28 August 2019 - If everything goes according to plan, the construction of a kindergarten in Rožaje, Blok VI in Podgorica, Pljevlja and Herceg Novi will start this year, said Minister of Education, Damir Šehović. He announced a new project – the introduction of digital classrooms and changing the so-called ethos of schools – making students study for the knowledge, not for grades.

Minister Šehović confirmed the construction of kindergartens in City kvart, Bloc VI, Tuški put, Stari Aerodrom, Zlatica in Podgorica, as well as in Bijelo Polje, Berane, Plav, Pljevlja, Rožaje, Bar and Ulcinj, and added that 38 capital projects worth 50 million EUR confirmed the government’s commitment to investments in long-term and sustainable projects.

"Our objective is to bring projects close to completion. When it comes to internal procedures, we do not procrastinate. I want to praise the efficiency of the Ministry of Education," said Šehović as CdM reported.

In the prior period, the Ministry has been working on restoring the credibility of professional education – the realization of dual education and providing support to third-degree students. As Minister says, the emphasis will be put on high-quality practice. Starting from September, around 800 students will be attending dual lectures.

"Make something using your own two hands is something one should be proud of. To know how the world functions, is that a small thing," asked Šehović.

The Montenegrin education system needs more high-quality understanding of the process and connection of lessons from different areas. In that context, digital technology is one of the most important mechanisms. Digital technology is not simply installing a computer in the classroom. It's more about urging the lecturers and students to use the Internet and computers for stimulating children to create their own contents.

"To be more precise, a child can learn to memory that DNA carries genetic instructions. But the high-quality animated image of DNA structure, its modifications, offers more comprehensive and more applicable knowledge," pointed out Minister.

In cooperation with the British Council, the Ministry will distribute around 4000 micro bit computers to every elementary school in Montenegro.

"Also, around 3 million EUR will be intended for the equipment of school cabinets. However, it is only the beginning, since digital technology requires the use of Internet, computers and software skills," stressed out Šehović.

Commenting on the announced changes in specific subjects programs, Šehović said that subjects of general education will still make a great segment of overall high school program. Changing one group of mandatory courses into elective has drawn criticism as representatives of the Association of Teachers of social subjects claimed that it would bring into question the concept of civil society.

"A citizen and civil society are not synonyms for pure theoretical knowledge. I would say that civil society contains openness for different individual needs. Such citizens are created by harmonious relation between theoretical knowledge and its practical application," added Šehović.

He points out that the Ministry knew how to praise the success Montenegrin students made in numerous regional and international competitions. A giant step forward in that context was the establishment of the Fund for Quality and Talents, which grants several thousand awards to the best students every year.

Minister also reminded that students should be urged to understand what they learn and that Ministry has started working on the promotion of pre-school education.

"We now have 1700 new places in kindergartens, several new kindergartens and numerous units adapted to function as kindergartens. We are slowly but surely addressing the problem of overbooked kindergartens," concluded Šehović.

Šehović finally added that a country whose citizens have a taste and know-how to swim out of the sea of emptiness would keep up with its development course.

Read more news about lifestyle in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

28 August 2019 - Montenegro and Germany have established dynamic bilateral relations at all levels, and additional efforts should be made to strengthen economic cooperation through stronger investment from the German businesspeople, said Prime Minister Duško Marković at the meeting with Deputy Chair of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group in the German Bundestag Katja Leikert.

Prime Minister Duško Marković spoke about the country's economic recovery, which is reflected in high growth rates, deficit reduction and excellent budget filling.

"The results are above expectations. The budget is stable, public revenues are higher than planned, and we have entered into a fierce showdown with the grey economy that has yielded results," he underlined.

Prime Minister Duško Marković emphasised the excellent tourist season, as well as the results and potential in the fields of agriculture and energy. Montenegro, he added, has turned to renewable energy and is an area that offers great opportunities for the German investors. The Government has placed particular emphasis on the strengthening of the overall infrastructure, as a key prerequisite for dynamic and sustainable development.

The meeting also addressed progress in the European integration process, freedom of the media, and successes in the fight against corruption and organised crime, as stated in the announcement by the Office of the Prime Minister.

