December 6, 2018 - Cultural and tourism cooperation is of particular importance to Montenegro, said Minister of Culture Aleksandar Bogdanovic during the panel that was held within the Third World Conference on Tourism and Culture under the slogan "Culture and Tourism: For the Good of All" in Istanbul.

"Given that tourism in Montenegro represents one of the central economic branches, and that cultural heritage, material and intangible, testifies to the millennium past, whose traces today represent exceptional cultural and tourist potential, through the cooperation of the cultural and tourism sector in Montenegro, there have been developed cultural trails 'Between Two Magical Shores', which include a visit to the National Park Skadar Lake, as well as numerous cultural goods in this area. Also, the 'Circle around Korita' route has been developed, which besides the exceptional natural environment, enables visitors to get acquainted with museums, memorials and famous places that are an integral part of the route. Such projects make lesser-known heritage sites visible to the broader community, at the same time provide tourists with the opportunity to visit unknown destinations of exceptional cultural and historical significance," the minister said in his presentation.

As stated by Bogdanović's office, participation in the conference is an opportunity to strengthen the relations of the participating countries, exchange experiences and practices in the field of tourism, as well as to stimulate economic cooperation. The ministerial session, on which Bogdanovic spoke, gathered the ministers of tourism and culture to exchange examples of positive practice on policies that can be networked to achieve sustainable development. Speaking on the thematic panel titled "Strengthening cooperation among all participants in the field of tourism and culture", Bogdanović emphasized the importance of cultural tourism through the aspect of economic benefits that can be achieved in this way, primarily in terms of generating income and new jobs, training for jobs and maintenance of traditional crafts, the revival of city centers, the increase in value of assets, the improvement of small entrepreneurship and much more. During his presentation, he emphasized that cultural tourism cannot be treated as a separate and isolated segment, but, on the contrary, that in cooperation with creative industries, the issue of heritage can be comprehensively addressed, and that it contributes to sustainable development and creation of additional values.

"The economic significance of cultural tourism is reflected in the financial support of preserving, revitalizing and promoting cultural goods on the one hand, and enabling the financial and organizational independence of cultural institutions on the other. This is precisely why cultural tourism is the driving force behind the development of cities, regions and countries. The social impact of cultural tourism is material, but it also has intangible effects, such as the development of awareness and the care of cultural heritage, its own cultural values and the creation of a cultural identity. Cultural sites that are attractive to the local population are also striking for tourists," the minister said.

He is convinced that intersectoral connectivity will provide favorable socio-economic and socio-cultural effects.

"Also, in order to make the effects of the cultural tourism more important, it is necessary to observe cultural resources as market products that are becoming more and more important, because tourists are, above all, customers and therefore should be treated as such," Bogdanović said.

Bogdanović also spoke about the area of protection and preservation of cultural goods, as one of the main priorities in the work of the Ministry of Culture, but also about the modality of moving from massive to exclusive tourism, in which culture and cultural heritage play the most important role.

Text by CdM, on December 4th, 2018, read more at CdM

05 December 2018 - During an official business breakfast, the Mayor of Podgorica, Ivan Vuković, had a discussion with representatives of the diplomatic corps and foreign businesspeople in Montenegro about the planned capital projects and investment potentials of the Capital City, inviting them to help their realization in the domain of their competencies.

At today's discussion, the Mayor pointed out the ambition of the Capital to continue the accelerated development that was started during the mandate of the former mayor, Miomir Mugoša, and remained during the mandate of Slavoljub Stijepović. Among the projects whose realization is ahead, besides the most important one - the wastewater treatment plant - Mayor Vuković also pointed out the planned construction of boulevard access to the city from all sides, a project to convert biogas from landfill to electricity and the plan to build a solar power plant. In the field of sports, the Vuković highlighted the construction of the eastern segment of the City Stadium, the construction of a tennis academy, the reconstruction of the Small Sports Stadium, and the construction of a national football stadium.

Stating that one of the biggest challenges in Podgorica is solving the problems of public transport, the Mayor said that in that field, the Capital would look up to the solutions already implemented by Belgrade, mentioning the possibility of introducing electric buses. When it comes to the need to revive the city centre of Podgorica, the Capital representatives will use the example of Ljubljana which opened its centre for both pedestrians and cyclists.

