26 February 2019 - According to the latest rankings of the Euro Health Consumer Index (EHCI) List, out of 35 countries - Montenegro is ranked 23rd and has progressed in relation to the previous year for two positions, which is shown in the data from the Health Consumer Powerhouse Organisation.

The EHCI, started in 2005, is the leading comparison for assessing the performance of national healthcare systems in 35 countries. The EHCI analyses national healthcare on 46 indicators, looking into areas such as Patient Rights and Information, Access to Care, Treatment Outcomes, Range and Reach of Services, Prevention and use of Pharmaceuticals.

On the occasion of progress in ranking, Montenegrin Health Minister Kenan Hrapović said that, after the success of 2017, when Montenegro achieved the biggest leap from all European countries and when the country’s ranking went up from the 34th position to the 25th, the health system leaders had a very serious task - to maintain the achieved result and, to the extent possible, make further progress. "We already have reason to consider ourselves to be serious competition with rich, modern health systems that have a long tradition of nurturing excellence in providing health services. We started preparing for this year's ranking after the publishing of last year's results. We did not boast too much, but we realized that success can only be true if it is neither a case study nor a product of fortunate events. We carefully analysed each of the 48 indicators realistically evaluating the possibilities and potentials of the Montenegrin health system and directing the focus of the activities towards the areas in which we achieved results, in the desire to make them visible, "Hrapović said.

This year’s recommendations by the Montenegrin Ministry of Health for progress in ranking is to pursue low infant mortality, the availability of modern malignant disease treatment, and the decision to introduce HPV vaccine for women in order to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer.

Director General of the Directorate for Quality Control of Health Care and Human Resource Development in Health Vesna Miranović, PhD, said that the current management structure in the Ministry of Health is decisive in the implementation of key strategic documents, and that all activities that they have implemented and which are in progress derive from these documents.

The director of the Health Insurance Fund, Sead Čirgić, highlighted that patients, especially those with severe illnesses, were provided with modern therapy in Montenegro, and that, in terms of drugs, increased availability and better market availability were ensured.

Four years ago, Montenegro was at the bottom of the EHCI list based on many indicators, which include the availability of health care for patients, outcomes of treatment, the extent and scope of services, and the prevention and use of pharmaceutical products.

The Montenegrin health system is better ranked than 12 European countries. Regarding the countries of the region, Serbia is in the 18th position, Croatia is 24th, and Northern Macedonia is 25th.

The first on the list of ECHI this year is Switzerland, which took the Netherlands’ place, and the last country in the rankings is Albania.

26 February 2019 - Minister of Defense of Austria, Mario Kunasek, said that the Austrian Ministry of Defense still focuses its attention on the Western Balkans, with possible reinforcement of the engagement in missions and operations that the EU is conducting in Africa to reduce the pressures on illegal migrations in Europe.

He pointed out that, in case his state or other states refrained from their participation in international missions, development trends in the troubled regions could have adverse consequences for Europe.

“We must export security,” said the Minister whose state is taking an active part in EUFOR mission Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as in the KFOR mission in Kosovo, which actively contributes to preserving peace and stability in the region.

When it comes to the relations with Montenegro regarding defense matters, Kunasek points out the importance of intensifying bilateral cooperation, especially in the domain of training for mountain warfare.

“As Minister of Defense, I strive to deepen bilateral contacts and defense cooperation with Montenegro, in the light of Joint Statement from Graz. I believe it is imperative that we intensify our bilateral cooperation in the domain of mountain warfare training and talk about the future initiatives related to safe munition and armament storage,” said the Minister Kunasek.

Talking about the perspective of Montenegro in the European Union, in the context of its NATO membership, Kunasek that it is terrific. He agrees with the European Union's attitude that Montenegro remains constructively committed to bilateral relations with other candidates and neighboring European Union Member States and that it is an active participant in the regional cooperation.

“Montenegro has got the capabilities and political will for the preparation of the implementation of the acquis communautaire of the EU,” concluded Kunasek.