"We have demonstrated strength and sustainability of institutional action in the combating organised crime and corruption. We have achieved great results in these areas," the Prime Minister of Montenegro underscored.

Prime Minister Duško Marković thanked Ms Katja Leikert for the support of the Government of Germany and the federal police, as well as the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, which has continuously assisted Montenegro in strengthening its institutional potential, and which organised the visit of Ms Leikert to Montenegro.

Read more news about politics in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

26 August 2019 - A stunning photograph of the Đurđevića Tara Bridge, as a well-known landmark in Montenegro, is featured in the Windows Spotlight, a Windows 10 lock screen slideshow service.

Windows Spotlight is a feature included by default in Windows 10 that downloads pictures and advertisements automatically from Bing and displays them when the lock screen is being shown on a computer running Windows 10. Users are occasionally allowed to mark whether they wish to see more or fewer images of a similar type, and sometimes the images are overlaid with links to advertisements. In 2017, Microsoft began adding location information for many of the photographs.

For most of the images, no photo credits are available, but some do display information about where the picture was taken. Many are of well-known locations, or famous historic or natural landmarks, and therefore can be identified.

One of the identified images is the photograph of the remarkable Đurđevića Tara Bridge.

Tara is a river that flows through Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The total length of the river is 144 km, of which 104 km is in Montenegro, making it the longest river in the country. When describing the river, Montenegrins like to emphasize that the Tara is wild, capricious, and the most beautiful and cleanest river in Europe! The cleanliness of the river is recognized internationally, and that is how the Tara got its glory as “the tear of Europe”.

Đurđevića Tara Bridge is a concrete arch bridge over the Tara River in northern Montenegro. It is located at the crossroads between Mojkovac, Žabljak and Pljevlja, between the villages of Budečevica and Trešnjica. Built between 1937 and 1940, Tara Bridge represents one of the most visited landmarks in Montenegro. The bridge offers a magnificent and unique view of the surrounding mountains and untouched nature. Back when the Tara Bridge was first built in the 1940s, it was the most prominent vehicular concrete arch bridge in Europe. Even today, renowned architects and engineers from all over the world come to Montenegro to admire this beautiful structure.

No wonder Microsoft has decided to spread this stunning image of Đurđevića Tara Bridge around the world for everyone to admire.

Read more about River Tara, its canyon, Đurđevića Tara Bridge and explore rafting options at TMN's dedicated page. 

24 August 2019 - The fifth edition of the New Wave Festival (Montenegrin: Novi Val) is scheduled for September 6^th and 7^th, when some of the most interesting, award-winning short films will be screened, reports RTV Budva.

Aside from the short films, the two-day festival program will feature the performances of five songwriters and bands from the cultural scene of Montenegro, Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This year’s New Wave festival will host the members of the film crew Dog Days of Summer (Montenegrin: Mi smo vidjeli ljeto), which is a real breath of fresh air on the regional scene - a subtle twenty-minute story of growing up, friendship and love between two guys and one girl. Director Nikola Stojanović won the Best Student Film Award at the recently completed Sarajevo Film Festival for a very emotional and erotic short film entitled Šerbet, which should be featured at the New Wave Festival in September next year.

The New Wave Festival 2019 also features the highly humorous film by director Lucija Bosančić entitled Silvio Zmaj, whose main character is an immature boy prone to telling lies, and even violent acts, and in the background of his behaviour is a complex relationship with his father who is severely ill.

The program of the festival, which the organisers haven’t fully announced just yet, also features another very communicative and humorous film signed by the director Sara Marković, which tells a tale about (true) love, sexuality and maturation of a young heroine.

In terms of the music segment of the program, the most attractive guest is Nenad Marić, a rock poet of exquisite spirit who performs under the pseudonym Kralj Čačka (The King of Čačak City), currently one the leading singers-songwriters in the region. Marić’s performance will take place on the stage set on the plateau between the churches of St. Mary and St. Sava in the Old Town Budva, when the rock poet and his band will have a poetry and music session with elements of blues, jazz, rock and roll.

