Online platforms and digital intermediaries in Montenegro are preparing for increased compliance requirements as the parliament reviews legislation aimed at aligning with the European Union’s Digital Services Act. This move is expected to drive demand for legal, moderation, and regulatory technology services.
The legislative proposal was introduced into parliamentary discussions on September 14, with supplementary government documentation provided shortly thereafter. This framework aims to bring Montenegro in line with EU regulations concerning intermediary services, which include stipulations related to illegal content notifications, transparency, and accountability of platforms.
For businesses, this transition represents an operational change rather than merely a legal adjustment. Digital service providers such as marketplaces and hosting companies will be required to establish documented procedures for handling complaints, regulatory inquiries, and their own platform decisions.
This shift is anticipated to create a heightened demand for trust-and-safety systems, compliance software, legal consulting, content moderation tools, and regulatory reporting mechanisms. Smaller domestic platforms may encounter disproportionately higher costs due to the absence of dedicated compliance teams.
Conversely, larger international firms that are already subject to the EU Digital Services Act may possess more robust infrastructure to meet these new requirements, potentially exacerbating the compliance disparity between multinational corporations and local operators.
The new regulations could also have implications for Montenegro’s e-commerce sector by necessitating improved reliability of information regarding traders and products sold on online marketplaces. Montenegro’s digital economy has advanced at a pace that outstrips its regulatory framework, and the proposed legislation seeks to address this gap by transforming compliance from an infrequent legal concern into a regular operational expense.