The joint statement, signed in Graz in September of 2018, is formally recognized by Ministers of Defense of Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia. It expresses committed political will to intensify cooperation with WB, with the aim of increasing the EU perspective of these states.

Source: Cafe del Montenegro

26 February 2019 - According to the latest report of the European Health Consumer Index, Montenegro is ranked 23rd out of 35 countries and advanced two positions compared to the previous year. 

Minister of Health Kenan Hrapović said that, after the success of 2018, when Montenegro advanced the most compared to other European countries from the 34th to 25th position, the country had a very serious goal to attain and maintain the achieved result and, to the extent possible, make further progress.

"Now we have the reason to consider ourselves serious competitors with rich, modern health systems that have a long tradition of nurturing excellence in providing health services. We started preparing for this year's ranking after publishing last year's results. We did not sleep on laurels, nor were we boasting too much, but we realised that success can only be true if it is not a case study, a product of favourable circumstances. We carefully analysed each of the 48 indicators, evaluating the possibilities and potentials of the Montenegrin health system and focusing of the activities in the areas in which we achieved results in the desire to make them visible," Minister Hrapović noted.

Low infant mortality, availability of modern malignant disease treatment and the decision to introduce HPV vaccine for women in order to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer are the achievements that recommended Montenegro for the progress in this year's rankings.

Head of the Health Insurance Fund Sead Čirgić stated that patients, especially those with severe illnesses, were provided with modern therapy in Montenegro, and that, in terms of drugs, increased availability and better market availability were ensured.

The infant mortality rate, i.e., the number of children who die up to 12 months per 1000 live births, as the most vulnerable indicator of health care in one system, was 21.9% in 1985. Director of the Clinical Centre of Montenegro Jevto Eraković said that we need to be proud of the results achieved in 2018 when it comes to mortality rate, and that the obligation of the Clinical Centre is to continue with good results at the Centre for Neonatology and all other organisational units.

"This sensitive indicator of health points to a better organisation of health care and general care for women and children, better general standards, better attitude towards women in pregnancy and children related to intrauterine life and after birth, the degree of vaccination, as well as cultural change," Eraković said.

Assistant Director of the Institute for Public Health Senad Begić expressed satisfaction with the fact that the progress on the European Health Consumer Index list was partly due to significant advances in the field of public health, that is, in the field of cancer prevention, primarily due to the introduction of a vaccine against human papillomavirus.

"In this way, a significant step has been made in order to place Montenegro among the most developed countries offering the most modern and effective protection against cancer and diseases caused by human papillomavirus, which will be entirely at the expense of the state," Mr Begić stressed.

Four years ago, Montenegro was at the bottom of the European Health Consumer Index list based on indicators, including the availability of health care for patients, outcomes of treatment, the extent and scope of services, and the prevention and use of pharmaceutical products.

The Montenegrin health system is better ranked than the ones of 12 European countries. Regarding the countries of the region, Serbia is ranked 18th, Croatia 24th, and Northern Macedonia 25th.

The first-ranked on the European Health Consumer Index is Switzerland, which inherited the Netherlands, which for years had the best health system, and the last one on the list is Albania.

25 February 2019 - Minister of Foreign Affairs Srđan Darmanović participated in the 40th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. 

"The Government of Montenegro is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights at the national and international level," the Minister said, expressing strong support to the work of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. 

He pointed out that in the times of crises, continuous violations of human rights, rising radical extremism, only coordinated action by all international actors and multilateral cooperation can achieve universal respect for human rights and ensure sustainable development, peace and security. 

Minister Darmanović pointed out the Government's commitment to strengthening the national dialogue on human rights, as well as the progress made in the area of promotion and protection of human rights in Montenegro, especially the rights of vulnerable groups, women, children, LGBT people, minorities, the elderly and persons with disabilities. 

He pointed out the importance of fulfilling obligations and expressed satisfaction that Montenegro is a pilot country for establishing a mechanism for monitoring and implementation of recommendations received from the UN Human Rights Bodies. 

