19 June 2019 - Minister of the Interior Mevludin Nuhodžić and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia Nebojša Stefanović noted in Belgrade the high-quality cooperation between the Montenegrin and Serbian police in the fight against organized crime, adding that criminals will not be safe either in Montenegro or in Serbia, as reported by the Ministry of Interior of Montenegro.

Minister Nuhodžić praised the cooperation of criminal police, as well as joint operational teams, which resulted in locating internationally wanted persons, the intersection of the narcotics smuggling channels and the solving of serious crimes.

"We are witnessing that criminal groups operate not knowing the boundaries, not only in our region, but also around the world. That is why our best answer is an open, efficient and honest cooperation that clearly states that criminals are not and will not be safe either in Serbia or Montenegro and that our countries will strongly oppose and fight against the organized crime," Minister Nuhodžić said.

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Nebojša Stefanović said that cooperation in the field of fighting organized crime is effective and that members of the criminal police quickly exchange information that is important for detecting criminal offenses.

"We have exceptional cooperation that will continue in the future because we want to send a clear message to the criminals that the police will come out as winners in the fight against organized crime," Stefanović stressed.

Speaking about the cooperation between the border police of the two countries, the two ministers discussed expanding the capacity of border crossings in order to facilitate the transit of citizens, not only during the summer season, but throughout the year.

"Our aim is also to stop the smuggling of narcotics, goods, as well as the transfer of persons who belong to a criminal milieu," said Stefanović, who thanked Minister Nuhodžić and members of the Montenegrin police for exceptional cooperation.

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

18 June 2019 - At the invitation of Deputy Director-General of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Ms. Charlina Vitcheva, Minister of Science of Montenegro Sanja Damjanović participates in the conference Supporting Smart Specialisation Strategies and Transfer of Technology in Southeast Europe at the Polytechnic University in Bucharest, Romania. 

In her introductory address, Vitcheva commended Montenegro's efforts in the development of the Smart Specialisation Strategy, which, after two years, is in the final phase of the process. Vitcheva reminded that last May in Sofia the main theme of the conference on strategies for smart specialisation was the Western Balkans and the development of these strategies in the Balkans region. The first international workshop in the Western Balkans, dedicated to this process, was held in Podgorica on 5 February 2019, organised by the Ministry of Science and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. 

During the panel session "Improving Innovation Policies in Southeast Europe through Smart Specialisation Strategies and Transfer of Technology", Minister Damjanovic said that Montenegro was very proud because on Thursday the Government will consider the Smart Specialisation Strategy. 

In Montenegro, there are more than 105 strategies, but the Smart Specialisation Strategy will unite all those that are focused on developing economic, or scientific and technological potential, as stated in the Ministry of Science's report.

As the Minister pointed out, Montenegro is also working on establishing innovative ecosystems by encouraging the creation and development of start-ups. The first Scientific and Technological Park in Podgorica will be a leading institution dedicated to the promotion of technological transfer, and one of the main instruments for the implementation of the Smart Specialisation Strategy.

Based on the strategic vision of Montenegro's development, the Strategy defines four priority areas, three vertical ones: sustainable agriculture and a food value chain, energy and sustainable environment and sustainable and health tourism, as well as a horizontal priority area: information and communication technologies, because it provides business and technical support to other priority areas.

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

18 June 2019 - The Government of Montenegro will strive to provide better conditions for talented students and their teachers and put creativity and innovative ideas into action, making the education system compatible with the needs of the economy of the 21st century, said Prime Minister Duško Marković at a meeting with Ambassador of the United Kingdom Alison Kemp and Director of the British Council Vanja Madžgalj.

The meeting discussed the British Council's project "School for the 21st Century", in which 4,000 microcomputers will be donated to all elementary schools in Montenegro to help learn programming, but also to develop critical thinking and problem solving and encourage creativity. The project is regional, covering six countries in the Western Balkans and is worth  £10 million.

"There is no progress if we fail to make the education system compatible with the needs of development. We need to allow the talented people to contribute to the development of the country and help transform our economy into the digital economy of the 21st century," PM Marković pointed out in the report for the Prime Minister's Office.

He thanked the UK Government for its support through this and many other projects, noting that this is a confirmation of the partnership and friendship between the two countries.

