01 April 2019 - Prime Minister Duško Marković hosted Secretary-General of the OSCE Thomas Greminger, who is paying an official visit to Montenegro. The meeting noted that Montenegro actively contributes to stability and security, promotes regional cooperation, and is firmly committed to the principles of multilateralism and the fulfillment of OSCE goals. 

PM Marković said that Montenegro had achieved significant results in the field of economy, as well as in the rule of law, but that specific weakness remains, noting that we are devoted to the removal of flaws. 

"Montenegro has built the internal capacity of the institutions to respond in a timely and sustainable manner to the security challenges," Prime Minister Marković said, stressing that significant results were achieved in the field of fighting organized crime. 

PM Marković emphasised that Montenegro is committed to strengthening media freedoms and protecting journalists and media assets. He thanked the OSCE for support and expertise in media laws, as well as for the assistance of ODIHR in the area of electoral legislation and the electoral process. 

Secretary-General Greminger thanked Montenegro for its strong partnership and action following the principles of the OSCE. He noted that the OSCE wants to support Montenegro in the consolidation of democratic institutions, the improvement of the electoral system and the strengthening of media freedom. He also pointed to a focused programme of cooperation in the areas of transnational threats. 

The Prime Minister thanked for the overall support of the OSCE and assessed that this organisation is one of the most authoritative witnesses of contemporary development of Montenegro and its democracy.

31 March 2019 - The launch of the web application for the record of emigrants is a valuable mechanism for implementing a kind of list of Montenegrin Diaspora with all its complexities, but also a confirmation of the firm commitment of the Government of Montenegro to continuously work on improving the relations and policy of cooperation with the Diaspora, it was noted at the promotion of the new internet platform in Podgorica organised by the Directorate for Diaspora.

Part of the presentation included signing the Agreement with the donor of the software solution to the information company Nextsense from Skopje, signed by Director of the Directorate for Diaspora Predrag Mitrović and co-owner of Nextsense Saša Gavrilović.

Presenting the project, Director of the Directorate for Diaspora Predrag Mitrović emphasised that the web application is one of the modes for the implementation of a sort of list of Montenegrin emigrants, which enables people to understand the complexity of Montenegrin Diaspora, its number, age, intellectual, scientific, professional and other potentials, country-specific concentration and other specificities related to its status and position in the receiving countries and interest in strengthening relations and ties with country of origin.

The access to these data is essential from planning the improvement of relations between the country of origin and the Diaspora, and by their better acquaintance and processing, it is possible to identify the various resources of the emigrant communities and their potential contribution to the development of the country of origin.

Mitrović emphasised that this application is the result of cooperation between the Directorate for Diaspora and Montenegrin Diaspora in the Republic of North Macedonia, which connected the Directorate with the software company Nextsense from Skopje, the donor of this application. On this occasion, he thanked the donor company, as well as the Montenegrin Community in the Republic of North Macedonia.

The Director of the Directorate urged the emigrants to submit data to this record, noting that the data can only be used for clearly defined purposes and exclusively for the needs of the Directorate for Diaspora, with a special emphasis on the protection of personal data within the legal framework.

Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Veselin Šuković, pointed to the country of origin's readiness to improve relations between the State of Montenegro and the emigrants. 

Šuković pointed out that such projects also open new possibilities for cooperation with Montenegrin diplomatic-consular network to meet the interests and needs of the Diaspora in a particular country. He specifically highlighted that this application is a confirmation of the firm commitment of the Government of Montenegro, i.e., the Ministry, to continuously work on improving the relations and the policy of cooperation with Montenegrin Diaspora. He emphasised that the Diaspora occupies a priority position in foreign policy of the country, and that Montenegro is aware of the capital it has in its Diaspora.

Miroljub Orlandić, the Honourary Commissioner of the Matica crnogorska in the Republic of North Macedonia expressed satisfaction with the implementation of the project. He mainly referred to the significance of the project "Demographic-migration characteristics of Montenegrin emigrants and their descendants", which would enable a better understanding of our potentials in the Diaspora, their migratory movements and the country's immigrants.

30 March 2019 - Youngster Goga Bitadze has stunned the basketball part of the region by winning the awards of the Regular Season MVP, Top Prospect and a spot in the Ideal Starting Five. He has summed up his impressions in an interview for the official ABA League website.

Congratulations on the prestigious 2018/19 Regular Season MVP and Top Prospect awards of the ABA League, as well as your earned spot in the Ideal Starting Five. Did you expect this to be possible before the beginning of the season?

“I worked hard during the summer, but frankly I did not expect to win these awards. I just tried to do my best to play every game in the best possible way, to give 100% at every game and I am truly glad that my effort was recognized and that I won the awards.”

This is your second season in the ABA League and even though you have demonstrated your vast potential already in the previous season, you have shocked the region with the way you were dominant. What is the secret of your unbelievable progress and your good games this season?

