United States Department of State

Montenegro United States Department of State

Montenegro is a country in transition both politically and economically. Formerly a part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and later the Union of Serbia and Montenegro, Montenegro voted for its independence from Serbia in 2006. Since then, the country of approximately 625,000 inhabitants has been led by a democratically elected government headed by the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), which was the leading party in the administration before independence from Serbia. Since then, Montenegro has adopted an investment framework that, in principle, encourages growth, employment, and exports. Montenegro, however, is still in the process of transitioning into a more liberal business climate. The country continues to depend on imports from neighboring countries though it has significant agricultural potential and foodstuff production. The government generally recognizes the need to remove impediments in order to remain competitive, reform the business environment, and open the economy to foreign investors.