19 March 2019 - Montenegro is strongly dedicated to the rule of law and in that area, especially in fighting organised crime and corruption, has achieved serious progress, Prime Minister Duško Marković pointed out at the meeting with Ambassador of Belgium in Montenegro Koen Adam. 

17 March 2019 - It is an undoubted duty of every society that perceives justice as its core virtue to counter most fiercely against violence against women, said Deputy Prime Minister Zoran Pažin at the opening of the conference "Violence against women - application of the Istanbul Convention and resistance to retrograde processes."

He noted that today the criminal legislation of Montenegro is mostly in line with the Convention.

"Additional protection of the physical, psychological and social integrity of women is ensured by the introduction of new criminal offenses. Stricter sentences have been introduced in the criminal offense of domestic violence or the family community in the way that the sentence for the basic form of this criminal offense is increased from one to two years, while the violation of the measure of protection against domestic violence determined by the court or other state body foresees a prison sentence of up to one year, instead of the previous six months," the Deputy Prime Minister explained.

To reduce the risk of re-execution of certain criminal offenses, the possibility has been introduced for perpetrators of the criminal offense of domestic violence to be imposed a measure of prohibition of approaching the victim or leaving the apartment. "In line with the Convention, new criminal offenses - rape and the conclusion of a null and void marriage, have been introduced. Furthermore, by amending the Law on Free Legal Aid, victims of domestic violence have been granted the right to free legal aid, in the same way as victims of trafficking in human beings," he underscored.

He pointed out that in September last year, a new Protocol on the Treatment, Prevention, and Protection against Domestic Violence was signed, which envisages improved procedures and closer cooperation between state authorities and the civil sector in combating domestic violence and violence against women.

"Regardless of what has been achieved, we can and must do more in this area. The recommendations of the last year's GREVIO Committee's report on the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in Montenegro give us excellent guidelines in this direction," the Deputy Prime Minister stressed.

He added, however, that violence against women cannot be eliminated only by laws and penalties. "It is necessary that the entire society and all of us as individuals, both publicly and privately, raise the voice against violence against women and send a clear message that Montenegro cannot and will not tolerate it," said Deputy Prime Minister Pažin.

He expressed the belief that this is the only way to make the unsubstantiated condemnation of violence against women become a firmly established moral norm in Montenegro.

"Only then will we know with certainty that as a society we have achieved an enviable level of awareness of the true meaning of justice," he underlined.

The Deputy Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to the conference organisers, as well as numerous other partners from the civil sector and the international community, for significant efforts they have invested in the achievement of this valuable social mission. "Whether you provide support and protection to victims of violence, affirm female entrepreneurship or strengthen civil and political rights of women, you contribute to a safe, just and richer Montenegro. I assure you that on the path of emancipation and prosperity of the Montenegrin society, the Government of Montenegro remains your sincere and reliable partner," he concluded.

The Istanbul Convention is a partner initiative of the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and the Women's Political Network within the Gender Equality Programme, funded by the Delegation of the European Union, and implemented by the UNDP.

17 March 2019 - President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović is welcomed in Berlin with the highest military and state honors, where he arrived at the invitation of President of Germany Frank Walter Steinmeier. After the official ceremony, the two presidents discussed the relations between Montenegro and Germany, the European future of Montenegro and the Western Balkans.

President Steinmeier expressed his great satisfaction with the opportunity to host President Đukanović, with the assessment that the relations between Germany and Montenegro are very close and that the two countries have the potential for even stronger cooperation, primarily in the economic sphere. Steinmeier recalled the support of Germany's Montenegro during NATO accession, saying that Montenegro is a valuable partner in the Alliance.

"Our next task is integration into the EU," said the German President and stressed that Montenegro is one of the fastest countries on the European path.

In that sense, he expressed the belief that the EU will, after elections for the European Parliament and more precise images of Brexit, focus more heavily on the integration of the Western Balkans. On this path, Montenegro will have full support from Germany, especially regarding one of the most important issues in the negotiations on the rule of law.

The President of Montenegro thanked President Steinmeier for inviting him on an official visit to the Federal Republic of Germany and the very eventful program of the tour. With the satisfaction of the extremely good relations between the two countries, he thanked President Steinmeier for the great support of Germany, which is continually provided to Montenegro at the time when the country preserved stability, and when it embarked on the path of integration and the establishment of democracy, as an independent state, for working hard on the construction of institutions and achieving European standards. This German attitude is not only toward Montenegro, but also toward the entire region, for which stability is the key to further integration, and a higher quality of life of citizens.

