Montenegro is facing serious economic challenges directly affecting citizens’ living standards, said Emina Čolović, president of the Union of Patriots of Montenegro in Germany.
She pointed out that rising prices of basic goods are putting pressure on households, while wages and pensions fail to keep pace with real costs of living. Čolović stressed that the state lacks control over the market and that economic policy is left without a clear strategy to protect citizens and the economy.
During a recent visit to Montenegro, she noted that many basic goods were even more expensive than in Germany, showing how much living standards have declined. She also warned that rising public debt and poor budget planning threaten financial stability, while short-term, improvised decisions deepen the crisis.
According to Čolović, this year’s tourist season was among the weakest in recent years due to poor preparation, lack of promotion, and infrastructure problems. Meanwhile, she criticized government ministers for frequent foreign trips that bring no benefit to citizens.
She called for urgent measures: aligning minimum wages and pensions with rising costs, controlling retail chains, introducing subsidies for vulnerable groups, and adopting a long-term fiscal consolidation plan. Tourism, she added, must become a strategic priority through stronger promotion and infrastructure investments.
Citizens, Čolović concluded, deserve leadership that provides security and a clear vision for development, not a government that leaves the economy to chance.
