic Community a total of 235.000 euros, the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral received 173.000 euros, the Diocese of Budimlje-Niksic received 45.000 euros, the Episcopal Ordinariate of Kotor was awarded 57.000 euros, while the Jewish Community was paid 3.000 euros.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry explains that based on the agro-budget measure "Rural development and infrastructure construction", the beneficiaries of these funds can be local governments, local communities, groups of citizens, management boards, registered agricultural farms, local boards and other forms of organization, such as religious communities and similar organizations.
The funds were allocated based on individual requests and properly submitted documentation, confirming the fulfillment of all legal requirements for exercising the right to incentives and support for the development of rural and agricultural infrastructure. Within this measure: The Islamic Community Mešihat was paid 13.045,50 euros for the improvement of agricultural production on a waqf with over 360 olive trees, including a water supply system and landscaping of the Osmanagića Mosque complex in Podgorica.
The Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral was paid 30.435,60 euros for the development of rural infrastructure, with a special focus on the development of road routes and religious facilities of general public interest, which contribute to improving the lives of citizens in rural areas.
Investments in improving agricultural production, facilities of general public interest, and road routes are fully justified, as they contribute to the quality of life of citizens who gravitate to these areas, and are in accordance with clearly defined criteria that apply to all beneficiaries of this measure.
All procedures were carried out transparently and in accordance with the law, according to the department headed by Vladimir Jokovic.
Stronger perception of privileged position
The Center for Civic Education (CCE) assesses that the problem with budget allocations for religious communities lies primarily in the way these funds are allocated and justified. This is the money of all citizens, which implies the highest level of accountability, transparency and a clear legal basis, and it is precisely these standards that are lacking in practice, the CCE says.
"A 2024 CCE study showed that the Government of Montenegro allocated at least 3.747.598,99 euros to religious communities from 2021 to 2023. These funds were predominantly allocated without public competitions, in a non-transparent manner, without clearly defined criteria and detailed explanations. The latest data indicate that such a practice continued in 2025, which suggests that non-transparent behavior has become an established model," he points out. Nikola Obradović, associate at the Center for Civic Education programs.
He points out that this data reinforces the perception of the privileged position of certain religious communities, primarily the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), which raises issues of equal treatment and the need for clear, measurable and legally based criteria, such as those that exist for other users of budget funds.
"The lack of procedures leaves wide scope for discretionary decision-making by the executive branch, without adequate public and institutional control. Citizens have no insight into the distribution criteria or the effects on the public interest of these investments, which is not in line with the principles of good public financial management and negatively affects trust in institutions," says Obradović.
Additionally, according to his opinion, the material benefits of religious communities are not limited to direct budget allocations.
"For example, the new Spatial and Urban Plan of Podgorica envisages the construction of 22 new religious buildings, 18 of which were planned by the Serbian Orthodox Church. Such solutions also raise questions about urban development priorities, especially in the context of infrastructure needs of immediate public interest, such as health and educational facilities," Obradović concludes.
Commenting on the fact that funds are allocated for a wide variety of projects, from the renovation of temples, religious events to road construction, Obradović points out that this practice indicates that there are no consistent and clear criteria, nor sufficient accountability in spending budget funds, and this opens up room for doubt about priorities and the legality of decision-making.
"Such an approach, further burdened by the general lack of transparency in the work of the Government, including a high percentage of electronic sessions and discretionary decision-making, indicates the weaknesses of the mechanisms for controlling public money. Instead of systematic planning and an objective assessment of priorities in the public interest, we are witnessing decisions that often give the impression of party and interest-based conditioning," said Nikola Obradović.
CCE believes that budget priorities must primarily reflect the needs of citizens, especially in areas of immediate public importance, such as education, health and justice. However, as this NGO points out, it is obvious that political structures often calculate with the influence of religious communities on the electorate, choosing short-term political comfort instead of long-term responsible and socially sustainable decisions.
“CCE does not dispute the possibility of financial support for religious communities, but emphasizes that it must be clearly justified and legally based. This is justified, for example, when it comes to projects of public importance, such as the preservation of cultural heritage, in accordance with the law, or activities of wider social benefit. Current practice shows that funds are often allocated without defined criteria, public calls and detailed explanations, leaving the impression of privileging certain religious communities and circumventing the law and public interest,” emphasizes Obradović, pointing out that even the State Audit Institution (SRI) has warned that the financing of religious communities and secondary religious schools has not been implemented in accordance with applicable laws, and that the normative framework in this area is not sufficiently developed. It is worrying that the competent authorities, under party influence, often ignore these recommendations.
CCE is particularly concerned by the fact that religious communities remain almost completely outside of tax and other controls, which further emphasizes their privileged and extra-institutional position.
"The state must introduce a unified and systemic framework for financial support that includes publicly announced criteria, written decisions with detailed explanations, clear deadlines for project implementation, and regular mechanisms for controlling the spending of funds. Only in this way can legal distribution, responsible management of public finances, and long-term citizen trust in institutions be ensured," concludes Nikola Obradović.
8,75 million in four years
In the period 2019-2023, 8,75 million euros were paid into the accounts of religious communities from the budget of Montenegro on several grounds, according to the report on the audit of the regularity of financing religious communities from the budget of Montenegro, published in November 2024.
Based on the Law on Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Legal Status of Religious Communities, religious communities were financed in the period 2019-2023, in the total amount of 1,97 million euros.
In the period 2019-2023, based on the General Law on Education, an amount of 4,9 million euros was paid for financing secondary religious schools, according to the SAI report.
Non-ministerial payments
According to a document from the Ministry of Finance, part of the money goes to religious communities through other budget users, such as the Employment Agency (ZZZCG), the Prosecutorial Council, and the Real Estate Administration. Collectively, these “non-ministerial” bodies, including the Parliament of Montenegro, paid religious communities 23.854,58 euros.
The largest part of that money goes through the Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs of Montenegro, 16.464,58 euros. These payments are listed in the document through employment support programs, mainly as subsidies to employers who employ people with disabilities and through items for assistants for people with disabilities, and the Diocese of Budimlje-Niksic is most often listed as the recipient.
All payments from the Prosecutorial Council, totaling 1.490,00 euros, are shown as “Expenses from court proceedings” and the recipient is the Meshihat of the Islamic Community.
The Real Estate Administration also paid Mešihat 900 euros through "other services".
Almost 180.000 euros from Nikšić
Local governments, or at least some of them, did not skimp on allocations for religious communities. The Municipality of Nikšić allocated a total of 179.881 euros for these purposes. Assistance and financing were provided for the works on the parish house at the Temple of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker (36.000), the Church Board of the Church of Saint Dimitrije Bršno (10.000), the Church Municipality of Nikšić, the Church in Rubeži (27.000), on two occasions the Diocese of Budimlje-Niksić was paid first 27.000, then another 20.000 euros...
The Municipality of Bar paid the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral 20.000 euros for this purpose, and the funds were also received by the Majlis of the Islamic Community of Bar (15.000), the Majlis of the Islamic Community of Ostros (5.000), and the Archbishopric of Bar (20.000).
Tivat gave the Episcopal Ordinariate of Kotor 11.000 euros, as stated, as financial assistance for the parish of St. Peter in Bogdašići, assistance in the repair of the retaining wall at the cemetery of St. Simon and for the painting of the church. The Islamic community received 10.000 euros, and the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral received 5.000 euros for assistance in the renovation of the Savina Monastery.
"Vijesti" obtained data on the financing of religious communities using the MANS application "Ask the institutions".
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