28 December 2018 - The Government of Montenegro adopted the Proposal Amendments to the Law on the Use of the Units of the Armed Forces of Montenegro in the international forces and the participation of the members of the civil protection, police and state administration authorities in the peacekeeping missions and other activities abroad. The proposed amendments stipulate that the involvement of the members of Armed Forces of Montenegro in the missions, responses to crisis and missions within the humanitarian operations be mandatory.

Up until now, the principle of volunteerism has been applied in the participation in missions.

The first step for a specific Armed Forces member to be sent to an international mission is an application in relations to the announcement of the Ministry of Defence, as explained by the representatives of the Ministry. If a person does not apply for the announcement, they cannot be assigned to a task, regardless of the need to send the unit to the task. “The reason why the Army cannot send a certain unit to the NATO mission can be that the unit lacks a couple of members, which can bring its occupancy into question and, consequently, the ability to fulfil the deferred task”.

This is the reason why the procedure for the amendment to the existing law has been initiated. “The amendments will create the possibility that a whole unit can be sent into a mission, provided that all the members had previously been trained for the joint fulfilment of the task,” said the representatives of the Ministry.

The Proposal Law on the Amendments to this law also defines that a member of the Armed Forces, operation protection unit, or any member of the unit in charge, will have right to seek compensation of the damage caused in case they get injured or wounded during the participation in the mission or training session.

If Montenegro sends two officers in Iraq in the second half of 2019, that will be the fourth participation of Montenegro into the NATO peacekeeping missions, aside from those where the country participates under the auspices of the EU. Montenegro sent its first troupes to the international peacekeeping mission ISAF in Afghanistan in 2010.

Source: CDM

27 December 2018 - Prime Minister Duško Marković called on business people to work together with the Government to suppress the grey economy he considers the key deficit of Montenegro's economy.

"The grey economy is devastating not only for the economic environment and business operations of your companies, but also for the consciousness of our people. We need to show that the moonlighting is unethical, unreasonable and punishable by the law," said the Prime Minister.

"We need to introduce a state of emergency in the administration to tackle weaknesses," the Prime Minister noted, adding that he does not allow excuses for shared competences and that in 2019 the Government will be focused on addressing this kind of challenge.

The Prime Minister said that each of Government's policies must take into account the people who work for the country, that is, an individual, an employee, a worker. Given the fact that many data have been presented at the meeting, the Prime Minister added that such a political situation, such a course of reforms and this result contributed to the growth of company's profit. "I would like part of that profit to be redirected to the standard of employees in companies. If we managed to register this in the six months of the following year as a new approach, I tell you this would become a real story ... to finally begin to reduce the tax burden on labour. There is no justification that it is now at the level of 67%. No business plan can justify such high burden rates. This Government speaks openly; we are the people who recognise weaknesses. But we are also the people who are obligated before the Constitution and before the law to respond to these weaknesses," Prime Minister Duško Marković pointed out.

Speaking about projections for the next year, the Prime Minister said he appreciates the conservative projections of the Ministry of Finance for 2019 of 2.8%, but that he expects much more.

"If I knew it would be 2.8% in 2019, I would resign today. I respect the projection, but I am not interested in it! I want higher growth! The growth could be at the level of 4.1%, not 2.8%. That should be our task. We respect estimates, but we need to achieve more. Because of you, your employees, we have to do this because of the citizens of Montenegro, because of our future and our economy. There is no overall progress unless we have a developed economy and long-term sustainable growth," Prime Minister Duško Marković highlighted.

He thanked the business people for their partnership, understanding and solidarity in working together with the Government to overcome the challenges, limitations and deficits, and said that in the next year, the Government will remains a partner of the Chamber of Commerce.

27 December 2018 - The Government passed the Draft Law on Life Partnership of Same-Sex Partners, Blanka Radošević Marović, Director-General at the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, said at a press conference following the Cabinet session.

She explained that this draft law is based on the most widespread model for the organisation of same-sex life partnership. Before developing the draft law, the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, as the proposer, made detailed analyses in order to determine the model of arranging the relations of two persons of the same sex in the way that best corresponds to the Montenegrin conditions. The current legal framework regulating those areas that are important for the adoption of this law, in particular the Constitution of Montenegro, the Family Law, the Law on Inheritance, the Law on Health Insurance, the Law on Pension and Disability Insurance, and others, have been thoroughly analysed. The provisions of the draft law contain adequate and acceptable solutions that regulate the life partnership of two persons of the same sex.

