מענק יוצא דופן לטובת אינטרס המדינה (סעיף 12)

ME-SPC-01 is the extraordinary state-interest grant of Montenegrin citizenship (local: "Prijem od posebnog značaja"), the discretionary apex of the admission ("prijem") family of routes. Its sole statutory basis is Article 12 of the Law on Montenegrin Citizenship (Zakon o crnogorskom državljanstvu, consolidated through Sl. list CG 77/2024). The route exists for a narrow class: a person whose admission to Montenegrin citizenship is "od posebnog značaja" — of special significance — for the state, scientific, economic, cultural, sporting or other interest of Montenegro. Unlike every other admission route, ME-SPC-01 is NOT an applicant-driven entitlement: it is initiated by high political office (the President of Montenegro, the Speaker of the Assembly, or the Prime Minister) and decided by the Ministry of Interior (MUP). What distinguishes it structurally is that Article 12 expressly authorises admission "i ako ne ispunjava uslove iz člana 8" — even where the person does NOT meet the Article 8 conditions — so it WAIVES the entire ordinary condition set, including the ten-year residence requirement and the release-from-prior-citizenship bar. This makes it the only route under which a grantee can lawfully retain their original nationality despite Montenegro's otherwise near-absolute dual-citizenship prohibition (Art 24(1)(1)). Article 12 was also the statutory hook that the closed 2019-2022 citizenship-by-investment (CBI) programme operationalised (the CBI 'poseban program ulaganja', ME-PRIMARY-04, set the investment criteria but the grant itself issued under Art 12). The CBI sub-channel is closed by its own sunset (31 Dec 2022); the genuine extraordinary-state-interest grant for athletes, scientists, cultural and strategic figures remains operative_today.

The governing provision is Article 12, which has three paragraphs. Art 12(1) (native, ME-PRIMARY-01): "Lice čiji prijem u crnogorsko državljanstvo je od posebnog značaja za državni, naučni, privredni, kulturni, ekonomski, sportski i drugi interes Crne Gore može, izuzetno, steći crnogorsko državljanstvo prijemom i ako ne ispunjava uslove iz člana 8 ovog zakona." The consolidated EN rendering (ME-PRIMARY-01e Art 12) reads: "An adult person may be granted Montenegrin citizenship if he or she does not fulfil the requirements referred to in Article 8 of this Law if it would be in the scientific, economic, cultural [and other] interest..." — the operative word "izuzetno" (exceptionally) marks it as a derogation from the ordinary regime. Art 12(2): "O prijemu u crnogorsko državljanstvo za državni i drugi interes Crne Gore odlučuje organ državne uprave nadležan za unutrašnje poslove na osnovu predloga Predsjednika Crne Gore, predsjednika Skupštine Crne Gore ili predsjednika Vlade Crne Gore." — the decision is MUP's, but only on the PROPOSAL of one of three named high offices. Art 12(3): "O prijemu.. odlučuje organ državne uprave nadležan za unutrašnje poslove uz mišljenje organa uprave nadležnog za oblast iz stava 1 ovog člana." — MUP decides with the opinion of the line ministry competent for the relevant field (e.g. sport, science). Amendment history: Article 12 originates in the 13/2008 Law; the 40/2010 amendment (Sl. list CG 40/2010, adopted on the day of ECN signature) introduced/recast the "in the interest of the state" formulation and extended the circle of proposers to the President, Speaker and Prime Minister while retaining MUP as decision-maker. Criteria for Art 12 are delegated to the Government by Article 17: "Kriterijume za uslove iz člana 8 stav 1 tač. 3, 4 i 7, člana 12 i člana 24.. utvrđuje Vlada" — operationalised by the Odluka o kriterijumima (Sl. list CG 47/08...15/22). Article 12 was unchanged by 77/2024 (which touched only Art 37).