Germany's attention is impressive, and it would be essential to use your influence so that other European addresses help europeanization of the Balkans, said President Đukanović. He also introduced Steinmeier with the priorities of state policy-the dynamic economic development of the country and EU membership. Even more important is the presence of German investors, which will help us to adopt European standards faster and more directly, Đukanović said.

"Although a small country, we are trying to be a serious promoter of European politics in the region," he said, with the assessment that Germany's support in the field of justice, internal affairs and foreign affairs is particularly important.

A significant part of the conversation was dedicated to the current situation in the region. President Steinmeier was particularly interested in the position of President Đukanović in relation to the remaining open issues. Both sides welcomed the agreement of Skopje and Athens, which can be an example of how difficult issues are solved when there is political will and clear goals for it, which should serve as an inspiration for the remaining open issues in the region.

The First Ladies of Montenegro and the Federal Republic of Germany Lidija Đukanović and Elke Budenbender had a separate conversation during which they paid special attention to the role of women in public and political life and youth education.

18 March 2019 - The introduction of electric buses in Podgorica would potentially solve the problem of public transport, which currently does not satisfy the needs of citizens, and the Capital is already considering this solution, said Lazarela Kalezić, Secretary of Traffic, during an interview for the News Agency Dan.

"The climate in Podgorica would not allow us only to use electric buses, so it would be good to think about the option of combined buses. Cities with a similar climate have mostly made a combination of electric and gas buses or other alternative fuels," said Kalezić.

During an official assembly held in December 2018, the Mayor of Podgorica Ivan Vuković, and representatives of the diplomatic corps and foreign businesspeople in Montenegro discussed the planned capital projects and investment potentials of the Capital City. On that occasion, the possibility of the use of electric buses in Podgorica was first introduced. Stating that one of the biggest challenges in Podgorica is solving the problems of public transport, the Mayor said that in that field, the Capital would look up to the solutions already implemented by Belgrade, which has introduced 84 electric buses in 2018.

Secretary Kalezić noted that the current public transport in Podgorica causes many problems, such as air pollution, and stated that buses in the Capital are mostly old and not comfortable for passengers.

"In Podgorica, we currently have 109 buses covering 29 lines. The profitability of public transportation everywhere in the world is questionable. We are considering introducing electric buses, which would lead to a reduction in the use of conventional fuel, which is expensive. We are also thinking about increasing the role of the local government when it comes to transportation issues, "said Kalezić.

Switching to use electric buses should significantly improve the quality of air and reduce morbidity and mortality due to air pollution. The electric bus has numerous advantages over gas buses, such as lower cost of maintenance, lower energy losses, reduction of environmental noise etc.

The advantages of the electric bus, and especially its contribution to the quality of life, justify the efforts and costs required in the initial stages of implementation, and the citizens of Podgorica eagerly await the new form of public transportation.

16 March 2019 - "According to the current state of the booking and information, we can expect a stable trend of good visits by Russian tourists, both individuals and organized groups that come to our hotels and private accommodation through a tour operator," said Maja Liješević, director of the Tourist Organization Budva at the international tourism fair "MITT 2019", which was held in Moscow from 12 to 14 March.

"Last year more than 3 million overnight stays were realized from this market in Montenegro, of which 2 million were realized in Budva, so there are really great reasons that we are present in this market this year," added the director of the Tourist Organization Budva and emphasized that a significant number of Budva hotels representatives are present in Moscow, among which are the hotel groups "Montenegro stars" and "Budvanska rivijera", hotels: "Avala", "Maestral", "Melia", as well as the company "R Tours Montenegro".

The most frequent questions of visitors during the first two days of the fair were about hotels and private accommodation, gastronomy, sports activities, such as diving and sports fishing, the possibility of organizing trips and similar. Most have expressed satisfaction with good flights connection with Montenegro.

Special interest was caused by the presence of Budva and Montenegro in the special edition of the Russian Gazeta, which printed more than 70,000 copies just before the fair and distributed alongside the daily version of one of the most circulating newspapers in this country.

As part of the activities of the Tourist Organization Budva during the fair, Krsto Radović, President of the Municipal Assembly and a member of the Executive Board of Tourist Organization Budva and Danilo Kastratović, President of the Executive Board of Tourist Organization Budva participated in the fair.