Most of the rights and obligations under this this law are related to a set of basic human rights known from everyday life, said Ms Radošević Marović, adding that in many families, marital and extra-marital communities, those members who are not employed are enabled to exercise the right to health care through their spouses who are employed, the right to social protection of persons in a state of social need, the right to a common and special property, and the disposal of the same, the right to inherit the property of the deceased partner, the right to inherit the pension, and a number of others rights and obligations arising from a common life. Enabling persons of the same sex to exercise these rights by no means endangers or diminishes the rights of others, nor will it in any way change or affect the exercise of the rights of other persons who are not members of the LGBTI population.

The principle that all people are equal without regard to any personal property (race, skin colour, nationality, language, religion, political affiliation, disability, marital status, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, etc.), in modern societies represents more than a legal standard, Ms Radošević Marović stressed. She also added that national LGBTI policy had made significant progress in recent years. We still have a lot of work to do, because the protection of human rights, especially vulnerable groups, is a social process that requires time. The legal framework has been improved, policies for the protection of human rights of vulnerable groups have been created, and programmes of support for members of the community regarding their social inclusion have been developed. The partnership with the non-governmental sector in the area of protection of the rights and freedoms of LGBTI people has been strengthened.

Radošević Marović underlined the active commitment and readiness of the LGBTI community and NGOs dealing with this area in the process of developing this law, as well as the realisation of joint activities.

23 December 2018 - Prime Minister Duško Marković stated in his traditional address at the end of the year that 2018 has been successful for government of Montenegro in both domestic and foreign policy terms., that Montenegro has confirmed itself as a credible member of NATO and that it has maintained the dynamics of negotiations with the EU. He pointed out that he considers economic results the greatest success.

23 December 2018 - Delta City Podgorica is the first big shopping mall in Montenegro, which, like a small town, has the most diverse stores, as well as various entertainment contents in which all guests can enjoy all day. This shopping centre has become a favourite meeting place of many locals but also citizens from other parts of Montenegro. A large number of shops, a multiplex cinema, a large children's playroom, cafes and restaurants - together make shopping, dining and socializing a real, top-notch entertainment.

Delta City Mall Podgorica marked the first decade of work this year, and on that occasion, the representatives of the company shared some interesting information about their business:

• Delta City occupies an area of 24.000 square metres, which is the size of 3 soccer fields, and if we add the parcel on which it is located, then that figure is almost doubled and amounts to 46.000 square metres.
• On opening day, on October 1, 2008, 44.000 people visited the mall.
• The shopping mall annually hosts between 4.000.000 and 5.000.000 guests, and for ten years of existence, the total number of visitors has exceeded the figure of 40.000.000, which is equal to the number of inhabitants of the state of Iraq.
• During 2018, Delta City has hosted over 90 different events, and in 10 years, the number of manifestations in this facility exceeded 800. A third of the total events had the character of social responsibility.
• The crown of annual work of the mall, when it comes to socially responsible business aspect, is definitely the Great Christmas Bazaar, organized in cooperation with the International Women's Club (IWCM) and all the Embassies in Montenegro, where over 3.000 EUR is collected every year for the needs of children health institutions.
• In the category "Real estate management - by income" for 2017, the shopping mall Delta City occupies 1st place.

The Shopping Mall Delta City today has 80 tenants, of which half are made up of international brands such as Zara, Bershka, Stradivarius, Cineplexx, Cortefiel, Pull & Bear, Oysho, Intimissimi, Tommy Hilfiger, Guess, New Yorker, Mango, Antony Morato, OVS Industry, Cortefiel and many others.

In 2016, shopping mall Delta City became part of the Hyprop Investments group. Hyprop Investments is the largest African fund investing in shopping malls and a Shopping Mall Delta City in Podgorica is managed by a newly established Hystead Limited based company in London.

22 December2018 - Montenegro is a source of peace and stability in the region, and partnership and friendship with the United States is permanent and value-based, Prime Minister Duško Marković's meeting with newly-appointed United States ambassador Judy Rising Reinke stressed.

"Our extraordinary bilateral relations, confirmed many times so far through significant events for both countries, can now be enriched by strong economic cooperation," said PM Marković, highlighting that Montenegro is now a free, democratic state, a NATO member and a stable country progressing on the path of EU accession.

The Prime Minister said that Montenegro has been implementing a strong economic agenda, experiencing intensive development and achieving economic growth, which is among the highest in Europe.

Noting that he sees a commitment to building and strengthening institutions, Ambassador Reinke said that she wants to dedicate her mandate to strengthening partnership within NATO, but also to enhancing economic cooperation, especially in the area of entrepreneurship and SMEs.

