The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism has already announced a project for economic citizenship, said the state secretary in that government, Damir Davidovic, adding that he was particularly pleased with the project in the north in Kolasin.

He reminded at the festival of investment FREI 2019 in Budva that a public call for projects for obtaining economic citizenship in the field of tourism was announced in February and is open until the end of 2021.

"The investor is expected to meet strict criteria, primarily the size of the investment, the number of jobs and the financial capacity to carry out the project. The business plan for such projects requires serious and extensive preparation, so we do not rush with the applications," Davidovic said.

The Ministry said that he explained that the realization of such projects does not mean just new investments, but new knowledge, ideas, investor partners, and perhaps offers in tourism.

Tourism projects can be hotels with at least five stars, 60 accommodation units and at least 80 new employees in the coastal region and Podgorica. In the north, it is necessary that the hotel has at least four stars, 35 accommodation units, and 25 new employees. The minimum project value on the coast and in Podgorica is 15 million euros, and in the north five million.

Secretary of the Secretariat for Development Projects, Dejan Medojevic, said he expected the program to accelerate economic and regional development and attract new foreign investments.

Also, through new tourist, agricultural, and processing capacities, new jobs will be opened, which will also affect the increase in living standards in the country. By realizing these projects, Montenegro will also meet demanding economic criteria from the European Agenda.

Medojevic added that there are two criteria for applicants. If investing in projects on the coast or in Podgorica, the minimum investment is 450 thousand euros, and in the north 250 thousand. In addition to investment in the project, applicants are required to pay 100,000 euros in donations to the state account, which will be used for the development of less developed areas.

He said that the first applicants are soon expected when agents for mediation and verification of international capabilities are granted licenses.

Director of the Directorate of Civil Status and Identity Documents at the Ministry of the Interior, Milanka Bakovic, stated that awarding citizenship is always reflected in the interests of Montenegro, namely scientific, cultural and sports. However, it is not enough when it comes to business and economic interest, so the criteria for economic citizenship was established.

She explained that the discretionary right of the Minister for Interior for approval to institute administrative proceedings for acquisition of Montenegrin citizenship by admission, that all conditions have to be met and the necessary opinions of the competent authorities have to be obtained when the Secretariat for Development Projects is informed as well.

"In order to ascertain whether the applicant fulfills the prescribed conditions, the persons concerned are being checked through the National Security Agency, Interpol and Europol. If it is established that the applicant or the agent has provided inaccurate information on the basis of that knowledge the procedure for the loss of economic citizenship will be initiated and the applicant has no right to be repaid with the funds already invested," Bakovic said.

She said that only adults gain citizenship and did not have to renounce their primary citizenship, but also those who are not welcome in EU countries will not be welcomed even in Montenegro.

Davidovic, speaking on the results in tourism, said that according to current results and projections, he believes that Montenegro will exceed last year's results and will be visited by some 2.5 million tourists who will realize over 14 million overnight stays.

He recalled that in the first quarter there was a growth in collective accommodation of 40 percent or about 35 thousand more guests than in the same period last year.

Text by MINA Business, on May 14th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

14 May 2019 - Montenegro, through the Agro Budget and European Union funds, has the financial resources that will enable the country to further agriculture development, it was noted during the public debate on Chapter 11 - Agriculture and Rural Development.

The Secretariat-General of the Government, within the EU-funded project EU4ME, implemented by UNDP, organised this public debate, bearing in mind the importance of EU support for producers and the stability of the market provided by the membership, in which it discussed the conditions that Montenegro has so far fulfilled in negotiations, but also the upcoming obligations in this demanding process.

Chief Negotiator Aleksandar Drljević pointed out that the common agricultural policy, as one of the most complex policies of the Union, aims to maintain the EU at the top of the most serious players in the field of production and processing of agricultural products, as well as a stable market characterized by high-quality and healthy products and facilitated placement and promotion for producers.

He reminded that Montenegro has 39 million EUR in EU funds through IPARD, and 52.4 million EUR through 2019 Agro Budget, urging all citizens of Montenegro to use the benefits of Montenegro and the available financial support to improve their business or to launch a business in agriculture.

