24 March 2019 - Montenegro will develop an economy based on know-how and innovation, at the same time preventing the brain drain, Prime Minister Duško Marković underlined at the conference on the occasion of ending the project Towards Entrepreneurial Innovation Ecosystem in Montenegro.
"Montenegro can develop this economy of the future. And it has to stick to that path. Currently, this segment of our economy is not at the level we would like it to be, but the opportunities and chances that exist on the market are very attractive for many talented entrepreneurs and researchers," said Prime Minister Marković.
In parallel with the development, he added, Montenegro will make efforts to prevent the brain drain, which makes international operations easier. Innovative and young entrepreneurs, especially in the field of information technologies, as well as older, more experienced innovators and researchers, are already looking for better conditions for applying their ideas in Montenegro: "I would like to take this opportunity to say that we will create conditions for their work in order to get a new vital energy for our economy."
Recalling Monstat's data on economic growth of 4.9% for the previous year, and pointing to an increase in production in a number of economic activities with an increase in exports, the Prime Minister said that we have a realistic basis for optimism. He pointed out that one of the priorities of the Government is enhancing the business environment for the growth and expansion of business based on knowledge, with the help of the EU partners.
"The Government has developed a precise plan. We have adopted the Programme of Measures Promoting Innovative Start-Ups, which relies heavily on the project that has gathered us here today. We will work on creating concrete favourable legislative conditions, such as tax relief, cutting red tape and better protection of intellectual property, as well as on the creation of new financial instruments that will direct the business towards prospective innovations and those that help solve our local problems and challenges," the Prime Minister pointed out at the conference.
He added that it is necessary to work on changing the culture of work, which needs be strengthened in every way - through non-formal education, the media, and also the entrepreneurial approach of the administration itself, both the state and local one.
"From the beginning of the year, we have been implementing the Programme that we adopted. With the support of the World Bank, experts will be engaged to work on the development of a new, modern legislative framework for encouraging innovative businesses through fiscal and other measures. Most importantly, we have established a central institution of our ecosystem - the Scientific and Technological Park of Montenegro," Prime Minister Marković explained.
In this business, he stressed, the key partnerships that we have established at the national level are of key significance, which is also demonstrated by today's event. Examples of business and high-quality applied research projects should become visible models for other trends in the economy.
"This transition is not easy to achieve - some Western countries took more than 20 years for doing that. We can use their know-how and experience to make our transition as fast and successful as possible," the Prime Minister of Montenegro underscored.
He said that Montenegro is also leading a great regional initiative, namely the establishment of the International Institute for Sustainable Technologies in South East Europe, which will be a driving force for improving the technological environment in the region.
"We have realised that this initiative was found in the recommendations of the EU experts who are with us today, proposing that Montenegro should initiate at least another similar major initiative at the national level, which is going to be considered," Prime Minister Marković noted.
The Prime Minister thanked the European Commission, the World Bank and the members of the scientific diaspora of Montenegro for supporting the country, pointing to how to build the capacities for the policy that was the subject of the conference.