"Montenegro is a destination in which it is safe to invest and which can provide profit to the investor, but also better living standards for our citizens," Prime Minister Marković stated. 

Both sides agreed that it is important to further improve the environment for entrepreneurship and investment, including the legislative system, to ensure full competitiveness and equal opportunities for all.

The Prime Minister pointed out that Montenegro is finalising the development of the Smart Specialisation Strategy to best recognise and exploit its potentials, and that in the coming period, strong incentives will be given to medium and small enterprises, entrepreneurs and startup companies.

Pointing out the Government's commitment to the balanced development of the country, the Prime Minister praised the United States Embassy's "Peace Corps" programme, which envisages the arrival of a group of American volunteers who will teach English to children from primary and secondary schools, mainly in the north of the country.

21 December 2018 - Starting from 1 January 2019, the excise duties on fine-cut smoking tobacco will increase from 30 to 35 EUR per kilogram, on ethyl alcohol from 1.050 to 1.250 EUR per hectolitre and on carbonated drinks from 20 to 25 EUR per hectolitre, the Ministry of Finance reported. This means the price of these products would increase, but there is still no information on how much.

The Ministry of Finance reminded of the excise tax calendar which entered into force as of August 2018, when the excise tax on the fine-cut smoking tobacco decreased from 54 to 30 EUR per kilogram (this price is valid from 1 September to 31 December 2018).

From 1 January to the end of 2019, the excise tax on fine-cut smoking tobacco will be 35 EUR per kilogram, from 1 January to 31 December 2020 – 40 EUR, in 2021 – 45 EUR, while in 2022 it will amount to 50 EUR per kilogram.

The Ministry also stated that so far it has generated 37.6 million EUR from excise taxes on tobacco product, which is by 26.6% or 13.6 million EUR higher compared to the same period last year.

Nevertheless, the import of fine-cut smoking tobacco in the country has not increased even though many people started using it.

Similarly, excise on coal will increase the selling price of it, from 1,4 to 2,2 EUR per ton. Representatives of the Electric Power Company of Montenegro said that coal price had an impact on the production price of electricity produced in the thermal power plant.

However, Electric Power Company of Montenegro decided last week that they would not change the prices of electricity. New regulation stipulates that the electricity price for distributive consumers be formed by the market price from the reference energy stock in Budapest, with specific limitations. Production of electricity in Montenegro has minimum impact on that stock, and thus minor disturbances, like excise on coal, can not seriously affect the stock in Budapest, which is a referent for electricity prices in Montenegro.

Starting from 1st January, 15 cents excise on coal will be levied. Starting from 1st January of 2020, it will double (30 cents per gigajoule of gross heat value). Representatives of Coal Mine said that they would introduce special season discounts for the households, and they would be higher than the excise. Coal price is one of several parameters which have an impact on electricity price.

“At this moment, we don’t know whether the excise will have an impact on electricity prices”, said the representatives of the Coal Mine.

Excise on coal is related to the calorific value of coal, and it will have an impact on an increase of operating costs of the Coal Mine.

Source: Cafe del Montenegro

20 December 2018 - The implementation of the “Smart City Concept” within the Capital City of Montenegro includes the realisation of a pilot project related to the introduction of modern technologies, especially the promotion of the use of solar energy.

Podgorica has recently purchased six “Smart Solar Benches” of the new generation, which, through installed photovoltaic modules, accumulate solar energy as the only power source (the benches are not connected to any source of electricity). Generated solar energy allows the collection of data about the weather parameters that will be available to citizens through an application that the Capital will develop in the upcoming period. The bench has a WiFi access point, a rain sensor that turns off the bench in the case of heavy precipitation, a built-in LED light that illuminates the area near the bench at night. Users also have the option to wirelessly charge their newer generation devices (which support wireless charging), as well as standard device charging via two USB ports.

The benches can be found in five city locations, which had to satisfy the basic conditions for the functioning of the bench - direct exposure to the sun, and the frequency of citizens' movements.

There are two Smart Solar Benches at the Independence Square, one at the Square Argentina, one at Roman Square (Rimski trg) - between the cafés Astoria and Primicia, one near the Square of Vojvoda Bećir-Beg Osmanagić (the Stara Varoš district, in front of the Natural History Museum) and one at Zabjelo district, at the March 27 Street (near the Primary school "Vuk Karadžić").

Dragutin Đeković, head of the International Cooperation Service, said that this is only the first step in the introduction of modern technologies in Podgorica and their application in the field of environmental protection. He announced that in the forthcoming period, the Capital would set up a network of sensor stations that will continuously monitor air quality parameters and that in January 2019, the first phase of replacing current public lighting with LED technology will begin.

