Around €9 million will be paid out to Montenegrin citizens entitled to this year’s restitution installment for previously confiscated property. The payments, handled by the Restitution Fund, began on July 15 in accordance with a government decree published earlier this month.
According to the Fund, 4,180 beneficiaries who submitted all required documentation are eligible for the 2024 payment. For those whose compensation amounts are under €10,000, the full amount will be paid at once.
Compensation under the Restitution Law is disbursed annually on July 15, based on final decisions submitted to the Fund by December 31 of the previous year. The law came into effect in 2004. The Fund is financed through privatization proceeds, state bonds, international loans for this purpose, and 10% of revenue from the sale of state assets and shares.
As of the end of 2023, the total outstanding compensation debt stands at €74.57 million, while €55.71 million has already been paid out based on 1,730 final rulings. Additionally, earlier-issued bonds have reduced the state’s overall restitution obligation by €169.89 million.
To accelerate the process, the government under Prime Minister Dritan Abazović, following a proposal by then Finance Minister Aleksandar Damjanović, quadrupled the annual restitution installment, leading to the first payment exceeding €10 million.
