Spajić: Montenegro will reject any proposal to establish EU migrant reception centres

Montenegro has not held negotiations on establishing reception and repatriation centres for irregular migrants from EU countries on its territory, nor has the Government received an official initiative to open such facilities. Should such an initiative be formally proposed, Montenegro's response will be negative - Prime Minister Milojko Spajić said.

In a post on the social media platform X, commenting on media reports about an alleged preliminary list of countries where the European Union could establish reception and repatriation centres for irregular migrants from EU member states, Spajić said that Montenegro had not participated in any such negotiations.

- Montenegro remains a reliable partner of the European Union in protecting our common borders and managing migration flows. However, any decision concerning our country will be made responsibly, transparently, and exclusively in accordance with the interests of the citizens of Montenegro - Spajić said.

The daily newspaper Dan reported yesterday that Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi would present the proposal to his EU counterparts at an extraordinary meeting of EU interior ministers.

According to information obtained by the Italian news agency ANSA, the strategy of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government is based on expanding the existing „Albanian model“ to other countries outside the European Union.

The key difference compared to the agreement between Rome and Tirana is that the new centres would be financed directly from EU funds and the Union's common budget.