Basic Country Data:
Country ISO Code: ME
Official Language: Montenegrin (crnogorski)
Language ISO Code: cnr
Current Official Currency: Euro
Current Currency ISO Code: EUR

Montenegrin — Official Language

• Montenegrin is the official language of Montenegro, recognized by the Constitution as the state language.

• It is a standardized variant of Serbo-Croatian, written in the Latin alphabet, primarily spoken by the younger population.

• Besides Montenegrin, Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, and Croatian are recognized for regional and minority use.

• According to the 2011 census, the majority of the population declared Serbian as their mother tongue, but Montenegrin is promoted as a symbol of national identity.

• Montenegrin has its own linguistic norms, differing from Serbian mainly in phonetics and vocabulary.

Euro (EUR) — Current Official Currency

ISO Code: EUR
Singular Name: euro
Plural Name: euros
Monetary Subdivision: 1 euro = 100 cents
Subdivision Name Singular: cent
Subdivision Name Plural: cents
Initial Production Date: 1999 (electronic), 2002 (physical)
Initial Circulation Date in Montenegro: since 2002 (de facto use)
Final Production Date: ongoing
Final Circulation Date: currently in circulation
Mint: Coins produced at Eurozone mints
Issuing Bank: European Central Bank (Montenegro has no central bank)
Coin Denominations: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cents; 1 and 2 euros
Banknote Denominations: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 euros (500 euro note no longer issued since 2019)
Designs / Symbols:

• Coins and banknotes follow the common European design, without Montenegro-specific national symbols.
  Economic Historical Context:

• Montenegro has used the euro since 2002 as its de facto currency, despite not being an official member of the Eurozone or European Union.

• Prior to the euro, it used the German mark and Serbian dinar.

• Euro adoption brought economic stability and facilitated trade integration with the EU.
  Current Circulation Status: active and widely used in Montenegro
  Issuing Authority: European Central Bank
  Relevant Legislation: Montenegro has no own legislation for currency issuance; it uses the euro under an informal agreement.

This report presents Montenegrin as the official language of Montenegro, highlighting its cultural and sociolinguistic importance, along with the use of the euro as the de facto official currency since 2002, including details on coins, banknotes, historical context, and current status.