The American Chamber of Commerce in Montenegro, in cooperation with the Atlantic Council of Montenegro, organized a business breakfast at the Hotel Ramada, on April 16, 2014. The breakfast was headlined by a panel discussion entitled the “Economic and Commercial Aspects of NATO membership”. Panelists included, Prof. Amadeo Watkins, King’s College-London, Prof. Eric Kopač, University of Ljubljana, Prof. Gordana Djurović, University of Montenegro, Mr. Nebojša Kaluđerović, National Coordinator for NATO and Foreign Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister of Montenegro.

The discussion opened a series of interesting questions relevant to the potential impact that Montenegrin membership to NATO would have on the private sector in Montenegro.  “While much of the public dialogue regarding NATO membership has been political in nature, there are certainly beneficial commercial aspects to membership that should be taken into consideration.” said AmCham Executive Director, Mr. Edin Seferovic.

The president of the Atlantic Council of Montenegro, Mr. Savo Kentera, stated that “The private sector is a very important aspect of the NATO integration process and it should be more involved in the NATO membership discourse. Our goal is to see Montenegro as a prosperous, democratic country, which is appealing for sustainable Foreign-Direct Investments. The best way to create such an atmosphere is by joining NATO.”

The panel introduced new elements to the NATO integration discourse, exploring topics such as FDI, fiscal policy, trade, and other commercial opportunities for the Montenegro.