26 April 2019 - Prime Minister Duško Marković said that the development of Ulcinj is considered significant for the development of the whole of Montenegro and that Ulcinj should very soon have a place at the top of the municipalities by the level of development.

"The development perspectives of this municipality are remarkable, not only in the Montenegrin context but also wider. In the first place, we are committed to a responsible approach both at the state, and especially at the local level. And it must be not only administrative, but essential when it comes to resolving the development priorities of such a representative city. In the previous period, the State provided favourable conditions for investing in high-quality hotel capacities, and their attractiveness was additionally raised by the recent launch of the economic citizenship programme," the Prime Minister noted at the Prime Minister's questions. He assessed that the enviable tourist tradition of Ulcinj represents a reliable basis for attracting investors with a clear vision and potential, and that the Government wants such investors at the locations of former tourist facilities "Galeb", "Lido" and "Jadran"

Answering the question of Vice President of the Assembly Genci Nimanbegu on the plans for these three locations, the Prime Minister said that all three locations have so far been unsuccessful examples of potential development projects.

PM Marković welcomed MP Nimanbegu's interest to discuss the challenges in the implementation of these three projects, which in terms of expected investments have the potential to be the development milestone of Ulcinj, as well as to enrich the tourist offer and contribute to the employment of citizens.

He said that the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism in the previous period provided detailed information on the chronology of the procedures and the status of implementation of these projects. He further stated that to implement the Conclusions of the Government of Montenegro from 10 March 2016, a legal adviser was engaged to draft an analysis of the obligations of the contracting parties and the undertaken activities of both contracting parties in the case of the Galeb Hotel, which provides an overview of possible termination procedures, as well as the legal consequences of the contract termination. The opinion of the Controller related to the Agreement on the sale of the Galeb Hotel noted that the buyer paid a purchase price of 5.7 million EUR in accordance with the deadlines stipulated by the Contract, that he provided timely guarantees and fully respected the Social Programme in the amount of 1.7 million EUR, but did not implement the investment in accordance with the Investment Plan due to the delay of the local self-government in providing planning assumptions for the implementation of the project. The Municipality of Ulcinj passed the spatial planning documents six years after the date of conclusion of the Contract, which prevented the buyer from investing the amount determined by the Agreement.

"When it comes to the implementation of the Lido Hotel Purchase Agreement, the findings of the Controller confirm that in this case the buyer paid a full purchase price of 10.8 million EUR within the agreed period of time, that he respected the Social Programme, but that the investment was not implemented in accordance with the Investment Plan, among other things, due to the lack of solution for 75% of the environmental problem - the Port Milena channel," PM Marković said.

In the case of a lawsuit filed by the Public Enterprise for the Management of the Maritime Property before the Commercial Court to terminate the Long Term Rental Agreement on the location of the former Jadran Hotel, a final verdict on this case has not yet been issued, the Prime Minister said, adding that inertia of the local self-government was observed regarding the recommendations of the Government to remove objects from Cape Bratislava, in order to create conditions for the tourist valorization of this site.

Prime Minister Marković stressed that investors with a clear vision and potential are desirable in Ulcinj, and that the Government will act in partnership with all those who are willing to invest their capital in sustainable development projects. 

26 April 2019 - Prime Minister Duško Marković hosted Christian Democratic Union member in the Bundestag, Christian Schmidt. The Prime Minister, recalling the dialogue at the highest level between the two countries following last year's official talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, expressed satisfaction with the fact that the realization of the reached agreement is in the final stage.

The agreement foresees that Germany sends expert assistance to Montenegro to advance the rule of law. In this context, PM Marković emphasised Montenegro's interest in partnership with Germany in further overcoming the challenges in our European integration process.

"Our interest and our wish are to have a dialogue with Germany on key development issues, as well as on a bilateral level. We do not need this to strengthen our position, but we need German know-how and experience to continue progressive reforms and improve our system even faster and better," the Prime Minister stressed.

Prime Minister Duško Marković informed Mr. Schmidt about the Government's economic and political results, the results of our European integration, as well as strategic priorities in the coming period.

Bundestag Member Schmidt congratulated the Prime Minister on Montenegro's membership in NATO and expressed full support for the reforms that our country implements and our European integration, concluding that the goal is Montenegro's membership in the European Union.

