Montelibero: introductory

Just from Montelibero Fest 2025, where I was the presenter for the third year in a row. There was inspiration for a basic article about our movement.

Initially the goalMonteliberowas to build a sustainable successful society on the scale of Montenegro by combining libertarian and panarchist ideas with local cultural characteristics, thereby showing the competitive advantages of the principles of freedom, non-aggression, voluntary contracts and self-organization.

In 2021, a group of enthusiasts in Montenegro purchased land and began construction of the libertarian village of Montelibero City. Dozens of libertarians bought their own plots with the idea of ​​building their own home or opening a business, while being neighbors with like-minded people and developing a common space together.

At the same time, the MTLFund crypto fund was created. Over 4 years, the value of its shares (MTL tokens) has increased more than 6 times. The fund invests in crypto and local businesses, as well as in the development of the village itself. In addition to the growth in the market value of its assets, the fund brings from 2 to 4% annual dividends. 

Together with the fund, a stablecoin against the euro, EURMTL, appeared. It can be exchanged 1 to 1 with the fund's treasurers. The most basic pain that this token solved was free non-cash exchange (even if you have a bank account in Montenegro, you can’t just transfer 5 euros to a friend with two clicks, as we are used to doing in Russia). Over time, businesses appeared (including those not from traffic participants) that accepted EURMTL as payment. 

A couple of years later, the problem emerged that the movement needed a clearer structure: there was no understanding of who could represent the movement and how other people and organizations, including the state, could interact with it. The Montelibero Association addressed this problem. The result is a kind of extraterritorial contractual jurisdiction, within which there is a “bicameral parliament”: the Association Assembly as a lower house, which includes all participants of the movement and make decisions on key issues, and the Association Council, where the most authoritative members of the movement decide less significant administrative issues. Each member of the movement may delegate his or her vote to any other member, both to the Assembly and to the Council. In order to resolve disputes between the participants, a court arose in which the members of the Association can resolve conflict situations, and judges elected by members of the movement make the final decision.

After 4 years, the fund has a capitalization of several million euros, and the movement has up to 100 participants living in Montenegro and the same number abroad. Although the core of Montelibero was originally Russian-speaking, many cultures and languages are interested in the movement, seeking liberation from state pressure in their countries. We work with other freedom movements, the most famous of which is Liberland.