Within the panel on "European standards for better quality of products", the Negotiator for chapters 11, 12 and 13 Radana Damjanović assessed that Montenegro has so far achieved good results when it comes to harmonizing Montenegrin legislation with Europe, stressing that the most demanding job is the establishment of administrative structures that will implement a common agricultural policy on the day of accession, which implies the establishment of the Payment Agency and the Integrated Administration and Control System.

Ružica Gelo, Negotiator for chapters 11, 12 and 13 from Croatia, presented Croatia's experience and challenges in the negotiations in this area. "Administrations of all small countries find it very difficult to bear the burden of the negotiation process and, unfortunately, it is only a small part of the story. The burden for administration starts only after joining," she said. Gelo said that the pre-accession years should be used to prepare the sector.

Nadia Kyuchukova of the EU Delegation to Montenegro expressed her satisfaction with the situation in this area.

"I see that the administration is aware of what it is supposed to do in this process, but also that the producers are aware and ready to work. These are young people, which is not always the case in other countries, and it is good that you have young people ready for investment, as this will have a positive impact on the process. However, the process of implementing legislation in this area needs to be strengthened," she added.

Agricultural producer Dejan Jovović, who has used pre-accession funds for the development of his business, presented his farm, which continues to develop thanks to the financial support from Agro Budget, MIDAS and IPARD.

Today, his entire family is involved in the development of the business, and they produce more than a million kilos of vegetables annually. 

Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro Ljiljana Filipović said that the chamber is an active partner that contributes to the readiness of the economy to take advantage of the EU membership.

13 May 2019 - The Government of Montenegro wants to, in a short time, and in a sustainable manner, make the best use of the development potential, primarily in the north of the country, in order to provide better living standards for citizens, Prime Minister Duško Marković noted at the meeting with the delegation of the Austrian company Doppelmayr, headed by the Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group CEO Michael Doppelmayr.

"We have invested significant resources in the development of the overall infrastructure - transport, energy, digital... to create favourable conditions for business and job creation. The economy has grown at an average rate of 4.9 %, and in just two years we have increased the number of employees by over 17,000," Prime Minister Marković stated.

He stressed the country's strong commitment to the construction of ski resorts and highlighted the project of a ski centre that is being built on the territory of the five municipalities - Kolašin, Mojkovac, Bijelo Polje, Rožaje and Berane. Recalling that the procedure for building infrastructure in the area is in progress, the Prime Minister said he is hopeful that the works will be completed by 2020.

Both sides expressed satisfaction with the collaboration with Doppelmayr and the interest for long-term cooperation, given the reputation of the company and the fact that such investors provide both money and infrastructure, as well as knowledge and European standards of business.

Mr Doppelmayr said that the future of skiing is unquestionable, as well as the trend in the world to build ski resorts that can be used in the summer and in that way absolutely use the capacity of the resort. Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group has built and installed 15,000 cable cars on six continents. They have representative offices or agencies in 40 countries and close to 3,000 employees.

 Most data subjects believe that women are discriminated against in the Montenegrin labor market and that men are more likely to obtain a job. This has been shown by field research on the position of women in the labor market in Montenegro, conducted by the Center for Monitoring and Research (CEMI) from December 2018 to February this year.

The research was carried out as part of the Project for Research Journalism in Montenegro (CIN-CG) "Research and Media Campaign: Women's Rights / Labor Rights".

CEMI has conducted 20 detailed interviews with women, out of which 13 are employed and seven are not.

The President of CIN - CG Milka Tadic Mijovic pointed out that research has shown that women, as well as in other spheres of life, are discriminated against in the labor market.

Executive Director of CEMI Nikoleta Djukanovic pointed out that several stakeholders, despite the efforts of the research team, did not answer the calls or refused to participate in the research. These are, as she explained, the Ministry of Economy, KIPS, NLB Bank, Codra Hospital, JPU "Ljubica Popovic", Sportina DOO.

"The employer asked a significant number of data subjects about planning and expanding their family," Djukanovic said.

As she said, respondents believe that in certain sectors or positions, such as trade, sales, tourism, and catering, the way a woman looks is very important to employers to offer them the job.