Both sides agreed on the possibilities for stronger German investments in Montenegro.

President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović recently also hosted Christian-Democratic Union Member of Bundestag Christian Schmidt. During this occasion, the President of Montenegro expressed his satisfaction with the opportunity to meet with the German Bundestag member, following a recent official visit to Berlin, thanking FR Germany for its dedication to Montenegro.

25 April 2019 - During the term of office of this Government, more than 15,000 new jobs have been created. As the Prime Minister, I am proud of this result, Prime Minister Duško Marković said at the Prime Minister's Questions session, which took place in the Parliament of Montenegro.

Answering a question about what the Government has done to improve the rights and quality of life of workers, Prime Minister Marković said that the Government had initiated an increase in the minimum wage by 15%, which will have a direct impact on about 35,000 employees.

The Prime Minister announced that the rate of income tax on earnings of natural persons will be reduced from 11% to 9%, adding that in public administration bodies the working hours changed from 7:00 to 15:00, which is more favourable for employees, especially for mothers.

"In addition to these measures, the Government continuously helps to solve the housing issues of employees. Since 2016, 318 employees in the education sector, 717 persons from the Police and 317 health workers have solved their housing issues under favourable conditions. Furthermore, the Housing Cooperative Healthcare, founded by two trade unions and the Ministry of Health, will allocate around 500,000 euros to its employees in 2019. I also recall the 1000+ Project, which has been present for a decade, and which enabled 1,162 family households to resolve their housing issues, of which 735 are from the public sector, and 427 from other social categories," Prime Minister Duško Marković pointed out.

25 April 2019 - At an area of 2850 ha, 108 wineries in Montenegro produce around 17 million liters of wine annually, of which 5.7 million liters are exported. For years, wines have been one of the major agricultural products exported, whereas a share of wine in the total export of agricultural products accounts for 25.8%.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, ever since the 2007 Wine Law was adopted and trade arrangements with the EU were done, the situation has significantly improved because the Montenegrin winegrowers recognized business opportunities.

“There is an increased interest of the newly-registered wineries, i.e. in 2007, we had four wineries and now we have 108 of them. Also, the production of wine in smaller wineries has increased even though general statistics do not recognize it due to ‘Plantaže’ being the market leader,” explained Marija Krstić, the chief officer of the Department for plant production and inspection control within the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Along with ‘Plantaže’ that produces over 40 kinds of wines and four types of grape brandies made of 28 wine grape varieties, small-scale wineries, such as winery ‘Kopitović’, annually produces 10,000 bottles thus creating the history of wine-making in Montenegro.

‘Plantaže’ has been holding the leading position in wine production, i.e. it produces around 22 million kilos of wine grapes and grapes for fresh production and has sales of over 16 million bottled products in more than 40 countries worldwide.

So far, wines of ‘Plantaže’ have won over 800 awards and recognition at the international level, and they are selling in all continents (except Africa). Even 60% of the annual production is exported into various countries, and we take into account the tourism season and the so-called ‘silent export’, it is estimated that foreigners consume 80% of the annual production.

Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s markets are their biggest export markets, and countries that follow are China, Kosovo, USA and Croatia.

25 April 2019 - Councilors in Bar have adopted the agreement on mutual rights and obligations of the municipality and Sonuba Montenegro company regarding the Maljevik project.

Using this agreement, Sonuba Montenegro is obliged to invest from 30 million to 60 million EUR since the commencement of works. Dušan Railević, president of the municipality, has reminded of the tumultuous history of this project.

“Unfortunately, in the last eight months, the local administration has been dealing with the issue older than ten years. Maljevik has had a tumultuous history and changed the owner three times. In each case, planning documentation has envisaged the construction of hotel structures with an area of 249.000 square meters. We missed a very good opportunity in 2011 and 2012. The degree of construction could have been reduced following the principle of exclusivity. I have said this was the project of the century. And it really is,” said Raičević.

The project itself is proof of the investors’ huge interest.

“To pay 11,5 million EUR for a project that is about to start – it is a big deal,” said the head of the municipality of Bar.

According to him, Maljevik was the best project that the municipality has concluded in the last 50-60 years.

“If we managed to sell the land for 32 million EUR, it is because we were not aware of the problem that it might arise. Investors even less so,” said Raičević.

How did residents of Sutomore benefit from the sale of Maljevik? Raičević said that 24 residents had a profit of 6,4 million EUR based on restitution.