On this occasion, Minister Darmanović also met with President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer. The meeting welcomed the role of the ICRC as a key organisation addressing growing humanitarian needs, which is one of the priority challenges facing the international community. The need for stronger international cooperation was emphasised in order to ensure unhindered access to humanitarian assistance in endangered areas. Darmanović underlined the importance Montenegro attaches to this issue and pointed out numerous activities implemented in the previous period in cooperation between the Government and the Red Cross in Montenegro. Maurer welcomed the activities of the Government of Montenegro to finalise the establishment of the Commission for Humanitarian International Law, as well as the humanitarian assistance provided during the crisis period and the continuous contribution as a factor of stability in the region. 

On the sidelines of the 40th session of the Human Rights Council, Minister Darmanović also met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. The two officials expressed the readiness to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, especially in the field of economy, tourism, renewable energy and air transport. 

At the meeting with Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia Marija Pejčinović Burić, both sides reiterated the interest in further strengthening bilateral cooperation, as well as the willingness to improve cooperation through regional forums and at the international level.

25 February 2019 - In the direct clash for Europe’s last World Cup ticket, Latvia won 80-74 against Montenegro on the last game day. However, the Latvians needed a win with 9 points or more to qualify; hence, Montenegrians will be the ones traveling to China.

Latvia was holding the lead for all forty minutes and was above the needed margin multiple times during the game. In fact, Dairis Bertans shot twice in the last 15 seconds to reach the nine-point margin but fell short while on the other side, Derek Needham banked the free throws to secure Montenegro’s World Cup ticket.

Needham nailed 22 points while Marko Todorović scored 13 in addition to Bojan Dubljević’s and Aleksa Popović’s 11 points each.

For Latvia, Janis Strelnieks had an excellent game notching game-high 25 points while missing only one shot from the field (8-9). Martin Meiers added 12 and Janis Timma 11 points.

"It is difficult to find the words to explain how I feel tonight, especially because I remember very well when we started a year ago without any idea, but really any idea at all of going to the World Cup. We competed to get to the Second Round and it was our goal. Tonight I am delighted because all of these guys who played, they all deserve this. Like Blagota (Sekulić) kept saying, we are really, really, extremely happy. And for our country, you saw the atmosphere; it was really amazing tonight. Congratulations to everybody," said Montenegrin coach Zvezdan Mitrović.

Montenegrin forward player Blagota Sekulić also noted that the game was very hard and that this is a historical win for sports in Montenegro.

"It was a challenging game. We knew that this team is different from the previous game with five players who never played in the Qualifiers before. So we knew it would be a tough game because those players are great shooters and it isn't easy to guard them. Somehow we made it come true, and we did something historically great for basketball and sport in Montenegro," said Sekulić.

Head coach of Latvia Arnis Vecvagars congratulated Montenegro and wished the players good luck in China.

"First of all, I would like to congratulate Montenegro for qualifying to the World Cup. Good luck to them there. Talking about today's game, the main reason we did not get the result we wanted is defensive rebounding. We allowed too many offensive rebounds. We allowed too many second-chance points, and in the second half, we had a lot of plays one on one where we did not execute defensively as necessary. Obviously in the last minute of the game, our team's offense was different because of the injury to our point guard Janis Strelnieks. As you all could see, the Montenegro team could not stop him," concluded Vecvagars.

24 February 2019 - Tour Guide Association of Montenegro visited Nikšić yesterday to officially celebrate the International Day of Tour Guides. 50 of them had the opportunity to acquaint themselves with cultural and historical monuments, the most representative facilities and tourism potential of the town at the foot of Trebjesa.

“We hope that this visit will make a very positive impact on our municipality and that we will enhance tourist visits. We also hope that we will improve the quality of the tourism offer of Nikšić since it is, as many people think, the neglected destination on the tourism map of Montenegro,” said the tour guide and a representative of the Association, Miljan Mijušković.

Deputy president of the Municipality of Nikšić, Sonja Nikčević, pointed out that this city “still has not found the place it deserves on the tourism map of Montenegro”.

“Your arrival will help reinforce the story of Nikšić as being tourism town, with all its attributes that we are going to develop further. I am one of those who think that Montenegro has a unique address in tourism and, in that sense, I believe that Nikšić is one of its pearls, about to find the place it deserves,” said Nikčević.