The meeting also discussed ways in which the Government of Montenegro can help ensure the sustainability of this project and provide talented students with the opportunity to improve and acquire specialised knowledge and skills. Teacher training was assessed as extremely important and both sides agreed that it is significant to find a way to set up a specific centre for the development of innovations for young people.

On this occasion, students of the Elementary School "Vuk Karadžić" from Berane, Miro Marjanović and Milo Šekularac, as well as their IT teacher Milun Čukić, presented to Prime Minister Marković the "Automated greenhouse operated by micro: bit computer", which was created in the first phase of the "Schools for the 21 Century" project. 

"It is a great pleasure for me to have the opportunity to welcome you and see your project. Congratulations on the results achieved," said Prime Minister Marković, stressing that they and other young talented students and their teachers are the future of Montenegro.

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

17 June 2019 - Minister of Foreign Affairs Srđan Darmanović opened the Consulate of Montenegro in Trieste, Italy, headed by Honorary Consul Sven Bichler.

On that occasion, Minister Darmanović pointed out that the opening of the Consulate in Trieste, in the year when Montenegro and Italy celebrate 140 years of diplomatic relations, represents an important step towards the expansion of the diplomatic network and confirmation of the commitment to continuously develop cooperation between the counties. According to the report of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, he also expressed confidence that the activities of Honorary Consul Bichler will contribute to the further strengthening of bilateral ties and the promotion of economic, tourist, scientific and cultural potentials of Montenegro. 

Minister Darmanović reminded that Montenegro and Italy have very good political relations and high-quality cooperation, especially in the domain of economy, tourism and energy, which is confirmed by the growing presence of the Italian economy on the Montenegrin market. "Our diplomacy significantly contributes to the diversification of the Montenegrin economy and high growth rates through dedicated and comprehensive work on connecting business communities and attracting foreign direct investments," Minister Darmanović concluded. 

Honorary Consul Bichler emphasised that cooperation between the two countries can be further improved, and that it is necessary to inform the Italian public in a timely and targeted manner about the characteristics of Montenegrin society and market. He presented plans to organise a presentation on Montenegro in Trieste, stressing that there is room for deepening of connections, especially in the wood, food and textile industry. 

Prefect of Trieste Valerio Valenti, Mayor of Trieste Roberto Dipiazza and CEI Secretary-General Roberto Antonione also attended the ceremony.

The recent meeting that took place in Trieste between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Member States of the Central European Initiative adopted the Trieste Declaration, which confirmed that Montenegro will take over the presidency of the Initiative from 1 January 2020

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

17 June 2019 - The meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Member States of the Central European Initiative adopted the Trieste Declaration, which confirmed that Montenegro would take over the presidency of the Initiative from 1 January 2020. The second presidency of the Central European Initiative will happen on the 10th anniversary of the first Montenegrin presidency of this oldest regional mechanism, which is a confirmation that Montenegro has been recognised as an active and responsible regional player dedicated to open and close cooperation and joint action towards sustainable development of the region, as reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro. 

"The Montenegrin presidency of the Central European Initiative will seek to further strengthen regional dialogue and ties between the 17 Member States of the Initiative in order to achieve the most effective results and stable socio-economic progress," said Minister of Foreign Affairs Srđan Darmanović, who took part in the ministerial meeting. He added that a well-designed shared approach is the best instrument for addressing regional potentials and challenges, and stressed that Montenegro, within the presidency, will encourage cooperation and increase synergies between relevant regional initiatives. 

Minister Darmanović said that in the thirty years of its existence, the Central European Initiative confirmed that it was an important element in the construction of a more democratic and stable region. He pointed out that the Initiative greatly encourages the promotion of democratic principles and the building of institutional capacities, and is therefore of particular importance for the countries that are on the path towards the European Union. 

"Montenegro is today the country that has made the most progress in the reform process, continually harmonizing the internal legal framework with the European legislation. Therefore, we will undoubtedly be the first next member of the EU," the Minister said and expressed the belief that the newly elected European Parliament and European Commission will affirm and strengthen the enlargement policy. "This will be a geostrategic investment in the peace and economic prosperity of the whole of Europe," concluded Minister Darmanović. 