Asked if there are any guarantees for the work, Raičević said that the enforceable and final judgment was the best guarantee.

“Was it necessary to request a bank guarantee on the occasion of the conclusion of the agreement? Probably. But if you had an investor that paid 32 million EUR immediately, what guarantee did we need? What other guarantee? The investor has been settling liabilities on a regular basis, and between 2010 and 2018, the investor paid 550.000 EUR based on the real estate tax,” concluded Raičević.

Source: Cafe del Montenegro

24 April 2019 - 'Good, Better, Homemade' is the new slogan of the project Homemade flavours initiated by the Government of Montenegro in cooperation with the Chamber of Economy and the businessmen from the tourism sector, to improve the placement of domestic products in tourism consumption.

On April 24, National Tourism Organization of Montenegro organized a press conference, during which the representatives of this organization presented the newly created slogan and the new logo of this project, to intensify activities on promotion of placements of domestic products in hotels and restaurants.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Milutin Simović assessed that the projects Buy Local and Homemade Flavours actively promote the partnership and cooperation between the Government, businesspeople and consumers.

"By cooperation, producers ensure the placement of products, while entrepreneurs in tourism and trade can enrich their assortment and offer quality and fresh products with more colour, better aroma and more flavour to the citizens and tourists. This partnership is also a method to preserve our tradition, culture, specificity, autochthonous products and to strengthen our tourism brand, "said Simović.

As he further explained, the diversity, quality and speciality of Montenegrin culinary offer, connected with traditional hospitality, represents an important segment of the tourist offer. "Guests recognise Njeguška pršuta (English: Smoked Ham from Njeguši), Crmničko wine, local cheese from Pljevlja, Kolašin, Kuči and many other products. They recognise olives and olive oil from Bar and Ulcinj, wild orange jam, smoked carp, raštan from Podgorica, pastry from Zeta, homemade pies and fried dough, honey from Cetinje and the list goes on, “ Simović pointed out.

The results of a recent survey show that joint projects in relations to the promotion of the placement of domestic products yield results and that the increased presence and visibility of domestic products lead to improved perception of consumers.

"We have to be persistent, because changing consumer habits is a long-term process, and it is especially important to be persistent in raising confidence in ourselves and domestic values," Simović highlighted. He reminded that the Government, through numerous programs and measures, year after year increasingly supports the producers' efforts towards continuous improvement of the quality and safety of food.

State Secretary in the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism Damir Davidović said that Homemade flavours could become a special segment of Montenegro's tourist offer based on gastronomic offer, not only in the domestic market, but also in all regional and foreign markets to attract as many tourists as possible.

The project Homemade flavours were launched as the second phase of the Program Buy Local, implemented by the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro, the Investment Development Fund and the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro.

24 April 2019 - A comprehensive reform of the juvenile justice system that has been carried out over the past decade yielded results and nowadays Montenegro is a role model for others in the region, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Zoran Pažin underlined at the presentation of the regional initiative "Equal Access to Justice for Children in the Western Balkans", which took place in Podgorica earlier this week.

The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that the protection of the rights and freedoms of children is the most important obligation of state institutions and the justice system, adding that this regional initiative will provide valuable support in creating conditions for the Montenegrin judiciary to always take care of the best interests of children in all proceedings concerning them.

"Over the past decade, in cooperation with all relevant state institutions, the Ministry of Justice has carried out a comprehensive reform of the juvenile justice system, which resulted in Montenegro becoming a role model for others in our region. We want to express thanks to our partners from UNICEF and the EU Delegation to Montenegro for supporting these efforts," DPM Pažin noted.

He emphasised that the reform of the legislation has humanised and improved the treatment of children taking part in criminal proceedings.

"The rule of compulsory specialisation of professionals dealing with children had been introduced, and the Ministry of Justice, in cooperation with the UNICEF and relevant institutions, developed and accredited specialised training programmes for all professionals dealing with children. Thanks to this, today we have judges, prosecutors, lawyers and police officers trained and accredited for work with children who come into conflict with the law, as well as children victims and witnesses of criminal offenses," said Pažin.

He also recalled that the Family Law was amended in 2016, as its implementation had shown some shortcomings in protecting the best interests of children in court proceedings.

