13 October 2019 - Amendments to the Internal Trade Act will begin on Monday, which stipulates that wholesale and retail trade in Montenegro cannot be performed on Sundays and public holidays.
The first non-working Sunday is October 20th. The law was adopted on June 20, and the largest Montenegrin retail chains support this legal solution, although some expect that traffic in their stores will be reduced, given that Sunday and public holidays are the most significant in terms of sales volume, writes Pobjeda daily.
Representatives of trading companies in Montenegro announced that by applying the law, their workers would be more satisfied, and consumers are expected to change their buying habits and adapt to changes and make weekly and daily purchases on other days of the week.
The representatives of the company Voli said they would obey the law but expect others to do so. Commenting on changes to the Internal Trade Act, which introduces a non-working Sunday in trade, the company recalled that they adjusted their business to market requirements and have been working on Sundays since opening the first market. “In any case, we supported the law because we believe it will have a beneficial effect on our employees. When it comes to Voli, a non-working Sunday will make it easier for us to organize our days off, there will be no job streamlining," the representatives of the company said.
The company Merkator CG, which operates Idea stores, said that the company operates following legal regulations, and will do so when it comes to amendments to the Law on Internal Trade, which stipulate that retail shopping facilities in Montenegro cannot operate on Sundays and public holiday days.
"Merkator CG is a socially responsible company and as such, welcomes the Government's measures, that will allow our colleagues from retail stores to have a free Sunday, which they will be able to spend in the family," said Mercator representatives. The management of this trading company believes that its consumers will understand these measures and that they will purchase the products they need on other days of the week.
"Mercator CG expects that these measures will change consumers' purchasing habits and that the purchases made so far on Sundays will be carried out on other days," said Mercator representatives.
Still, they warned that losses in terms of volume sales could result in even more significant losses during the tourist season. "This could adversely affect the business of commerce as a whole, but it remains to be seen in the future," said Mercator CG representatives.
The representatives of Domaća trgovina company also say that in all Aroma and Conto markets, the Law on Internal Trade will be respected so that Sunday will be a non-working day. "All organizational and structural changes in the operation of our markets and discounts have been made in order to harmonize the business with the new legal solution," said the company’s management.
The Inspection Directorate has called on businesses this week to comply with the obligation to contribute to the full implementation of the Internal Trade Act, which introduces a non-working Sunday in commerce.
The Directorate reminded all wholesale and retail trade companies of the prescribed provision of the article of the Law on Internal Trade, which will be enforced from tomorrow, which means that the first non-working Sunday is October 20.
"We warn and appeal to all companies subject to the prescribed restriction to comply with this obligation, so as not to get into the situation that the Market Inspection Directorate through market inspectors takes the prescribed administrative measures and actions and imposes fines," the statement said.
For non-compliance with this obligation, in addition to fines, an administrative measure has been prescribed, which stipulates that if the inspector determines that the trader works on Sundays and public holidays, he will close the shop or other outlets for a period during which work is not allowed. The law provides for a fine of 1,000 EUR to 10,000 EUR for the company and 200 EUR to 500 EUR for the responsible person.
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13 October 2019 - According to the latest updated data from the Civil Aviation Agency of Montenegro, 454 drones - uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) are registered in Montenegro, reports CdM.
In order to introduce as many drone operators as possible into regulatory frameworks, the Civil Aviation Agency launched an educational campaign this year on how to safely manage drones.
Through the conduct of this campaign, the Agency insists on the observance of regulatory frameworks in the field of civil aviation by drone operators, so as not to endanger the safety of air traffic or endanger persons and property on the ground.
Drones are experiencing real expansion, not only for aerial photography, but also prove to be very useful in controlling infrastructure, forests, agricultural goods, road traffic and the like.
"However, it is important that everyone operating the drone adheres to certain rules to avoid adverse events, such as an aircraft drone crash or dropping a drone to the ground, which can endanger people's lives and property," the representatives of the Agency explained.