The tourist offer of Montenegro is organized by the National Tourism Organization and the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism at "MITT" in 2019 (Moscow International Travel & Tourism Exhibition), in cooperation with the Embassy of Montenegro in Russia, local tourism organizations, strategic partners and tourism industry.

The most important tourist fair manifestation in the Russian Federation market brings together over 2,500 exhibitors and 23,000 professionals from all over the world.

15 March 2019 - Regulation on the allocation of funds for encouraging direct investments and improving the competitiveness of the economy has recently been approved by the Government of Montenegro, as well as the Programme for the improvement of the competitiveness of the economy for 2019. Considering that the existing Regulation concerned exclusively direct investment support programmes, and in practice, the need for constant stimulation and strengthening of the sector of small, medium and large enterprises was identified, which is recognised in several strategic documents as one of the key pillars of accelerated economic development, for which it is necessary to improve their competitive ability, and thus the competitiveness of the economy as a whole, the new Regulation was developed.

The Programme for improving the competitiveness of the economy, for which realisation 1.640.000 EUR has been allocated, prescribes that all previous programmes intended for the development of entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized enterprises are consolidated into a unified programme, which will consist of 10 programme lines.

The Government approved the Information on determining the weighted average retail price of cigarettes for 2019. To ensure the stability of the cigarette market, as well as to preserve budget revenues on this basis, it is proposed to maintain the average weighted retail price of cigarettes from 2018 and 2019 (2,10 EUR per pack). In that context, it was concluded that it is necessary to begin to amend the legal provisions regulating this issue to create conditions for the proposal to be implemented.

The Cabinet within the Government of Montenegro approved the Information on increasing the share capital of Montenegro in the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development through general and selective capital increase and approved the proposal for capital increase, as well as the Indicative plan for subscription and payment of shares.

16 March 2019 - Credit Rating Agency Standard & Poor's recently published a new Report for Montenegro which confirmed the rating of the country, which is marked as "stable" while preserving the rating B + / B.

The fact that the credit rating agency Standard & Poor's has confirmed the rating given to Montenegro in 2018 for the third time, points to the expectation that after the fourth confirmation, the country’s credit rating could increase.

By confirming Montenegro's stable credit rating, another relevant global institution recognized the seriousness of implementing fiscal consolidation measures, as well as the overall increase in economic activity resulting from the improvement of general business conditions within the country. According to the Report, the current position of Montenegro on the rating list is the result of a strong economic growth that continued in 2018, estimated at 4,7%, based on the development of tourism, energy and infrastructure, and more specifically, the progress on the construction of the highway that will, as it is said, contribute to regional cohesion and security improvement.

An important backbone of Montenegro’s future development, the Report suggested, is the implementation of a significant number of foreign direct investments over the past five years, which amount to over 10% of GDP at the average level.

Analysts point to the strong institutional position of Montenegro in the region as well as the potential for further development through the structural reforms that the country is currently implementing to join the European Union. According to the report, the important activities for achieving the Government's goals are the continuation of the implementation of fiscal consolidation measures, the reduction of the budget deficit and the reduction of public debt.

15 March 2019 - Montenegrin Ministry of Internal Affairs is working on the establishment of an electronic database of sports fan groups from the country and the region. This database will serve for general sports fan groups monitoring, information exchange with public services and special monitoring of perpetrators of criminal offenses at sports events.

This project is being implemented following the Law on the Prevention of Violence and Misbehavior at Sports Events.

Establishment of this database will allow the Ministry of Internal Affairs to keep records on all perpetrators of criminal offenses at sports events, which will increase the general safety of the public.

Dossier files on sports fan groups are almost complete and already accessible to the General Police Department (Department for Public Order and Peace), as well as to all police stations, security centers and security departments.

"This project will further improve the prevention of violence and misbehavior at sports events," the representatives of Montenegrin Ministry of Interior explained within their report on the implementation of the Law on Public Gatherings and Public Events in the past year.

The report also states that the Law on Public Gatherings respects basic human rights and that the representatives of the Montenegrin police fully respected its provisions. "It is the duty of the state not to interfere with the fundamental freedoms of the people and to protect and facilitate all individuals’ right to peaceful assembly," the report said.

The report also noted that during the implementation of the Law on Public Gatherings, special attention was given to the principle of proportionality. This principle implies that all interferences with rights must be proportionate to the legitimate aim pursued, as prescribed by the European Convention on Human Rights.