"One of the important novelties in the Family Law is the provision of assistance and support to a child involved in court proceedings in family matters through engaging support persons for the child, who is obliged to build a relationship of trust with a child, acquaint them with their rights and provide them with the information about the proceedings and its possible outcome," pointed out Pažin.

The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that, despite the notable progress achieved in the past decade, the Montenegrin society must not and will not be satisfied with the achieved, adding that it is the responsibility of the society to improve the justice system for children continually.

"In Montenegro, we still need to provide additional training for professionals working with children in the judiciary, as well as special rooms for children, to avoid their additional traumatisation in procedures. Furthermore, through further development of the free legal aid system, we want to provide additional support to the most vulnerable, to ensure equal access to justice for every child. Finally, we want to improve the records of data on children participating in court proceedings to have a more reliable basis for planning, implementing and improving child protection policies in the justice system," concluded Pažin.

He noted that the initiative that has been launched today would act as a new significant incentive to further efforts to provide even stronger guarantees of equal access to justice for all children in Montenegro.

In addition to Deputy Prime Minister Pažin, President of the Supreme Court of Montenegro Vesna Medenica, Supreme State Prosecutor Ivica Stankovic, UNICEF Representative in Montenegro Osama Kogali and Head of  EU Delegation to Montenegro Aivo Orav, also delivered speeches at the presentation of the initiative.

It is a two-year initiative being implemented in Montenegro and Albania, with the technical support of UNICEF and financial support of the Government of the Kingdom of Norway, whose goal is to create conditions for applying procedures in the judiciary adapted to the age of the child, taking into account a child's opinion and their best interests in all proceedings concerning them.

24 April 2019 - "I am convinced that as a society we are creating less than we can and that it entails inadequate competitiveness and inefficient valorization of development resources," Prime Minister Duško Marković said, answering the question of MP Boris Mugoša. 

The Prime Minister emphasised that as long as the theme of strengthening export potential does not become the focus of all segments of society, Montenegro must take care of it every day, building the capacity for all economic and social actors in this process to find their place.

"The issue of reducing the foreign trade deficit and increasing competitiveness is the priority of the Government as a whole, and more responsibility lies with a number of its departments. But this issue must equally be a priority for both business people and employees and associations of employers and trade unions. We are interested in providing new value to the citizens through income, and we can only distribute it if we create it first," Prime Minister Marković stated.

When it comes to dealing with the foreign trade deficit in the field of agriculture and energy, the Prime Minister recalled that he informed MPs a few months ago about the concrete steps the Government has taken on the issue.

"Through contracts concluded for long-term lease of agricultural land, as well as the lease agreement for the purpose of building a solar power plant in Briska Gora, the Government made a step forward and from the role of the creator of the business environment, it transformed into the role of investor, that is, property owner who wants to put it into operation, and get a new value from it," the Prime Minister said, emphasising that every inch of Montenegro has a value and that it has to be valorized in a sustainable and efficient way.

"This is the time when we need to change our approach and set our vision in line with the trends of major markets and global economies," Marković stressed out.

When it comes to state property, the Prime Minister pointed out that the Government would give priority to its valorization, and that competent ministries must be available to entrepreneurs, as lines and budget support programmes are provided. All this makes sense only if the citizens and their families will benefit from it.

The Prime Minister recalled that in 2018, in cooperation with the Chamber of Economy and in partnership with retail chains, a programme for the promotion of products called "Buy domestic products" was launched.

"Every day we work to create the conditions for the cheapest placement of Montenegrin services to foreign markets. Therefore, Montenegro actively participated in negotiations on the liberalization of trade in services through the conclusion of the CEFTA Additional Protocol 6," PM Marković said.

The Prime Minister announced that the Ministry of Economy will implement the "Programme for the Improvement of Economic Competitiveness" in 2019, with two lines of expertise and six lines of financial support worth 1.64 million EUR.

"After a long time, we record significant export results, so in the fourth quarter of 2018, the Montenegrin exports amounted to 106 million EUR, which is an increase of nearly nine percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2017. Analyzing this data, we are pleased with the fact that the import of food and animals decreased by 4% in 2018, which is a consequence of government policies aimed at expanding the production base and increasing the finalization of products in the agricultural sector. Also, the export of chemical products increased significantly, by almost 70 percent - primarily export of medical, pharmaceutical and other chemical products," the Prime Minister said.

