From January 1, 2019, to June 10, 2024, the Center for Civic Education (CGO) reports that 2,074 economic citizenships have been granted in Montenegro, with over half (1,055) awarded to individuals from Russia.
“In the top 10 countries of origin for applicants, alongside Russia, are China (190), the USA (107), Ukraine (59), Vietnam (49), Lebanon (45), Belarus (43), South Africa (40), Turkey (39), and Egypt (38),” stated CGO.
They also noted that an additional 363 applicants hail from 63 other countries, predominantly in Asia and Africa, while the origins of 63 new citizens remain unknown. “According to the Economic Citizenship Program, only individuals from South America and Antarctica have not received Montenegrin citizenship,” they added.
Furthermore, CGO previously provided an overview of the citizenships granted under each of the last four governments, and a study offering a detailed insight into the implementation of the controversial Economic Citizenship Program will be published soon.
“This research was conducted through the CGO’s program, supported by the Core Grant regional project SMART Balkan – Civil Society for a Connected Western Balkans, implemented by the Center for Promotion of Civil Society (CPCD), the Center for Research and Public Policy (CRPM), and the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM), financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway,” they concluded.