The Mayor informed the guests about the possibilities of building an expo centre, shopping malls, an aqua park, as well as more hotels in different parts of the city. In addition, Vuković drew their attention to areas in which investors are granted favourable benefits - Industrial Zone A, Agro-Industrial Zone and Service-Warehouse Zone with a marshalling station. “We are trying to attract investors through various models such as private-public partnership, foreign direct investments, and through the new ESCO method that will be very significant from next year,” said Vuković.

He specifically referred to the ongoing struggle with the problem of unemployment, stating that projects such as a business incubator, Center for Competences and others - aim to motivate, first of all, young people to run their business instead of seeking employment from the state.

The Mayor concluded the meeting with expectations of support for numerous social projects initiated by the Capital, especially in the area of environmental protection, sport, and culture.

05 December 2018 - Coal Mine Pljevlja produced 1.247.975 tons of coal from the beginning of the year until October. That is by 7% more than in the same period last year.

“Generated income was above the amount planned and it amounted to around 35 million EUR. Around 75% of total production accounted for the export,” said the representatives of the Coal mine.

In recent years they have extended the market to the region. The Coalmine can satisfy all the required quantities for the needs of wide consumption at a much higher level than they are now. Currently, reserves of coal amount around 62 million EUR.

In the next year, prices of coal will not change.

“Coal prices for wide and industrial consumption is different, depending on the caloric value. Prices range from 31,50 EUR per ton for fine coal to 48,27 EUR per ton for a cube or a piece. (VAT not included)”.

In the middle of July of this year, the ownership structure of Coal mine changed and Electric Power Company of Montenegro became the complete owner of the company in Pljevlja.

“It was quite logical and almost inevitable that two business entities whose capacities are directed towards each other and mutually dependent should integrate into a group or one common company. The existing model is functioning well, for now, business results in the first ten months are better than expected,” said the representatives of the company.

Text by Dnevne Novine, on December 5th, 2018, read more at CdM.

December 5, 2018 - The Central Bank of Montenegro sent the Government recommendations for economic policy in 2019, which, among other things, proposes introducing taxes or revenues on plastic products to reduce their use. An independent consultant, organized by Zero Waste Montenegro, Masha Tomkovic, believes that the introduction of a fee on plastic products, especially disposable ones, would certainly reduce the use of such products.

"The proposal of the measure is quite general, but it shows a clear focus on the goal, which is a reduction in the use of plastic products on the territory of Montenegro. In principle, I support the measure of introducing a tax on a group of plastic products, but I think that the fees for importers of disposable bottles, mostly packaging products should be significantly higher," says Tomkovic for CdM. This incentive measure would, she says, if adopted, come at the right moment.

"Because according to the new Strategy on plastic waste in the circular economy on the EU market from 2030, only plastic products of design and composition which enable the complete recycling of products be possible. Countries outside the EU, including Montenegro, will become, I believe, an attractive market in the future for the placement of those plastic products that do not correspond with the quality of the market in the countries of the European Union," Tomković warned. It advocates a significant increase in the price of disposable plastic products, as they account for 59% of the total plastic waste and precisely the products from this group are, explains, the dominant polluters of our environment, and especially the sea. 

“Reducing the use of these products and moving to more sustainable solutions would have many positive multiplier effects on human health, our environment, and the country's economy itself. Therefore, we should not neglect the need for continuous education of citizens about the harmful effects of plastic products," explains Zero Waste Montenegro consultant. He reminds that this organization launched a petition in July last year for banning plastic disposable bags in Montenegro which was signed in more than a month by more than 3,500 citizens. 

"This campaign was aimed at voting to ban plastic bags for single use, as well as the so-called oxo-biodegradable bags. A large number of collected signatures speaks in favor of a significant part of our citizens noticing the problem of excessive use of plastics and plastic bags for our nature, and expecting healthier alternative and long-term solutions," Tomković adds.

Maša Tomković

According to her, after this action on the Montenegrin market, linen bags began to appear spontaneously, as a good substitute and a long-term and healthier solution. "The ban on the distribution of free bags, especially those of the thinner ones, as well as the significant increase in the price of the bag, would contribute to the fact that the trend of replacing plastic bags with a linen bag will come to life in full scope," Tomkovic assured.