“I believe that it has everything to do with great effort. One needs to be focused on the game, to think about basketball every day, to stay positive and as I said – work hard. You need to give 100% of your capabilities in every practice. Of course, I have to stress that I have been working with great coaches and players that help me a lot.”

You started your ABA League story with Mega Bemax, which is well known for the quality of developing youngsters and this season you moved to Budućnost VOLI, ABA League champions, where only quality and success in every game is tolerated. How much did playing for each of those clubs help your development?

“Mega Bemax helped me to grow up as a player and person. They have helped me to show my quality, helped me play, and coaches and players have helped me vastly. At Budućnost VOLI I have received plenty of help as well, and it is a huge experience to play for such a club, where everyone expects victories in every game and against everyone. Also, it is a huge experience for me to play in the EuroLeague against quality players in Europe so I can say that both clubs have helped me a lot.”

How did the teammates accept you at Budućnost VOLI and what is your cooperation with Jasmin Repeša like? How different is he from Dejan Milojević?

“The teammates have accepted me greatly. They are excellent guys and I have great relationships with everyone. I still haven’t been cooperating with coach Repeša for a long time, but I have great respect towards him and respect what he does. I have grown up alongside Dejan Milojević and I cannot describe how thankful I am to him. I believe that I have learnt 90% of my game from him. No words can describe my thankfulness.”

What do you expect from the remainder of the season with Budućnost VOLI?

“My expectations are great. I arrived at Budućnost VOLI intending to win the title again. I repeat this time after time, but this is actually my main goal and I am fully devoted to every game for the team to reach this goal.”

Source: ABA League

29 March 2019 - Positive trends and results from 2017 continued in 2018 as well, which testifies to a high degree of confidence in the work of the Ministry of the Interior and the Police, Interior Minister Mevludin Nuhodžić told the press following the Government of Montenegro's session.

29 March 2019 - Voli Trade company introduced Our Garden Project which is currently being carried out in Šas, near Ulcinj, where the agricultural production had developed at 70 hectares of land, which has not been used for 25 years.

"Products of this new project are already in stores and buyers have the impression that they got them from their garden since everything is so fresh," said Paul Foli, member of the Board of Directors of Voli Trade company.

Foli spoke about the plans of Voli Trade and announced the possibilities of extending activities abroad. He also said that the domestic market offered excellent chances.

“We are successful, people from the region know us, so, there is a possibility of extending activities abroad. For example, tourists from Serbia already heard about Voli Trade. They come to Montenegro, see our brand, and they like it. The turnover in the stores at the seaside doubles thanks to the clients outside Montenegro. We are constantly searching for the opportunities, but we also never forget that the domestic market is our great opportunity too”, said Foli.

He explained that it is possible to increase the share of the Montenegrin market by modernizing existing stores, with their better and more appealing appearance, with better training of the staff and seasonal orientation.

"Logistics and Distribution Center of Voli Trade is a success story, and we are very satisfied with this investment,” said member of the Board of Directors of Voli Trade company. 

“One-third of everything we sell goes through the LDC. This way, we provide our services for the clients in the wholesale more professionally and efficiently. Therefore, the whole company has two functions - taking care of 70 selling stores, and providing services for the wholesale, restaurants and small chains. Now, we can deliver packages to LDC first and then send them to the store, when necessary. That means our goods are fresher and our clients appreciate that,” pointed out Foli when speaking about Our Garden Project.

He also emphasized that Voli Trade is a success story and that the employees should not worry about their job.

He made a comparison with some trading chains in Europe and stated that they could still work on some technological solutions.

“It is still the case that the employees here measure fruit and vegetables. That is old-fashioned from the aspect of costs and speed and efficiency,” said Foli.

There is so much more positive atmosphere and enthusiasm in Voli Trade than in many western companies.

“What has been maintained in Voli Trade is the soul, the spirit. The owner knows most of the employees; personally, the employees know each other, and it is so much easier to overcome challenges if the management is not divided from its people. I am sure many western companies would love to be able to copy that, but they cannot find the right way,” concluded Foli.

28 March 2019 - Prime Minister Duško Marković met with the delegation of the German Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations. The Prime Minister noted that Montenegro is a stable and safe state, adding that for more than two decades it is part of a solution, not a problem in the region, and as such, it is oriented towards rapid economic growth and development. 

"Montenegro is the fastest growing economy in the region, and the economic growth rate of 4.9 percent achieved last year is one of the largest in Europe," the Prime Minister emphasised. 

Furthermore, he pointed to some other indicators of a successful economic policy - growth in industrial production and the food industry, an increase in exports by over 18 percent, a decline in the unemployment rate of six percent, and an increase in the number of employees by over 12,000. A surplus of the current budget amounting to 150 million EUR was achieved last year. 