In order to combat the illegal use of drones, the Civil Aviation Agency signed an agreement with the Police Directorate. This creates the conditions for joint activities to carry out more effective drone control measures. In Montenegro, the Ordinance on the requirements for the use of unmanned aerial vehicles and aeronautical models adopted by the Civil Aviation Agency in 2016 defines the conditions for the use of unmanned aerial vehicles and aeronautical models (drones) with an operating mass up to and including 20 kilograms.
The basic regulatory requirements that are placed before drone operators:
1. All operators whose drones have a mass of more than half a kilogram with a range of over 15 meters and height over 10 meters, should be registered with the Agency;
2. The registration of the drones is free of charge;
3. The approval of the Agency for carrying out an operation using drones is only necessary when it comes to heavyweight drones and if they fly closer to urban areas or gatherings of people;
4. It is forbidden to operate a drone at night;
5. It is forbidden to operate a drone near the airport;
6. It is forbidden to throw objects to the ground during the flight.
Additional rules include the fact that "the drone must be within the field of vision of the operator and within 500 meters of the horizontal distance and up to 150 meters above ground or water. Also, the drone must be at a distance more than 150 meters from people’s gathering of and more than 30 meters from people, animals, facilities, vehicles, vessels, other aircraft, roads, railways, transmission lines and similar objects. In the event of illegal use of drones, there is the possibility of fines and court proceedings for violating public order and peace, "the Agency said.
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12 October 2019 - The power of the future wind farm Gvozd, worth 58 million EUR, will be 55 megawatts and, according to the estimates, it will have 13 turbines.
The Gvozd wind farm will be located on a very complex terrain and it will be an extension of Krnovo wind park, which is already functioning well, writes Cafe del Montenegro.
The terrain has good predispositions for the successful functioning of the wind farm. According to Fichtner, the final configuration will encompass 13 turbines.
Shareholders in the state energy company supported the decision on the construction of the Gvozd wind farm. Executive manager of the Directorate for Development and Engineering in the Electric Power Company of Montenegro Ivan Mrvaljević said that development of the Study on the potential of wind and energy production assessment, and the Study on the market and business model of Gvozd wind farm had been carried out before the investment decision.
"After the contract on joint development of the project is inked, property and legal affairs will be settled. Geological and research activities, development of technical documentation and negotiations on financing are planned for the next year," pointed out Ivan Mrvaljević.
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07 October 2019 - Research suggests that tourists visiting Kotor mostly complain about traffic jams. However, the issue might be solved already next year if only the local government opted for the construction of an underground passage on the riva (for transferring passengers from cruise ships to the Old Town), better pedestrian traffic management and parking of cars and buses, President of the Municipality of Kotor Željko Aprcović clarified for Radio Kotor, as Cafe del Montenegro reported.
"Construction of an underground tunnel and better pedestrian traffic management will significantly contribute to smooth traffic flow next year," emphasized Aprcović.
Concerning the construction of a boulevard through Grbalj towards Budva, he said that he had a meeting with the representatives of the Transport Administration and both sides noted the project would be an added-value for the overall traffic flow from Verige to Lastva Grbaljska.
"The value of the passage investment amounts to 35 million euros. Along with a certain investment in the water supply infrastructure towards Herceg Novi, costs will rise to 50 million euros," Aprcović indicated.
When asked why no one is mentioning the construction of an overpass in Kotor anymore, he said: "it is unrealistic to expect him to tell something more about the topic."
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07 October 2019 - At the end of 2018, the renewable energy fund totaled 2,02 million EUR, and this whole amount of money has been transferred to this year’s fund, it was suggested in the Business Report of the Montenegro Electricity Market Operator, adopted by the Government of Montenegro at the latest session.
The renewable energy fund in Montenegro was additionally increased by 129.272 EUR in 2018, reports Cafe del Montenegro.
The Business Report, among other things, says that there is an increase in the share of electricity production from renewable energy sources in total electricity production. This, according to the report, leads to the fulfillment of the national goal concerning renewable sources.
Montenegro, for the first time, produced enough electricity from renewable sources from 24 May to 2 June this year, and thus, according to the Government of Montenegro, joined a small number of cities that could claim they managed to produce all the necessary electricity from domestic renewable sources. In that period, when the Thermal Power Plant Pljevlja was out of order, it produced around 82 million kWh of electricity, while 75 million kWh was spent.
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