Montenegrin government must carefully implement the program of economic citizenship. Before any concepts are put forward, it must enter dialogue with European Commission, European Central Bank, World Bank, IFC, consultants and perhaps IMF. The government should also chose a credible partner, said Bruno Lakuje, executive director of Investment Migration Council, speaking to Pobjeda daily.
“The government must continue political dialogue with the opposition and all interested parteis, attorneyes, accountants, citizens. I believe this process is already happening, from what I could gather during my stay in Montenegro for the conference”, Lakuje said.
POBJEDA: This means Montenegro should learn on others’ mistakes?
LAKUJE: Absolutely. The best possible practice needs to be implemented. There are a lot of bad examples Montenegro could learn from.
POBJEDA: Is the project of economic citizenship in conflict with Montenegro’s path towards EU?
LAKUJE: I am not sure I can give a precise answer to this question, primarily because I am not from Montenegro. But there are many countries in Europe that have residency or citizenship programs. Cyprus and Malta have an economic citizenship program. Portugal and Italy have residence programs. There are a lot of countries in Europe that have similar programs.
POBJEDA: Opposition critiqued the program, saying that the government will use it to give asylum to controversial businessmen with suspicious funds. Is this fear justified?
LAKUJE: Montenegro must carefully check all applicants for passports based on investments. There are resources that can be used for checking, it’s all on the market. It doesn’t seem likely that these mistakes will occur, as many useful tools for investigation have been adopted recently. Global regulations have changed, and it is not possible to give economic citizenship if you do not have all the information necessary. If you are unsure of the information, you refuse the request.
POBJEDA: If the program of economic citizenship is abused, could a country lose no-visa regime?
LAKUJE: I am certain that Montenegro will implement this program successfully.
POBJEDA: What are some ways in which Montenegro could attract rich, successful and respectable people? How can it compete with some more attractive destinations?
LAKUJE: Montenegro is a beautiful country, and you are a member of NATO. This message is easy to send. You need to work on making these people a part of the community, having them stay here. Montenegrins are proud and professional.
POBJEDA: Which countries will be the most attracted to the economic citizenship program of Montenegro?
LAKUJE: Depends on the program, it is up to you to target the clients you want. China is the biggest market, constantly growing, and Cambodia, Vietnam, these are the markets that are just starting to heat up. Middle East could also be interested.
POBJEDA: Do you think this program would be interesting to the Americans?
LAKUJE: US market is very sophisticated. They could be interested in other things, that Asian markets wouldn’t be interested in.