20 December 2018 - In summer 2019, Montenegro Airlines is adding new service to Germany, with the scheduling of Tivat - Hannover route. From May 2, 2019, Fokker 100 aircraft will serve this route twice a week.

The representatives of the company Montenegro Airlines have announced that in the forthcoming so-called "IATA Summer Season” (International Air Transport Association Summer Season), which starts on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Saturday of October, they will introduce yet another new destination from Tivat Airport. They revealed that they had secured a route to and from the German city of Hannover. Montenegro Airlines’ aircraft will take passengers from Germany to explore the delights of Montenegro from May 2, 2019, and this aircraft will ride weekly, on Thursdays and Sundays. The departure time from Hannover to Tivat, which is already determined, is 09:16, while the arrival time is 11:30. Fokker will take passengers from Montenegro to Germany also on Thursdays and Sundays, with the departure time 06:30 and the arrival time 08:35.

Flights will run with the 102-seat Fokker 100 aircraft. During the 2018 summer season, Montenegro Airlines launched seasonal operations from Tivat to Munich, Leipzig, and Copenhagen. However, services to Copenhagen are not scheduled to resume next year, while flights to both Munich and Leipzig will increase to three flights a week for both destinations.

Montenegro Airlines is the flag carrier of Montenegro that operates scheduled and charter services throughout Europe from its hub at Podgorica Airport with a second base maintained at Tivat Airport. The company’s aircraft are recognizable by their high-quality performances, superior ergonomics, and outstanding effectiveness and efficiency. With the acquisition of modern aircraft, they offer the most pleasant and comfortable flights to their passengers. Montenegro Airlines has a reputation for a safe and reliable company that continues to grow in every aspect.

Details for the new Tivat - Hannover service can be found at EX-YU Aviation Website.

20 December 2018 - The Ministry of Finance developed an Autumn analysis of macroeconomic trends and structural reforms in cooperation with other relevant institutions. The autumn analysis included economic trends and growth in the first nine months of 2018.

"The environment is characterised by a moderate and less balanced growth of the world economy," said Iva Vuković, Director General for Economic and Development Policy at the Ministry of Finance, adding that these trends are significantly influenced by rising geopolitical tensions, trade restrictions between the USA and China, and the rise in crude oil prices on the world market.

The World Bank and the IMF revised their projections for the countries of the Western Balkans, so the forecast for the western Balkan countries was 3.5%, while for Montenegro, the Workl Bank revised the projection for 2018 to 3.8%, or the whole 1 pp. more than the original estimates.

Director General Iva Vuković said that in 2017 the level of investments was worth 1.1 billion EUR, and that according to the latest government projections, this level of investment should be close to 1.5 billion EUR at the end of this year and that the achieved results of economic growth were also contributed by excellent tourism revenues, which grew by 8.3% in the first nine months, thus reaching the level of tourism income realised during the whole year of 2017; tourism revenues in 2018 are projected to exceed 1 billion EUR.

"I would also stress industrial production's growth of 24% and a significant increase in electricity based on favourable hydrological conditions and new capacities", she pointed out.

Positive trends in economic teems also reflected the movement of indicators in the labour market and the latest available data for 9 months indicate that the labour activity rate has risen to 57.6%.

Employment grew at a rate of 3.1%, while the unemployment rate was further reduced to 14.1%.

"The current account deficit has grown by 32% and is a consequence of foreign trade deficit and reduced surplus of primary incomes. The trade deficit amounted to 1.5 billion EUR, while we had a surplus of services that grew by 11.2%. Net exports are negative, but we expect a strong impact on tourism and metal exports to reduce the negative contribution of net exports to real GDP growth. According to government projections, the current account deficit will amount to 18.1% of GDP at the end of this year, which is 2$ more than in 2017," Director General Vuković said.

The projection is that by the end of the year, the public finance deficit will amount to 135.5 million EUR (2.9% of GDP). The budget deficit will be 173.1 million EUR (3.8% of GDP), while the local government will have a surplus of 37 million EUR (0.8% of GDP).

Public debt at the end of 2018 will amount to 3.2 billion EUR, or 70.9% of GDP, while the state debt will total 3.1 billion EUR, or 68% of GDP.

"Priorities in the coming period remain the dynamisation of economic growth and the strengthening of the competitiveness of the economy, the continuation of the implementation of projects in all areas, implementation of measures from the fiscal strategy in order to maintain the stability of public finance and further implementation of measures and policies with the aim of attracting investment and job creation and growth earnings in the private sector," Vuković concluded.