Although the conditions for the direct payment transactions between Montenegro and Serbia existed in 2007, no bank so far has shown interest in that system , and consequently, Montenegrin economy suffers multi-million losses.
“Direct payment transactions with Serbia could have been established, all the necessary technical conditions were met but the banks which are carriers of payment transactions weren’t interested in that”, said the representatives of the Central Bank of Montenegro.
Direct payment transactions with Serbia is faster and cheaper, it would reduce commission fees which business men pay to foreign, intermediary banks.
Economic analyst Vesko Pejak says for CdM that this situation costs Montenegro millions.
“If you draw a line between two men, it’s enough to create the sense of seclusion. Our entrepreneurs buy more expensive goods from other countries since we don’t have direct communication with Serbia. Every year, Montenegro loses 4-5 million due to the increased transfer expenses. These are only direct expenses which incurred because we don’t pay the goods directly. If we had direct payments with Serbia, our entrepreneurs would earn 50 million EUR more”, said Pejak.
Taking into consideration various connections of the nations of these two countries, as well as the fact that big business is conducted between Serbia and Montenegro, it’s becoming more and more incomprehensible that this problem remains unsolved.