The second day of the festival will feature alternative rock band from Sarajevo, Činčila. This will be their premiere performance in Montenegro, and the audience will be introduced to a strong dose of punk energy, enthralling funk beats and intelligently written lyrics, all in the form of intense rock and roll performance. On the same evening, the audience will also have the opportunity to hear one of the best alternative music bands in the region, a five-member band from Belgrade, Dingospo Dali.

The organizers will announce more performers over the coming days, inviting the media to directly support the festival, which aims to create a more cultural, modern and urban community, and interact with young creators from Montenegro and the region.

By the end of the month, a fundraising campaign will be underway for individuals and businesses, with a double donation for each donation through the Get Involved and Influenced: Developing Philanthropy for a Stronger Civil Society project. The project is implemented by the SIGN network of foundations from the countries of Southeast Europe, with the support of the European Union and the Balkan Fund for Democracy, implemented in Montenegro by the Fund for Active Citizenship.

Read more about cultural events that take place in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

23 August 2019 - Montenegro has imported more than 185.712 tonnes of oil and its derivatives worth 108,33 million EUR since the beginning of the year, said the representatives of Customs Administration, writes Cafe del Montenegro.

Most oil has been imported through more than 60 companies from Serbia, 25 German companies, around 14 companies from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and 5 Albanian companies.

Oil and its derivative have come to Montenegro from Japan, through Daido Metal company, British company Border Holdings Limited, the Dutch oil company, Briggs & Stratton and Latvian Uab Sct Lunricanst.

This year’s Montenegrin oil importers are Ina company, Jugopetrol, Voli Motors, Adriatic Marinas from Tivat, Port of Bar, Uniprom Energy Podgorica, Trebjesa… Chinese CRBD company also imports these products into Montenegro.

As far as oil and gas research is concerned, two studies have been carried out. The first one lasted from 19 November to 18 December and was carried out by Italian-Russian concessionaire Eni-Novatek. Findings of the research will be known by the end of September, whereas findings of the other research will be presented in the fourth quarter of the year.

Montenegro imports oil and its derivatives for re-exportation too.

"The re-exporting process does not include remaining quantities of regular import but quantities intended for the needs of re-export," explained the representatives of Customs Administration.

Private companies make a profit in this process, and the representatives of Customs Administration of Montenegro also spoke about the price of re-exportation.

"Average price for this year amounts to 0,56 EUR per liter. Re-exportation process refers to the procurement of ships and yachts in international traffic," concluded the representatives of Customs Administration.

Read more news about business in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

22 August 2019 - President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović recently hosted Dubravka Lalović, newly appointed extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Montenegro - Permanent Representative - Head of the Permanent Mission of Montenegro to NATO, on a resident basis, based in Brussels.

23 August 2019 - The first edition of the manifestation Wine Until Dawn will be held on Sunday, August 25, starting at 8 pm in the gorgeous ambience of the restaurant Vista Vidikovac in Budva.

The very first Wine Until Dawn Montenegro event will feature an exhibition of wines with the possibility of purchase, and is designed as a unique gathering place for wine lovers and connoisseurs, renowned catering establishments and producers of the best wines from Montenegro and the region.

The event organizers have prepared a Workshop for catering staff, and after the workshop, guests will have the opportunity to learn about wine and food pairing. The party will last until the morning, and the organizers invite all interested individuals, both caterers and wine lovers, to come and enjoy the wonderful evening.

“We invite all producers, caterers and lovers of quality wines to take part in the Wine Until Dawn event, so we can spread the wine culture in Montenegro together”, says the announcement of the organizers. “Whether you are into producing a quality varieties of wine, or just enjoying the beauty of finest wine rituals, Wine Until Dawn is the event not to be missed,” states the organiser’s invitation.

Be the part of the first late-night wine event in Montenegro!

Event registration fee is 15 EUR and reservations can be made by calling 0038269180180.

Wine Until Dawn Schedule - Sunday, August 25, 2019

8:00 PM - 8:45 PM
Workshop for catering staff

8:45 PM - 9:00 PM
Opening ceremony of the salon

9:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Rose wine food pairing

10:00 PM - 10:30 PM
White wine food pairing

11:00 PM - 11:30 PM
Red wine food pairing

11:55 PM - 3:00 AM (overnight)
Until Dawn - Wine Party

Read more about events in Montenegro you should not miss at TMN's dedicated page.