The Deputy of Human Rights and Freedoms, Sinisa Bjekovic, pointed out that the survey results match their data. He pointed out that women in the labor market in Montenegro are discriminated by the fact that they are given contracts on a definite period of time, and also in denying them benefits based on maternity leave.

"It is indicative that women are less employed," Bjekovic said. He stressed that women have much less trust in state institutions and are much less active in the job market because of many factors which makes them repellent to do so.

"The problem is how women are being perceived today in Montenegro, and men's consciousness in this matter needs to be changed as well," Bjekovic said.

Text by Borko Zdero, on May 13th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

12 May 2019 - Thirteen banks that operate in Montenegro (apart from Atlas and IBM that went bankrupt) were in the plus 14,3 million EUR at the end of the first quarter. Every bank has made profit except for Nova and Zirat. Universal Capital Bank had the biggest increase in profit. In comparison to the same period last year, its profit has increased by 13 times, writes “Pobjeda”.

Banks have earned a total of 33,4 million EUR based on interests and 8,3 million EUR based on fees and commissions. Erste Bank has made the highest profit in three months – 2,4 million EUR. It has earned 5,5 million EUR based on interests and 579.000 EUR based on fees and commissions.

The Montenegrin Commercial Bank comes next. It made a profit of 2,39 million EUR, 6,2 million EUR from interests and 1,6 million EUR from fees and commissions. The profit of Hipotekarna bank amounted 2,08 million EUR. They have earned 3,5 million EUR on the basis of interests and 2,06 million EUR on the basis of fees and commissions.

NLB Bank comes fourth with a profit of 1,9 million EUR, weaker than last year. This bank has earned 4,9 million EUR on the basis of interests and 794.000 EUR on the basis of fees and commissions. The profit of Societe Generale Bank amount 1,8 million EUR, 5,5 million EUR from interests and 436.000 EUR from fees and commissions.

Universal Capital Bank has made a profit 13 times higher than in the same period last year. The bank has earned 736.000 EUR based on interests and 1,15 million EUR based on fees and commissions.

Prva Bank has earned 403.000 EUR, while this bank gained 2,3 million EUR from interests and 425.000 EUR from fees and commissions.

Profit of Addiko Bank amounts to 1,17 million EUR. (2,4 million EUR based on interests and 561.000 EUR based on fees and commissions).

Profit of Lovćen Bank amounts 455.000 EUR. Commercial Bank Podgorica earned 211.000 EUR. Zapad Bank has made a profit of 117.000 EUR.

Loss of Nova Bank amounts 453.000 EUR. They have earned 169.000 EUR based on interests and they have lost 31.000 EUR based on fees and commissions. Zirat Bank has had negative profit too – 8.000 EUR.

Source: Cafe del Montenegro

11 May 2019 - The motorway, being the highest ranked road, represents the most secure road category, Veselin Salamadija, a specialist in traffic engineering and president of the Group for the transport of passengers and goods by road in the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro, said in an interview for CdM.

Salamadija says the construction of the motorway would significantly reduce travel time, that is, people will travel 30-40 minutes from Podgorica to Kolašin instead of an hour and a half as they do now. Costs will be decreased as well. However, there are certain problems as well – more and more drivers seek to find a job in the EU member states. However, the relevant Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs somehow has managed to mitigate this problem.

He also believes that high-quality and secure roads can bolster road safety even though this issue has been quite complex in terms of factors that affect the level of safety.

“Having in mind that the priority Smokovac–Mateševo section represents an alternative to the route from Podgorica to Kolašin (the canyon Platije), the need for its construction is even greater,” said Salamadija.

When it comes to the benefits of the Bar–Boljare motorway in terms of passenger and goods traffic, as someone who has been involved in the area of passenger and goods transport for many years, Salamadija expresses his great satisfaction with the fact Montenegro has opted for the project of constructing the Bar-Boljare motorway.

By constructing the Smokovac–Mateševo section in Montenegro and the Surčin–Čačak section in Serbia, transport of passengers and goods will be realized in a more quality, reliable and secure way,” concluded Salamadija.

Source: Cafe del Montenegro