"The key sectors of our economy are tourism, energy, agriculture, and we are actively working on industry's revitalization," PM Marković said. 

As an important prerequisite for further growth, Prime Minister Marković highlighted the development of the overall infrastructure. In this context, he pointed to a fund that will be created for this purpose through an economic citizenship programme. 

He expects significant incentives for faster development through the construction of the motorway, energy infrastructure, as well as valorization of airports and the Port of Bar, for which German businesspeople expressed interest.

"Our efforts to accelerate development, open new jobs and raise the standard of living are slowed down by some of the constraints we face. This primarily refers to our efforts in improving the rule of law, which includes the efficiency and reliability of the judiciary, the further fight against corruption and organized crime, the public administration reform," PM Marković said. 

Despite significant progress made in these areas, there are still challenges for which Montenegro has solutions, but the country also needs money and time to strengthen law enforcement institutions further and make Montenegrin public administration efficient and inexpensive. 

German businesspeople welcomed this approach, and especially praised Montenegro's role as a factor of stability in the region and highlighted the importance of the country's membership in NATO. Responding to the expressed interest in the dynamics of negotiations with the EU, Prime Minister Marković said that Montenegro was not focused on deadlines but on strengthening its internal potential so that it could fully assume the obligations of a fully-fledged EU member state.

Business people from Germany expressed interest to invest in energy, infrastructure, security and defence, as well as environmental protection. 

Pointing to specific favourable tax rates that make the business environment incentive, Prime Minister Marković invited German investors to come more often and invest more in Montenegro.

28 March 2019 - Minister of Defence Predrag Bošković recently met with Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The meeting discussed the international efforts aimed at strengthening global peace and security given that the topic of the upcoming UN Ministerial Conference on Friday is peacekeeping operations. 

Minister Bošković stressed that participation in peacekeeping operations should focus on conflict prevention, bearing in mind that local political problems often go beyond the national borders by taking on the regional and even global dimensions. 

He stressed that the United Nations peacekeeping missions are a unique and dynamic instrument for helping countries affected by conflict, as well as an important factor in building and preserving lasting peace. 

Bošković expressed Montenegro's willingness to provide an active and constructive contribution to the United Nations Department of Peace Operations, emphasising the importance of the participation of the Armed Forces of Montenegro in the UN Mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to strengthen the interoperability of the capabilities of its forces.

Minister of Defence Predrag Bošković also met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Bošković emphasised that Montenegro is based on the principles on which the UN is based and pointed to a strong commitment to multilateralism and thus to the United Nations system as an organisation that seeks to ensure a peaceful, stable and prosperous world.

He pointed out that the Government of Montenegro or the Ministry of Defence has a constructive role when the region is in question, and that the primary interest of Montenegro is to maintain stability in the area and to continue further progress, especially concerning European and Euro-Atlantic integration. Bošković informed Secretary-General Guterres about Montenegro's defence system reform, with a focus on historical NATO membership. 

He assessed that in these challenging times, concerted action is necessary. Therefore, the Minister pointed out that Montenegro, as one of the youngest members of the United Nations, strongly supports the organisation's reform process, with the belief that it represents an indispensable platform in promoting stability, cooperation and further economic development of the region, which is a significant support to the Western Balkan countries on their path to further reform and democratization.

Bošković emphasised that there is no alternative to multilateralism, stressing that Montenegro will continue to proactively play a role in strengthening peace and preventing conflicts on the global level, with the emphasis on the need for more determined and unified coordination and more active part of all UN members. 

Guterres thanked for supporting UN reforms, and welcomed Montenegro's policy, with particular emphasis on the cooperation affirmation policy in the Western Balkans region. He expressed support for Montenegro's European integration and stressed that Montenegro was recognised as a reliable partner in establishing cooperation at the level of the wider international community.

The UN Secretary-General emphasised that Montenegro confirms its commitment to continuously contribute to world peace and conflict prevention by participating in international missions and that it is the right moment to consider new modalities of building trust and conflict management to contribute to the building of more stable and peaceful societies. He expressed the belief that Montenegro will remain committed to an open policy of good neighbourly relations to contribute to the stability of the region constructively.

27 March 2019 - Minister of Culture Aleksandar Bogdanović met in Strasbourg with the Council of Europe Secretary General Torbjorn Jagland for talks on legislative reform in the field of media, as well as on the Council of Europe's programmes in the area of culture in which Montenegro actively participates.

Minister Bogdanović pointed out the importance of the Council of Europe's expertise and recommendations aimed at further development of democracy, strengthening the rule of law and protection of human rights and freedoms, which significantly helps and contributes to Montenegro's EU bid.

"Allow me to thank you personally for the support provided by the Council of Europe's experts in the reform of media legislation and to emphasise that the Council of Europe remains the most important reference point in our efforts to improve media policies," said Minister Bogdanović.