Today, thanks to the improved transport infrastructure, the importance of the town at the foot of Trebjesa is significantly higher. In addition to that, the hotel industry gives its contribution as well. As far as tourism offer is concerned, this city has a lot of things to be proud of. Beautiful nature and cultural and historical monuments in the first place.

“Let’s just mention Crvena stijena, Roman bridge dating from the 3^rd century, Carev most, (the Emperor’s Bridge), the castle… Everybody is amazed at the nature Nikšić offers,” said Nikčević.

Local administration will keep working hard on improving the tourism offer of this beautiful town and its adequate positioning and categorization.

Experience of the representatives of the Association shows that, so far, Nikšić barely existed in the tourism programs.

“We pass through Nikšić when we go rafting or canyoning. After this visit, the story about Nikšić will definitely become richer,” concluded tour guide from Budva, Darinka Grloman.

Source: Cafe del Montenegro

24 February 2019 -The Government adopted the Action Plan for Implementing the Integrated Border Management Strategy 2014-2018, for 2019, and adopted the Report on the Implementing Measures and Activities from the Action Plan for 2018. Last year, the improvement of the integrated border management system continued in line with the recommendations and best practices of the European Union. Among other things, the Draft Law Amending the Law on Border Control was established, the new Law on Foreigners was successfully implemented, as well as the capacities for the flow of asylum seekers, as well as the activities and capacities of the Border Police in the conduct of border control. Also, cross-border police cooperation and activities on the suppression of cross-border organised crime were enhanced, activities were undertaken to resolve bilateral issues with neighbouring countries, as well as activities on the implementation of signed international treaties on the state border, border crossings and border traffic.

Implementing Action Plan was considered very important for meeting the criteria and achieving the European security system, strengthening the ability to take over obligations arising from membership in the European Union, and aligning with Schengen requirements as key challenges in the process of Montenegro's EU accession.

At the same occasion, the Government of Montenegro adopted the Report on the Implementation of the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Strategy for Integrated Migration Management in Montenegro 2017-2020 for 2018, which emphasises that nearly a hundred percent achievement of the planned measures and effective implementation of the policy of controlling migration movements. The Report states that the most important activities in the area of migration in Montenegro in the previous period were the adoption of a new Law on International and Temporary Protection of Aliens and the Law on Foreigners. European Union standards in the area of migration are largely transposed into both laws, and their implementation will bring about delicate changes in terms of the quality and efficiency of this system.

The Government also approved the 15th report on the implementation of the Strategy for the Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism, Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing 2015-2018 and the Action Plan 2017 - 2018 for the reporting period from July to December 2018.

The Information on the Proposed Memorandum of Understanding between the Institute for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions and the German NGO "Help Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe" was also adopted by the Government. The implementation of the project components defined by the Memorandum contributes to the expansion of prisoner 's working activities within the prison system, as well as their successful rehabilitation and reintegration. The state allocated 15,000 euros for these purposes, and the donation in the same amount was provided by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Stability Pact for South East Europe.

The Government approved the Information on the amendments to the Agreement on the transfer of credit and grants for the needs of the project "Wastewater Collection and Treatment in Podgorica" financed from a loan arrangement signed on 22 September 2017 between the German Development Bank (KfW) and the Government of Montenegro in the amount of 35 million euros. According to the revised agreement, the Capital City was given a period of sixty days in order to have the time to implement the necessary procedures and fulfil the contractual obligation towards the State.

24 February 2019 - Connections from Barcelona to the Balkans are becoming even more diverse as Ryanair launches a new route to Podgorica in June 2019.

Montenegrin Airports have invested enormous effort in order to establish the direct Podgorica - Barcelona line, bearing in mind the fact that the Pyrenees peninsula is one of the most significant markets in Europe.

Danilo Orlandić, Montenegro Airports’ executive director, started negotiations for the establishment of the aforementioned airline at a meeting within European Aviation Forum, Connect 2018.

