Podgorica, (MINA-BUSINESS) – The central banks of Montenegro and France will continue to strengthen their cooperation, in order to support Montenegro’s European future and its integration into the European central banking framework.

As part of a two-day working visit to Paris, CBCG Governor Irena Radovic met with Governor Emmanuel Moulin at the headquarters of the Banque de France.

During the meeting, they discussed Montenegro’s accession process to the European Union (EU), the activities undertaken by the CBCG within the negotiating chapters under its remit, and preparations for future integration into the European System of Central Banks (ESCB).

Radovic briefed Governor Moulin on the progress Montenegro has made in the European integration process, highlighting the country’s objective of closing all negotiating chapters by the end of 2026. 

She particularly emphasized the importance of the reforms being implemented by the CBCG in the areas of financial services, payment systems, statistics, AML/CFT, and the institutional strengthening of the CBCG in line with European central banking standards.

Further improvements to the payments infrastructure were also discussed, including the successful implementation of SEPA standards in Montenegro and the forthcoming introduction of TIPS instant payments, as well as the importance of digital transformation and preparations for future European initiatives in the fields of payments and the digital euro.

Radovic also presented the results of the CBCG Needs Assessment Project for Alignment with ESCB and Eurosystem Standards, which the CBCG is implementing in cooperation with the central banks of the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, with the EU support. In this context, the parties discussed opportunities for future cooperation with the Banque de France in areas of mutual interest, including professional exchanges, training programmes and support for the CBCG’s institutional transformation process.

Moulin expressed his support for Montenegro’s European path and the CBCG’s efforts to strengthen institutional capacities and align with European standards, underlining the importance of independent and robust institutions for the success of the European integration process.