Montenegro has secured a €33 million development loan from the World Bank, positioning the fisheries sector for its most substantial structural upgrade in decades. Approved in late 2025, the financing package targets long-standing infrastructure gaps, weak logistics, and limited institutional capacity that have constrained the sector’s productivity and market reach, despite Montenegro’s extensive coastline and fishing tradition.
The loan was structured in cooperation with Montenegro’s fiscal and agricultural authorities, with a dual objective: to deliver tangible capital investments while simultaneously strengthening governance and regulatory alignment with European Union standards. The programme is designed not merely as a construction initiative, but as a sector-wide reset intended to improve value retention, traceability, food safety, and long-term sustainability across capture fisheries and related agri-food activities.
At the core of the investment programme is the construction of Montenegro’s first fully modern fishing port, planned for Ulcinj, near the Velika Plaža area. The new facility is expected to include cold-storage capacity, landing and first-sale infrastructure, maintenance services, and controlled logistics zones, addressing one of the sector’s most acute bottlenecks: post-catch losses and inconsistent product quality. By enabling faster handling, proper storage, and structured distribution, the port is expected to improve realised prices for local fishers and facilitate access to higher-value domestic and export markets.
Beyond physical infrastructure, the programme places strong emphasis on institutional capability. A key component involves the establishment of a regional office of the national payments agency, enhancing Montenegro’s capacity to administer fisheries and agri-food support schemes in line with EU Common Fisheries and Common Agricultural Policy mechanisms. This step is critical for future access to EU structural and sectoral funds and for ensuring transparent, rules-based allocation of subsidies and development support.
The reform package also anticipates broader operational improvements across the sector. Planned measures include modernisation of landing sites, improved monitoring and data collection, and support for professionalisation within fishing cooperatives and producer organisations. Training and capacity-building elements are intended to help operators adapt to new standards related to sustainability, reporting, and market compliance, particularly as Montenegro advances in its EU accession process.
While the financial framework is substantial by local sector standards, policymakers acknowledge that execution risk remains significant. Timely project delivery, coordination between central and local authorities, and the ability to translate infrastructure upgrades into measurable income gains for fishers will determine whether the programme delivers its intended impact. Sector representatives have consistently highlighted the need for parallel investments in fleet renewal, fuel efficiency, and market organisation to ensure that infrastructure investments are fully utilised.
Implementation is expected to accelerate during 2026, with preparatory works, tendering, and early construction phases scheduled alongside institutional reforms. If delivered as planned, the World Bank-backed programme could reposition fisheries from a marginal coastal activity into a more resilient and economically integrated segment of Montenegro’s blue economy, with clearer revenue streams, improved compliance, and stronger linkages to tourism, hospitality, and regional food supply chains.