"With the adequate involvement of all partners, especially the social and business community, it is indispensable to preserve and further improve the high growth rates of our economy, increase export potential, and thus improve the working conditions and quality of life in Montenegro," PM Marković concluded.

23 April 2019 - President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović hosted Christian-Democratic Union Member of Bundestag Christian Schmidt. The President of Montenegro expressed his satisfaction with the opportunity to meet with the German Bundestag member, following a recent official visit to Berlin, thanking FR Germany for its dedication to Montenegro.

He also pointed out the strong support for the Western Balkans' European perspective and significant involvement of the Bundestag in such German policy as well as close co-operation between the two states, as witnessed by a dynamic dialogue over the past few months.

"It is also good for our country and for the region that Germany is not slowing down in its efforts, despite the current opportunities on the European and global scene, to Europeanize the region," the President said.

Đukanović reminded of the importance of continuation of the European path for the stability of the region, insisting on further intensifying mutual co-operation, determination to accelerate reform and joint commitment to resolving open issues at the WB. In this context, he welcomed the upcoming meeting in Berlin at the initiative of German Chancellor Merkel and French President Macron, because, he said, this region is part of the European house and European responsibility.

That is why he said that the European perspective of the Western Balkans should be made more reachable and uncompromising fulfillment of conditions for EU accession while simultaneously implementing clear actions that the region will bring to Europe and connect infrastructurally with it. 

German Bundestag member Christian Schmidt thanked the President for recognition that his recent visit to Berlin was very important from a political point of view. He pointed to the continuity of German support for Montenegro since the renewal of independence and the European perspective of Montenegro and region. And the upcoming event in Berlin should be seen in the context of support and interest of Germany and France for the further destiny of the Balkans, said Schmidt

He welcomed Montenegro's attitude towards reform and the promotion of the rule of law, the fight against organized crime and corruption, and stressed the importance of cooperation in this context.

The interlocutors agreed that both the political and the expert cooperation of the two states is at a high level, especially in the field of defense and internal affairs. Both sides expressed their interest in the stronger presence of German investors.

During the meeting, there was talk about current events in the region, in the light of the upcoming meeting in Berlin on April 29.

23 April 2019 - Minister of Defence Predrag Bošković paid an official visit to the Republic of Latvia. During the meeting with Latvian counterpart Artis Pabriks in Riga, Bošković expressed Montenegro's readiness to strengthen bilateral cooperation with the Republic of Latvia, as a reliable ally in contributing to the overall strengthening of collective defence.

"By sending members of the Armed Forces of Montenegro to the enhanced Forward Presence in the East - eFP, we have demonstrated our commitment to NATO's deterrence and defence policy, as well as the willingness to contribute to designing stability within and outside the borders of the NATO by participating in international missions and operations", Bošković said.

He informed his Latvian counterpart about Montenegro's plans for further contribution to the eFP mission, stressing that Montenegro, with its participation in this mission, demonstrates its determination to continuously contribute to the overall efforts of the Alliance in strengthening the security of its citizens and territory. Minister Bošković stressed that the sending of the Scout Division of the Armed Forces of Montenegro to the eFP mission represents a strong platform for defining joint bilateral activities and projects.

Minister Pabriks stressed the strong support of the Republic of Latvia for strengthening the European and Euro-Atlantic perspective of the Western Balkans, affirming the impact of Montenegro's full membership in NATO on the stability of the Western Balkan region. Pabriks said that Montenegro had proved itself as a reliable and credible ally, stressing that Montenegro's contribution to the eFP mission is yet another indicator of its commitment to strengthening global peace and stability and trust among the armed forces of allied countries.

Bošković also met with State Secretary of the Latvian Ministry of Defence Janis Garisson. The two officials visited the Adaži base, the headquarters of the Multinational Battle Group in Latvia, within which an infantry reconnaissance division of the Armed Forced of Montenegro was engaged in December 2018.

In a conversation with Montenegrin soldiers, Bošković expressed satisfaction with the positive ratings of senior military representatives on their professional attitude towards assigned tasks. He expressed the expectation that they will continue to represent Montenegro decently by a responsible approach to the obligations and patriotic attitude towards their country. Bošković said that participation of Montenegro in this mission is another opportunity for strengthening the capacity of the Armed Forces of Montenegro and inter-ally trust.