"The implementation of the Law on Public Gatherings and Public Events promoted freedom of assembly. Gatherings were limited only to the extent necessary to protect public security, protecting the rights, freedoms and health of other persons," the Ministry of Internal Affairs explained.

The Ministry was also successful at implementing the standards of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

"Based on the data on held public gatherings and public events in 2018, and considering that they have passed without violating law and order, it can be concluded that the police officers acted by the law while providing security," says the MIA's report.

15 March 2019 - According to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Mulutin Simović, Montenegrin wine growing and winemaking sector is making significant progress and will have even stronger government support in the coming years. As Simović assessed, Montenegrin dedicated wine growers and wine makers, as well as growing support provided by the Government of Montenegro, is responsible for the evidenced development of this sector, for which the country does have natural predispositions.

The support of the Government for the winemaking sector is crucial, as the agricultural budget funding is increasing by the year. The European pre-accession funds also support this sector.

During the visit of the IX International Wine Salon MonteVino 2019 held in Podgorica, Simović said that one of the indicators of the development of the sector is the fact that in 2019, Montenegro noted 227 wine growers and 108 wineries in the wine growing register. "We remind you that in 2007 when we embarked on a strong development project for Montenegro for this important sector, we had only four wineries in the register," Simović added.

He pointed out that it is essential that Montenegro has numerous old wineries with a long tradition, which can still keep track of modern trends and produce high-quality wine. Simović said that the optimistic predictions for the winemaking sector development are created based on the country’s valuable winegrowers and winemakers, who are following the latest technologies and standards, preserving the importance of Montenegrin winegrowing sector. Montenegro takes great pride in its unique and recognizable winemaking tradition that is passed through many generations.

During his visit to this prestigious wine event, Deputy Prime Minister Simović greeted all the exhibitors, including 22 wineries from Montenegro that took part in the manifestation/

The Minister also expressed encouragement with the fact that the number of domestic exhibitors at the MonteVino event grows year after year and the belief that the number of Montenegrin quality winemakers that take part in the manifestation will increase in the coming years.

He evaluated that the presence of wineries from other countries, especially the region, sends a message from Montenegro about the country’s openness, readiness and consistency in respect of signed free trade agreements. At the same time, the Montenegrin minister expects that local wines get the same welcoming reception when they perform on regional markets.

14 March 2019 - The 9th edition of the best and biggest wine event in Montenegro, which is positioned in the top list of the most important wine manifestations in the region - MonteVino, will be held on Friday and Saturday, March 15 and 16 at the Hilton Hotel in Podgorica.

MonteVino is organized by the National Association of Sommeliers of Montenegro and the Wine Academy of Montenegro under the auspices of the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Capital City and the Tourist Organisation of Podgorica.

Visitors of this year's MonteVino will experience the most comprehensive and high quality assortment of products and services from the wine world. Professionalism and internationality are the main features that distinguish it from competing events of this type, which allows MonteVino to experience a constant increase in the number of visitors and the quality of exhibitors. For its 9 years of existence, MonteVino has been ranked among the leading regional fairs and is the central place for contracting and ordering in the wine business.

Visitors to the lounge will have the opportunity to choose to taste some of the 600 wines from 125 different wineries (of which 22 are Montenegrin) from 16 countries. Forty-eight new wines will be premiered at the MonteVino 2019, which makes it a must-visit manifestation for all wine lovers. Traditionally, a team of experts will be evaluating Montenegrin wines based on "blind tasting." They will rank the wines by quality, based on taste only, without knowing in which order they get to taste the wines.

MonteVino 2019 guests will be able to enjoy the company of the best sommeliers from the region and winemakers who will personally be present at the salon and will give valuable advice on the rules of consumption and other interesting wine-related subjects.

The media attention this event has provoked crosses the borders of the region and has already been accredited by a serious number of media outlets.

MonteVino is a manifestation that gathers exclusively selected producers of premium wines and distillates from Montenegro and the world. This year, just the introductory workshops from March 12th until the beginning of the salon attracted hedonists and premium product lovers to book tickets for this unique event in order to enjoy the ambience of salon tasting and socializing.

"Our goal was to make a traditional manifestation, a recognizable wine salon open only for exceptional drinks of top quality. We are on a great way to put Montenegro on the map of must-visit destinations of true wine lovers, as well as professionals from a wine business,” explained the representative of the Association of Sommeliers of Montenegro.

The manifestation will also be attended by numerous distinguished personas from the economic, public and cultural life of Montenegro, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps.

For all additional information about the event, you can communicate organizers of the event via e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..