Montenegro is preparing legislation to align its regulation of digital intermediary services with the EU’s Digital Services Act, introducing additional compliance requirements for online platforms and digital service providers. The proposal was submitted to parliamentary procedure, followed by additional government material. The proposed framework would establish requirements covering illegal-content notifications, transparency and platform accountability, bringing Montenegro’s rules for intermediary services closer to the EU regulatory model.
For businesses, the changes would create new operational requirements. Online marketplaces, hosting providers and other covered digital services would need documented processes for handling complaints, regulatory requests and decisions made by platforms. These obligations could increase demand for trust-and-safety systems, compliance software, legal services, content-moderation tools and regulatory reporting solutions. Smaller domestic platforms could face relatively higher compliance expenses because many do not have dedicated teams responsible for regulatory and compliance functions.
International providers already subject to the EU’s Digital Services Act requirements are expected to have more of the required systems and procedures in place. This could create a wider compliance gap between multinational operators and smaller Montenegrin platforms. The proposed rules could also have implications for Montenegro’s e-commerce market, particularly through requirements for more reliable information concerning traders and products offered through online marketplaces. Montenegro’s digital economy has expanded more rapidly than its dedicated regulatory framework. The proposed legislation would introduce a more structured compliance regime and make platform-related regulatory obligations a recurring operating cost for affected digital businesses.