21 August 2019 - Ministers of Defense and Interior Predrag Bošković and Mevludin Nuhodžić recently visited watchtower Krenza on the border with the Republic of Albania that is kept by mixed patrols of the Army and the Police.

"Joint patrols of the Army and the Police along a portion of our borders, in the area of the border crossing Božaj is a true example of how two institutions can cooperate in order to provide safety and security of all our citizens and territory of Montenegro," Minister Bošković stated.

"Today, Minister Nuhodžić and I have visited this area and not only this part of our border, but also a complete part of the border with Kosovo to the Albanian border and we make sure that exactly the Army and the Police are working together in order to fully secure and maximum possible ban on illegal crossing of our borders. Precisely, this kind of joint patrols provide the ability to rehearse procedures by together work and all that is essential in order to better quality and a better way to ensure our border, but up to us is to boost their working conditions and stay in these facilities," Minister Bošković pointed out.

Speaking about the engagement of the police and army to protect state borders from the illegal immigration and cross – border crime, Minister Nuhodžić emphasised for the Ministry of Defence that mixed patrols prevented about 2,000 persons of illegally entering Montenegro from August to December 2018.

"We made sure that members of the Police and the Army perform tasks professional and dedicated, respecting the legislation and referring to humanely towards migrants," the Minister highlighted.

Minister Nuhodžić recalled that the Ministry of Interior is working continuously in order to improve the technical equipment of the Border Police, with significant support from the Government and the European Commission, in line with the Schengen standards and the Schengen Action Plan.

"Controlled and secure borders contribute to greater security of all our citizens and all guests staying in Montenegro, and it is, at the same time, our best contribution to a safer region and Europe," Minister Nuhodžić concluded.

Based on the decision of the Defence and Security Council, since August last year, the Army of Montenegro provides assistance to the border police in guarding the state border and it is engaged in the control of the border zone and the state border with Albania to the border Božaj crossing zone.

Mixed patrols of the Police Directorate and the Army of Montenegro control the border, primarily in order to be prevented from illegal border crossings with Albania, but also other illegal activities at the border and in the border zone.

Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Army of Montenegro Colonel Svetozar Brajković and Assistant Director of the Police Director – Head of the Border Police Vesko Damjanović also attended the watchtower visit.

Read more news about business in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

20 August 2019 - An exciting festival adventure begins with the sixth Sea Dance Festival held from Friday, August 30, to Sunday, September 1 at the beautiful Buljarica beach in Budva. Dozens of today’s most popular hits are coming to the turquoise arc led by the 21st century’s biggest producer, David Guetta. Other than Guetta performing on Addiko Main Stage powered by Tourist Organisation of Budva at the grand finale on Sunday, Friday will be marked by the world techno leaders Sven Väth and Richie Hawtin who are bringing the famous Exit Dance Arena spirit to Buljarica, while on Saturday the audience will enjoy performances by the German hitmaker Robin Schulz and French duo Offenbach. This year’s lineup includes British hit trio Disciples, as well as techno and house stars such as Helena Hauff, Recondite, Eelke Kleijn, Gaiser, Tijana T and Marko Nastić. Sea Dance will also host regional aces including Darko Rundek, Senidah as well as the most wanted regional rappers Surreal, Fox, Kuku$, Hazze, Bekfleš and many more.

For all the festival fans in Montenegro, Sea Dance has ensured scheduled bus transport from most cities in Montenegro to Buljarica beach during the festival, every day from August 30 to September 2.

During the festival, buses from Nikšić will depart for Buljarica in front of the Monastery at 4 pm. Along the route, the buses will stop and take passengers in Danilovgrad at 4:30 pm at the roundabout, Podgorica at 5 pm in front of the Cathedral and Cetinje at 5:30 pm at the bus station.

During the festival, Ulcinj buses will depart for Buljarica beach at 5 pm from the bus station. On the route to Buljarica, the buses will stop and take passengers in Bar, at 6 pm at Topolica hall.

During the festival, buses from Herceg Novi will depart for Buljarica at 5 pm at the Sports Centre. On the route towards Buljarica, the buses will stop and take passengers in Tivat at 6 pm at the Eko petrol station.

