As of November 1, Montenegro has become a full member of the Convention on a Common Transit Procedure, enabling faster, cheaper, and safer movement of goods with other member countries through the New Computerised Transit System (NCTS).
By joining the Convention, Montenegro becomes part of a large European network for monitoring and controlling transit, strengthening the competitiveness of its economy and connecting more closely with the European market. The other signatories include EU member states, EFTA countries, as well as Georgia, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.
Director of the Customs Administration, Maja Vučinić, stated that Montenegro’s accession to NCTS is a key step toward digitalizing customs procedures, improving the flow of goods, and reducing business costs.
Bernard Brunet, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Montenegro, said this marks significant progress toward meeting the requirements of Chapter 29 – Customs Union. He added that the EU has provided €3 million through the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) to modernize Montenegro’s customs system, with the government contributing an additional 10%.
Dalibor Pelević from the shipping agency MSC emphasized that the implementation of NCTS will shorten transport times and, combined with improvements along the Bar–Belgrade–Budapest corridor, could bring Montenegro substantial economic benefits in the coming decade.
Mašan Lekić, Head of the Customs Office at the Bar Free Zone, noted that customs digitalization and new control mechanisms are reducing border delays and increasing transport efficiency.
Since 2007, the EU has provided over €18 million to modernize Montenegro’s customs system—enhancing IT infrastructure, digitalizing procedures, and strengthening administrative and border control capacities.