Prohibitions around the world

The use of plastic bags is banned in several countries around the world, in some, they are taxed, and in some, their production, sales, and carrying are punished in cash, or even in prison. At the end of October, the European Parliament's representatives supported the proposal of the European Commission on the complete ban and reduction of certain plastics products, and it is expected that within a period of two years from the end of the adoption of the directive in the territory of the EU, the production of many products, such as plastic Q-tips, plates and cutlery, drinking straws... These products make up as much as 70 percent of the total waste found in the seas. Have we destroyed the Earth?

Scientists are increasingly warning that the planet has inflicted irreversible damage in the last few decades. Some go so far as to claim that in the 1950s it was Anthropocene - a geological epoch, characterized by the influence of man on Earth, radioactivity and plastic contamination began, which brought human survival into question.

Experts still debate this issue, but one thing is sure - we have to start to act more responsibly towards ourselves and the environment.

Text by Ž. Novović, on December 4th, 2018, read more at CdM

03 December 2018 - Cybersecurity has become an essential component of modern society. Critical societal infrastructure, the financial sector, governmental services, the security sector, schools, and hospitals are increasingly and irreversibly dependent on interconnectivity and the global network. Risks accompany the merits of the open Internet.

Cyberspace is an intrinsic part of the development of any country. Strong information and cyber capacity are crucial for the region to progress and develop in the economic, political and social spheres. Montenegro has advanced fast in the cybersecurity area since 2010 when the umbrella piece of legislation – Law on Information Security - was adopted, along with the Regulation on Information Security Measures. The country has an official university master-level program on cybersecurity policy, developed and delivered by the Donja Gorica University in Podgorica, which gives a unique mix of technical and policy-based knowledge on a variety of cybersecurity issues. The Donja Gorica University is also a partner in the above mentioned EU-funded TEMPUS project.

On December 3, Minister of Public Administration of Montenegro, Suzana Pribilović and UK Ambassador to Montenegro Alison Camp opened a roundtable dedicated to cybersecurity in Podgorica, sponsored by the Ministry of Public Administration and the UK Embassy, in cooperation with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF).

Minister Pribilović thanked the UK Government for the support provided, hopeful that the project of support in the field of cybersecurity will continue in the time to come. She said that one of the objectives of the Cyber Security Strategy for 2018-2020 is to carry out as many cyber exercises, training and simulations as possible, with the aim of strengthening the capacities for cyber defence. She recalled that the National CIRT (Computer Incident Response Team) successfully participated in resolving numerous incidents in the past period, which in many cases demanded cooperation, information exchange and coordination of activities with other relevant organisations, institutions and CIRT teams. Resolving such incidents resulted in developing contacts and collaboration with partners at regional and international levels, creating CIRT team at the local level and establishing cooperation with the private sector.

The national CIRT is also very active in promoting the culture of being safe in cyberspace. In 2015, it developed the document titled “Guidelines for Security and Protection of Information in Cyberspace”. In cooperation with the ITU, CIRT.me organised a cyber-drill in September 2015 for CIRT/CERTs from Europe. The drill was attended by more than 50 participants from Montenegro and other countries. Also, CIRT.me actively participates in the overarching TEMPUS project related to cybersecurity education in Montenegro.

During the roundtable meeting, Ambassador Camp said that the United Kingdom and its partners share concerns about the scale and complexity of cyber-attacks.

Camp explained that the only effective way to deal with these common threats is joint action. She added that the ability to deliver successful cybersecurity relies on the strength of the partnerships we create: partnerships between the government and its agencies, and between the public and private sectors, including academia and civil society. According to her words, Britain will continue to strengthen the shared vision of an open, peaceful and secure digital world based on the rule of law. Camp also pointed out that cybersecurity is a priority of bilateral relations between Great Britain and Montenegro, as it concerns the security and prosperity of the two countries.

The roundtable aims to increase the awareness of decision-makers and other relevant subjects on the growing threat of cyber-attacks. The national roundtable organized by DCAF is the first of the three annual roundtables where representatives and experts for cybersecurity are participating in the project "Cybersecurity in the Western Balkans."