During the festival, buses from Kotor will depart for Buljarica beach at 6 pm at Kamelija.

Transport from other Montenegro towns which are not listed above will be realized at the request of festival-goers. All applications and reservations for additional bus lines via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The arrival time of all buses to Buljarica is 8 pm from all locations, while the return from the festival for all buses is scheduled at 4 am.

The return ticket price from Podgorica is €18, Cetinje €16, Nikšić €29, Danilovgrad €23, Ulcinj €15, Bar €7, Herceg Novi €19, Kotor €14, Tivat €17. The ticket is purchased upon entering the bus just before departure.

On the Budva – Buljarica route, as well as Bar – Buljarica, a shuttle bus will be scheduled for transport – the best and easiest manner of transport to and from the festival, in order to reduce the need for individual arrival of visitors.

The shuttle transport will circulate continuously from 7 pm to 1 am each festival day towards Buljarica beach, at every half-hour mark. The return buses from Buljarica beach are scheduled between 1 am and 6 am, from the bus stop on the main road.

All departures from Budva will be organized from the stop at the Tre Canne building, at every half hour. On the way to Buljarica, the buses will stop and take passengers in Bečići at the bus stop at Mediteran hotel, on Sveti Stefan at the Adrović hotel and in Petrovac at the marketplace.

All departures from Bar will be organized from the stop at the Topolice hall, at every half hour. On the way to Buljarica, the buses will stop and take passengers in Sutomore at the stop opposite the bus stations, and in Čanj, at the turn for Čanj.

From Budva and Bečići the ticket for Buljarica is €3.5, from Sveti Stefan €3.00, while the price from Petrovac is €1.5. The price from Bar is €3.5, from Sutomore €3.00, while the price from Čanj is €2.5.

The official taxi service for the festival is Palma taxi. The guaranteed price on the Budva – Buljarice line is €24 per vehicle. The taxi stop will be clearly marked on the festival location.

Source: www.seadancefestival.me/

20 August 2019 - The Wild Beauty Art Festival, which was opened on August 19 at the Black Lake (Montenegrin: Crno jezero) in Žabljak by the famous guitar duo, Srđan Bulatović and Darko Nikčević, is a new quality segment of the Montenegrin tourist offer in the north, said State Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Sustainable Development, Damir Davidović for MINA Agency.

Speaking at the opening of the festival, which is being held for the first time, he said that the policy of development of the northern part of the country, in addition to significant infrastructure investments and increase of accommodation capacities, implies enrichment of the cultural offer with attractive programs of high quality.

“The Wild Beauty Art Festival is a new quality segment of our offer in the north, especially Žabljak. It is a project that we hope will really set new standards. Our wish is for the Wild Beauty Art Festival to become a significant cultural manifestation, which the north of Montenegro can be recognised for. We all admire KotorArt festival on the coast, and we hope to achieve great results for the north in that aspect as well," said Davidović.

Admission to all Wild Beauty Art events is free, and with the support of the Žabljak Tourist Organization, a free shuttle bus drive from the centre of Žabljak to the event is provided for all interested parties free of charge.

Some members of the team who organise KotorArt festival are participating in the implementation of the Wild Beauty Art Festival, providing even more active contribution in positioning Montenegro as a tourist destination that offers the highest quality artistic and cultural contents, not only on the coast, but this year also in the north of the country.

This year's Wild Beauty Art is focused on Durmitor and Žabljak and will run through Friday, with planned programs on Black Lake and locations such as Savin Kuk, Stećci, Sedlo and Đurđevića Tara Bridge.

During the five days, daily and evening concerts of different genres are planned, at different locations of Durmitor National Park.

On August 20^th, the program of the Wild Beauty Art Festival will include several performances.  Balázs Bágyi New Quartet will perform at the Black Lake at 7.30 p.m. This project was supported by the Hungarian Embassy as a segment of Weeks of Hungarian Culture in Montenegro program. Two more performances are also expected on this day. Mockingbirds are going to perform two times - at 11 a.m. at Stećci, Unesco's Heritage and at 3 p.m. at Sedlo. More information about the festival and the performers can be found at the official Facebook page of Wild Beauty Art Festival.