WASHINGTON, December 17, 2025-The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors today approved a €33 million ($38.76 million) loan to Montenegro to strengthen its fisheries and agrifood sector, key pillars of the country's economy, by improving service delivery, modernizing infrastructure, and ensuring compliance with EU standards.

The Climate Resilient and Agrifood Sector Development Project will finance the construction of Montenegro's first modern fishing port at Cape Đeran-Velika Plaža in Ulcinj Municipality, the country's southern tourist harbor. The port will be equipped with auxiliary services designed to enhance the competitiveness and resilience of the fisheries sector, including cold storage and refrigeration units, packaging and distribution services, essential maintenance and repair services, and ice supply systems critical for reducing post-harvest losses, improving product quality, and enabling fishers to access higher-value markets.

The project will also finance the establishment of a Paying Agency Regional Office to strengthen the country's institutional capacity to implement EU Common Agricultural Policy requirements and ensure compliance with EU directives on direct farm support schemes and rural development measures. The Paying Agency will ensure delivery of services closer to farmers, improve efficiency in processing payments, and support the rollout of the Integrated Administration and Control System, essential for managing agricultural subsidies and monitoring compliance.

Additionally, the project will help Montenegro establish a comprehensive, and environmentally sustainable system for the safe collection, disposal, and/or processing of animal by-products in line with EU regulations and national legislation. These investments will be accompanied by institutional reforms and capacity-building programs to strengthen governance and service delivery.

"Investments in fisheries and the agrifood sector are essential to rural livelihoods and to Montenegro's progress on the EU accession path. By modernizing critical public infrastructure and strengthening institutions, this project will help build a more resilient and competitive economy," said Christopher Sheldon, World Bank Country Manager for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.

The project advances Montenegro's national priorities and aligns with the National Strategy of Sustainable Development until 2030, the Tourism Development Strategy 2022-2025, and the Strategy for the Development of Agriculture and Rural Areas 2023-2028 - all of which prioritize sustainable resource management and modernization of agrifood and fisheries sectors.