Montenegro faces temporary financing as opposition blocks budget approval

In the event of the budget not being adopted due to opposition blockades, Montenegro would enter into temporary financing, said Vasilije Čarapić, a member of the “Europe Now Movement” (PES), at a press conference in the hall of the Montenegrin Parliament.

He stated that this would halt reforms, and the planned increases in pensions and salaries could not be financed, leading to further borrowing. He emphasized that this would be disastrous for public finances.

“We wouldn’t be able to use all the funds from the Growth Plan,” Čarapić pointed out.

He also mentioned that if the budget is not passed, Montenegro will have no way to continue its EU integration process.

“If we don’t adopt the Law on Payment Transactions by the end of the year, we won’t close Chapter 4. It’s irresponsible and unserious, especially since we are deep into the negotiation process,” he stressed.

Čarapić then called on the opposition to end the blockade, as the main reason for it—the blockage of the Constitutional Court—had been resolved.

“The Constitutional Court is working regularly and making decisions without any issues. The termination of one judge’s mandate is not a valid reason, as the expert community agrees that it was legitimate. They need to reconsider their actions. The decision can’t be reversed because the competition has been announced, and it cannot be reversed without violating the law,” Čarapić explained.

He also dismissed the opposition’s arguments regarding the Law on Dual Citizenship, stating that electoral reform is the opposition’s responsibility, not theirs, and that they remain indifferent to it.

“The work we’ve already done should be presented to the EU, instead of sending a negative image of Montenegro. This could damage our reputation with international partners. The parliamentary majority has brought us to crucial milestones in our EU progress, so the opposition is solely responsible for the artificial tensions in Parliament,” Čarapić concluded.

He then urged the opposition to listen to reason and continue working. PES MP Jelena Nedović added that the opposition wants to stop Montenegro’s EU path.

Regarding the opposition’s request, she emphasized that it is impossible to reverse something the Parliament Speaker has already decided in the plenary, calling it a deliberate blockade.

She concluded that there are mechanisms in place to prevent “the repeated scenes the opposition staged” and that regular work will be ensured according to the Parliament Rules of Procedure.