"As I said earlier, we took a proactive approach and established contact with companies within markets that we think are not open enough. One of the most important markets is the Pyrenees peninsula and having in mind all factors, we decided to do everything to establish the direct line Podgorica - Barcelona," Orlandić told CdM.

The European Aviation Forum, Connect 2018 gathered more than 500 representatives of 65 airline companies and 250 airports who visited Georgia’s capital city of Tbilisi to discuss aviation challenges. During the three days of the Forum, the delegates of air companies including Royal Dutch Airlines, Gulf Air, Wizz Air, Ryanair, Ukraine International Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and many others have discussed existing and expected challenges in the field of air traffic, and have provided grounds for cooperation between airlines and airports for new flights.

As CdM reports, according to the agreements established at Connect Forum and further negotiations, the direct airline Podgorica-Barcelona will be established from June 2019. Flights will be organised once a week and from October two times a week.

The Podgorica - Barcelona airline will be run by low-cost company Ryanair, with which Montenegrin Airlines has already reached an agreement. Previously during the Forum, MA also negotiated with companies Vueling and Iberia.

As CdM learns, the significance of this line is enormous, as Podgorica Airport will be the only airport in the region that will be connected to Barcelona throughout the year. Other airports have seasonal lines with the capital of Catalonia, so Podgorica will be the point of uniting this part of Europe with Barcelona outside the season.

This is the first direct airline linking Montenegro and Spain.

23 February 2019 - Representatives of Government of Montenegro hosted Secretary-General of the Regional Cooperation Council Majlinda Bregu. Implementation of policies and decisions we are making must be in our focus in order to create new opportunities for young people in the Balkans and reduce their need to go abroad, it was noted at the meeting. 

Representatives of the Government of Montenegro expressed their full support to the work of the Regional Cooperation Council and congratulated the Secretary-General on assuming her duties, and added that through active participation in this and other regional initiatives, Montenegro promotes dialogue, understanding and tolerance as a prerequisite for stability, and therefore for economic growth and development and better life of citizens. 

"The connectivity within the Berlin Process is very important for us in all key areas: trade, infrastructure, mobility and digital agendas," as said by the representatives of the Government of Montenegro, and reiterated that Montenegro will always be Regional Cooperation Council's reliable partner. 

Bregu said that the Regional Cooperation Council focuses on the regional economic area, with a special emphasis on the digital agenda and mobility, and in that regard emphasised that the Regional Cooperation Council is working on the issues of elimination of roaming in the region, pointing to the importance of this initiative for its citizens. Ahead of the next summit within the Berlin Process initiative, which will be held in Poznan in July, both sides agreed that everything should be done at the level of the countries of the region in order to achieve this and other initiatives and bring concrete results for the Western Balkans.

23 February 2019 - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Zoran Pažin recently met with Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn. Montenegro has made visible progress in the key areas of rule of law which the European Commission pointed out in its latest annual report, DPM Pažin said at the meeting. 

"The results that Montenegro achieves in the consistent implementation of European policies, primarily through the protection and promotion of the freedoms, rights and security of our citizens, give us the right to expect the support of partners from EU to the faster progress in the accession process," the Deputy Prime Minister noted. 

He estimated that the decisive efforts of state authorities against organised crime resulted in numerous arrests of members of criminal groups, prevention of a number of serious crimes and significant progress in key investigations. 

Commissioner Hahn expressed the expectation that this year, during his mandate, the European Commission will be able to conclude that Montenegro has met interim benchmarks in negotiating chapters 23 and 24, giving clear guidelines for the final closure of negotiations in these chapters. 

The meeting was also attended by Minister of Science Sanja Damjanović, who presented the project for the establishment of the South-East Europe International Institute for Sustainable Technologies. 

The Minister expressed gratitude to the European Commission for the significant financial support in the development of this scientific project, which according to her has the potential to become one of the leading projects within the European Neighbourhood Policy. 

Establishing the Institute is Montenegro's initiative aimed at strengthening scientific and technological cooperation, strengthening scientific capacities and preventing the outflow of talent from the region.