14 March 2019 - At the latest session of the Government of Montenegro, the Montenegrin Cabinet passed the Regulation on the criteria and procedure for determining the annual number of temporary residence and work permits for foreigners in 2019 and the Decision Amending the Decision on establishing the yearly number of temporary residence and work permits for foreigners in 2019.
The criteria and procedure for determining the annual number of temporary residence and work permits for foreigners are determined by the Regulation on the basis of relation between supply and demand in the labour market; opportunities to satisfy demand in the labour market, employment of the Montenegrin citizens; employment of foreigners in Montenegro in the previous period; the utilisation of the annual quota in the last year; and employers' needs for employment in the year for which the quota is determined.
The regulation stipulates that a number of temporary residence and work permits for foreigners are allocated from the annual quota, which the competent ministry can additionally assign for individual purposes, in accordance with the needs of the labour market, and at the request of the Employment Bureau. The regulation provides for the quota of 15,454 foreign nationals who can temporarily stay and be temporarily hired in Montenegro in 2019.
The discussion concluded that a large number of illegally hired workers have been spotted on large construction sites, that the State is losing significant revenues, and that this issue will take center stage in the work of the Commission for the fight against the grey economy, as well as inspection services and law enforcement agencies in the coming period.
The Government also approved the Report on the implementation of tax policy in 2018, which states, among other things, that state revenues in 2018 increased by 8.9% compared to 2017, and that the total revenues increased by 8,2 compared to the previous year. The discussion pointed out that last year revenues increased by 187 million EUR, while the annual installment for the construction of the Motorway amounted to 186 million EUR, which means that the increased tax revenue paid one installment.
It was concluded that revenues are being generated satisfactorily and that continuous growth has been recorded, and that fiscal and macroeconomic stability, as undoubtedly the greatest success of the 41st Cabinet of Montenegro, gives the opportunity for further growth and creation of new value. It was pointed out that in the coming period, growth should be maintained, at the same time handling the expenditure side of the budget more responsibly.
