Montenegro is committed to implementing the Smart Specialisation Strategy and reflects a level of political commitment in research and innovation, stated European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi in a letter to Prime Minister Milojko Spajić. Várhelyi's letter arrived after the Montenegrin side informed the EU about the successful implementation of the Smart Specialisation Strategy, which is a mandatory requirement for accessing EU Structural Funds.

In the context of your accession negotiations, I would like to note that smart specialisation is a mandatory requirement to access EU Structural Funds, stated the Commissioner.

The final assessment of the successful implementation of the mentioned strategy by the European Commission is now underway, which is a prerequisite for Montenegro, upon accession to the EU, to access European Structural and Investment Funds, as one of the largest investment instruments of the EU. The Smart Specialisation Strategy aims to modernise and increase the competitiveness of Montenegro's economy by concentrating available research, natural, and economic resources on a limited number of priority areas.

The European Structural and Investment Funds have triggered investments of 731 billion euros only in the period 2014-2020, while the financial framework for the period 2021-2027 is the largest to date, amounting to 1,824.3 billion euros. For example, for the Republic of Croatia, a full EU member, over 25 billion euros are available from this financial framework.

Montenegro is the first country outside the European Union to adopt this strategy, and the Government of Montenegro sees it as a key strategic framework for the development of science and innovation in the service of the country's priority development sectors. Achieving the main goal of the strategy, a modernised and competitive Montenegro, is based on three key strategic directions that represent the overall long-term vision for the country: a healthy, sustainable, and digitized Montenegro.

The letter from European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi addressed to Prime Minister Milojko Spajić can be viewed below.