He informed Secretary-General Jagland about further activities in the drafting of the media laws of Montenegro, which includes the Council of Europe experts.

Secretary-General Torbjorn Jagland emphasised that he is encouraged by evident progress in the reform of the media field since he paid particular attention to the challenges faced by the media scene in the previous period. He underlined the Council of Europe's readiness to provide the necessary expert support in the forthcoming period, to provide high-quality legal solutions dealing with this area.

As to the Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists, it was concluded that Montenegro is an excellent example of cooperation. In that regard, they praised the activities of Montenegro in terms of regular updating the activities relating to the complaints set out in the platform.

Both sides welcomed Montenegro's participation in the Eurimages, the cultural support fund of the Council of Europe, whose active member since the beginning of this year and expressed the belief that the funds provided by the Fund will significantly contribute to the development of the film industry in Montenegro.

During the meeting, there were also discussions about the activities of Montenegro in the programs of the Council of Europe in the field of cultural heritage. It was expressed satisfaction with the strengthened cooperation of Montenegro with the Secretariat of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes, and it was agreed to consider the possibility of Montenegro's inclusion in the new cultural routes.

27 March 2019 - The Government of Montenegro fully supports the signing of the International Data Exchange Agreement for checking property reports among the countries of Southeast Europe, which would be the first example of this type of data exchange to prevent corruption in Europe, Deputy Prime Minister Zoran Pažin noted.

"We are convinced that the closer regional cooperation that will be provided under this international agreement will contribute to building a just and safe society in Montenegro - a society that clearly condemns, efficiently prevents and decisively punishes every form of corruption," said Deputy Prime Minister Pažin at the opening of the second round of negotiations on the signing of the Agreement in Podgorica.

He stressed that an effective fight against corruption is an unavoidable duty of every country that wants to ensure equal rights and opportunities for all its citizens and a legal system that encourages the creation of a new economic value.

"We are pleased that the Sarajevo-based Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative, under whose auspices this draft agreement was developed, has accepted Montenegro's offer to host today's event. This was our expression of dual commitment: both to fighting corruption at the national level and promoting regional and overall international cooperation in that regard," he stated.

The Deputy Prime Minister underlined the paramount importance of international cooperation in this area, adding that the signing of the Data Exchange Agreement to check property reports will provide a direct exchange of data relating to property registration among the countries of South East Europe.

"We often talk about the fight against corruption in the context of Montenegro's EU accession process. Nevertheless, the fight against corruption is first and foremost a necessity and an obligation of our society, and only then a confirmation of our belonging to the community of modern European democracies," he said.

He agreed on the assessments from the preamble to the Draft Agreement that corruption represents a problem and threat to the stability of democratic institutions, the values of democracy, justice and good governance, and the proper and fair functioning of economies. "Therefore, we can say that the determination and intensity of the fight against corruption testify to our willingness and ability to protect, preserve and improve the highest values of our society," the Deputy Prime Minister concluded.

27 March 2019 - About 1,100 vertical signs with tourist information will be installed along the roads throughout Montenegro, all by the contract signed by the Public Works Directorate and Podgorica-based company "Crnagoraput".

Montenegro's scenic roads take all the travellers on a journey through the varied landscape, culture and nature of this small, lovable country. On the four different routes between the beautiful Adriatic coast and the wild and romantic mountains of the north, there is a lot to discover. Connecting routes also make it possible to take shortcuts or connect several scenic roads. No matter if you are travelling by car, motorbike or camper - the gorgeous landscapes will leave you breathless.

The recently signed contract on development of scenic routes throughout Montenegro includes the installation of new tourist signs along the scenic routes "Crown of Montenegro" and "Sea and Heights," as well as along the routes linking them.

The panoramic road "The Crown of Montenegro," is the longest route which covers the entire hinterland north of Podgorica. It leads to the spectacular mountains of the country and the most impressive gorges of the Balkans. By following this route, travellers can discover the nature of Biogradska Gora, Prokletije and Durmitor National Parks and Piva Nature Park and explore the cultural treasures in the heart of Montenegro. This panoramic road is undoubtedly the most intense way to get to know the country for those who are full of curiosity and adventure and have more time to spare for their journey.

The Panoramic Road “Sea and Heights” takes the travellers along the impressive Montenegrin coastline to explore the picturesque old towns on the Adriatic coast, beautiful beaches and the spectacular Bay of Kotor. By taking this route, travellers can also enjoy the view from the peaks of the coastal mountains and the national parks Skadar Lake and Lovćen.

The realisation of the signposting investment, worth 156.731,70 EUR, will enable the high-quality provision of tourist information to visitors, as one of the segments of the improvement of Montenegro's tourist offer.

The signs will have a unique shape and colour and will contain clear instructions on tourist locations.