The ministerial meeting of the Central European Initiative highlighted the importance of continuing EU enlargement policy and further strengthening the European perspective of the Western Balkans. Furthermore, the meeting supported the achievement of clear progress in the accession negotiations for Montenegro and Serbia, and welcomed reforms implemented by North Macedonia and Albania. The meeting reiterated the importance of cooperation in the implementation of transport and energy infrastructure projects, as well as the strengthening of policies that are focused on the inclusion of young people in contemporary social processes. 

On the sidelines of the meeting, Minister Darmanović met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Nikola Dimitrov. Darmanović stressed that resolving the dispute between North Macedonia and Greece is a model for overcoming the open issues in the region, stressing that Montenegro strongly supports the opening of negotiations with the EU for North Macedonia and Albania. Minister Dimitrov stressed that Montenegro is a role model in the implementation of reforms and fulfillment of obligations arising from Euro-Atlantic and European integration and that Montenegro's support was of particular importance in the process of accession of North Macedonia to NATO.

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

16 June 2019 - The Ministry of Economy of Montenegro reported that works on the building of small hydro-power plants on the Bukovica river are suspended until the Government re-examines all the documentation and reaches a final decision. The decision was concluded on the meeting of Minister of Economy Dragica Sekulić and local residents of Šavnik municipality, representatives of NGOs, investors and representatives of local government. 

16 June 2019 - Minister of Culture Aleksandar Bogdanović and UNDP Resident Representative in Montenegro Daniela Gasparikova signed the agreement on cooperation between the two institutions within the project Creative Montenegro - Economic Valorisation and Creative Industries in Cetinje, as reported by the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro.

The agreement defines numerous fields of cooperation over the next two years, thanks to which the sector of creative industries in Montenegro will be fully valued. In addition, a part of the programme will focus on the cultural heritage, which, during today's signing ceremony, has been assessed as an outstanding potential in the field of cultural tourism. Apart from the above, the partnership will be also established in order to present and popularise the natural and cultural heritage through the cultural routes of the Council of Europe and the European Mediterranean route "EuroVelo8".

Only a few days ago, the Creative Montenegro project gave the first results this year. A total of 11 authors are supported by the first competition in the framework of this project, which will establish a Montenegrin cultural product, as a fruit of the creative sector and entrepreneurial-productive cooperation. There are 10 projects and products, and one scientific study.

On this occasion, the author of one of the 11 ideas supported by the contest "Creative Montenegro" is "Articulation" from Podgorica presented the project "VR Montenegro", which is based on contemporary technologies of virtual reality, that is, 'location scouting' in the film industry. Thanks to this project, Montenegro's presentation as a destination at film fairs and festivals will be extremely enriched - as representatives of interested production companies will be able to see, in one place, using VR glasses, all film locations and landscapes in our country. Not only will Montenegro be further affirmed as a film destination, but it will also be possible for authors to valorize their work through co-production with some of the overseas production companies. Igor Mitic from "Articulation" explains that the project "VR Montenegro" will introduce a series of locations from Montenegro. 

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

15 June 2019 - The Privatisation and Capital Investment Council adopted the Request of the Port of Bar AD - Bar for the sale of 100% of shares in Sidro Hotel and accepted the Request of the Hotel Group Budvanska rivijera AD - Budva for giving consent to the Decision on modification of the Decision on sale by public auction regarding the sale of Piva Hotel in Plužine. The Auction Commission should conduct a procedure for the sale of part of the property of the Hotel Group Budvanska rivijera AD - Budva - Piva Hotel in Plužine in accordance with the Decree on sale of shares and assets through public auction in accordance with this conclusion. 

As of 31 March 2019, the fixed assets of Sidro Hotel amounted to 1.172.118 EUR, while receivables amounted to 56.377 EUR, capital 575,929 EUR, accumulated loss 5.944.443 EUR, long-term liabilities and provisions 37.051 EUR, deferred tax liabilities 103.904, and short-term liabilities amounted to 543.859 EUR, as noted in the report of the Government of Montenegro.

