Montenegro is preparing to introduce a new Law on General Product Safety aimed at better protecting citizens—especially children, the elderly, and people with disabilities—while aligning with EU standards and addressing modern market challenges such as digitalization and online trade that increase the presence of unsafe products.
From November 2024 to February 2025, over 250,000 packages entered Montenegro through a single online platform alone, prompting the government to regulate the responsibilities of producers, importers, distributors, and online platforms to improve market oversight, accountability, and combat illegal and risky products.
The draft law applies to products not covered by specific safety legislation that are placed or supplied on the market. It requires suppliers to ensure only safe products enter the market, with customs authorities overseeing imported goods.
The law aims to strengthen consumer protection by allowing only safe products for sale, with effective recall and risk notification mechanisms. It facilitates harmonization with EU legal frameworks, contributing to Montenegro’s compliance with EU accession requirements, especially Chapter 28 on consumer and health protection.
Currently, Montenegro lacks a comprehensive legal framework ensuring that all products—regardless of origin or sales method—meet basic safety requirements. This gap poses risks to public health, market stability, and consumer trust, exposing citizens to hazards such as accidents, injuries, and illnesses linked to unsafe goods. Vulnerable groups, including children and people with disabilities, are particularly at risk.
Technological advances and globalization have increased access to foreign products via online sales, many of which do not meet safety standards. The existing safety legislation, based on the 2001 EU Directive, does not cover e-commerce, algorithmic product recommendations, or online platform liability, limiting its effectiveness.
Montenegro will have one year to upgrade its product safety data exchange system to the EU’s rapid alert system, “Safety Gate,” which includes portals for consumer communication and supplier notifications about dangerous products.
The draft excludes medicines, food for humans and animals, plants, genetically modified organisms, veterinary products, low-risk aircraft, antiques, and related categories.
Products will be presumed safe if compliant with national standards aligned with European norms. The law covers new, used, repaired, and modified products for which no specific safety laws exist.
It will enter into force six months after publication and replaces outdated laws that no longer align with current EU legislation.
Penalties range from €5,000 to €20,000 for companies placing unsafe products on the market without proper risk analysis or technical documentation. There are 64 sanctionable offenses, with fines for responsible company officials from €300 to €2,000 and for entrepreneurs from €3,000 to €6,000.
Additional fines apply for failure to notify stakeholders about product testing results, ranging from €2,000 to €10,000 for companies and lower fines for individuals and entrepreneurs.
Overall, the law seeks to create a safer, more transparent, and harmonized market, protecting consumers and responsible businesses while addressing modern trade realities.