The discussion pointed out this facility did not operate positively since the opening in 2010 and that the management of the Port of Bar intends to use the money from the sale of Sidro Hotel for the rehabilitation of Volujica quay construction in the length of 554 m and the construction of a 6,000 m² prefabricated storage facility. The session emphasised that 34 employees at Sidro Hotel were protected by a high-quality collective agreement in the five-year period after the privatisation, and the Council recommended to the Port of Bar to make the final decision on the sale of Sidro Hotel, adding that an integral part of the decision is a social programme that should be implemented by a potential buyer. 

The initial price of Sidro Hotel is set at 1.704.480,02 EUR.

By accepting the Request of the Hotel Group Budvanska rivijera AD – Budva, the Council agreed that the new Decision on sale by public bidding would indicate the price of 152.000 EUR, since the book value of the Hotel amounts to 150.966,98 EUR. The Council instructed the Auction Commission to conduct the sale procedure for the part of Piva Hotel in Plužine in accordance with the Decree on sale of shares and assets through public auction. 

The Privatisation and Capital Investment Council reviewed the Information on the fulfillment of conditions for the issuance of the fourth bank guarantee to Global Ports Holding and proposed to the Government to adopt the Information, which states that this company invested the amount of 2.027.879,05 EUR in the rehabilitation and reinforcement of the construction of the southern coast of Gata 1, which created the conditions for the issuance of the appropriate bank guarantee.

The Council passed the Proposal of Decision on amendments to the Decision on the privatisation plan for 2019, which envisages the sale of the remaining part of 1,45 percent of state-owned shares in the New Tobacco Plant AD Podgorica, after the current majority owner expressed his interest in the purchase of the remaining state-owned shares.

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

16 June 2019 - Led by Zoran Roganović, Montenegro National Handball Team managed to secure a victory at the Morača Sports Centre in the match against Ukraine, winning 27: 21 and in the second place, they qualified for the European Championship.

The European Championship will be held in January in Austria, Sweden and Norway.

"Certainly, these are the two most important matches. In the first duel, we did not play well against the Faeroes Islands, and now we had to have a more serious approach. It is important that we play smart, divide the time and celebrate against the Faeroes Islands and then against Ukraine and give the maximum to win. It is true that some players just joined the team two days ago and that it is the end of the season, but these are the two most important matches, and everyone will give the maximum to win the placement," said Stefan Čavor for Vijesti before the game, commenting on how important this victory is for the team and for Montenegro as a country.

Montenegro lost to Ukraine after the drama with the Faeroes (29: 24), and as expected in Denmark (37: 26), but the "Lions" defeated the Olympic and World Champions Denmark (32:31) in the previous round, and now on the wings of that triumph they managed to win the remaining two games and achieve the goal.

"We do care whether we are going to be the second or third. The better placement also allows us to get an easier group at the European Championship. When we already have a chance, we have to enter with 100 per cent in both games,” said the goalkeeper, Nebojša Simić, who is now thrilled that the team managed to secure the second place.

Read more sport related news at TMN's dedicated page.

16 June 2019 - At the recent United Nations General Assembly elections, Montenegro was elected a member of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) from 2020-2022.

The Economic and Social Council is at the heart of the United Nations system to advance the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental. It is the central platform for fostering debate and innovative thinking, forging consensus on ways forward, and coordinating efforts to achieve internationally agreed goals. It is also responsible for the follow-up to major UN conferences and summits.

ECOSOC links a diverse family of UN entities dedicated to sustainable development, providing overall guidance and coordination. The entities include regional economic and social commissions, functional commissions facilitating intergovernmental discussions of major global issues, and specialized agencies, programmes and funds at work around the world to translate development commitments into real changes in people’s lives.

Building on its coordination role within the UN system, ECOSOC is a gateway for UN partnership and participation by the rest of the world. It offers a unique global meeting point for productive dialogues among policymakers, parliamentarians, academics, foundations, businesses, youth and 3,200+ registered non-governmental organizations.

Each year, ECOSOC structures its work around an annual theme of global importance to sustainable development. This ensures focused attention, among ECOSOC’s array of partners, and throughout the UN development system.

By emphasizing combined economic, social and environmental concerns, ECOSOC encourages agreement on coherent policies and actions that make fundamental links across all three.

As a member of the ECOSOC, Montenegro will be committed to meeting the mandate of this body and its proactive and effective role in the field of sustainable development.

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