20 April 2019 - All available capacities of the protection and rescue system will be ready for the forthcoming fire season, as concluded at the meeting chaired by Minister of the Interior Mevludin Nuhodžić and attended by representatives of local protection, firefighters and rescue services, Institute for Hydrometeorology and Seismology, Armed Forces of Montenegro, Police, the Emergency Directorate, and other relevant institutions.

The meeting was organised to consider the situation regarding the capacity and readiness of the subjects of the protection and rescue system in Montenegro during the summer months that carry an increased risk of fire due to high temperatures.

As far as human and technical capacities are concerned, about 600 firefighters and two volunteer firefighters, 180 vehicles, three fire extinguishers, as well as helicopters of the Interior Ministry and the Armed Forces of Montenegro will be engaged this year, the meeting concluded.

"All subjects in the protection and rescue system have a common and equal responsibility, and that is the basis for a successful and high-quality response in case of major fires," said Minister Nuhodžić, adding that this season special attention will be paid to prosecuting persons charged with starting a fire.

The participants of the meeting called on the citizens to be responsible both for their own and others' property and to respect the recommendations of the competent services and authorities to reduce the risk of fire.

The public company for the management of maritime resources (“JP Morsko dobro”) will mark 22^nd April, Earth Day, in Ulcinj, by organizing ecological actions in cooperation with local nongovernmental organizations, schools and other institutions.

In cooperation with NGO "RDA - UBA", the company organizes the action of cleaning the hinterland of the beach on Velika plaza from the beach "CABO" to "HAVANA".

"On that occasion, waste will be collected, and by appropriate trucks and containers will be disposed at a location for such purpose.

The action will include representatives of NGOs "Green Step", JP "Utilities" Ulcinj, JP "For the breeding and protection of game animals" Ulcinj ", as stated by “Morsko dobro”.

One and a half hours later, the officials from “Morsko dobro” will join the action of cleaning Velika plaza in Ulcinj, organized by Karisma Hotels Adriatic Montenegro, RLC Montenegro and a local non-governmental organization from Ulcinj - NGO Ecovita.

Similar actions by “Morsko dobro” will be organized tomorrow in other coastal municipalities.

Text by Samir Adrovic, on April 21st 2019, read more at Vijesti

21 April 2019 - Taking action in the field of energy efficiency, sustainable construction and sustainable transport, as well as the use of renewable energy sources, places Podgorica in the “family” of cities that have applied generally acceptable mechanisms for achieving environmental goals, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and rational use of resources, said the Deputy Mayor of Podgorica Sladjana Vujačić at the opening of the 6th Energy Days of Podgorica.

"Being encouraged by the desire to make Podgorica a modern and dynamic city, and being aware of the necessity of establishing a responsible attitude towards the needs of current and future generations, we definitely perceive the concept of sustainable development as an obligation. Podgorica is a city inhabited by a third of Montenegrin citizens, which puts it in the position of a leader with greater responsibility, but also gives it the possibility to provide a significant contribution to the overall sustainable development of the state in the process of joining the EU, "Ms Vujačić said.

She added that the success and the purpose of taking action in the field of rational use of energy as a resource open new challenges for the city, which require the involvement of various subjects and the general public in the planned activities.

"A special emphasis is placed on the need to strengthen social awareness and encourage citizens to recognize the importance of their role in the development of the city as a sustainable urban community. It is necessary to change the established ways of behaviour, accepting the fact that energy efficiency does not imply constant savings nor diminishing the quality of life, but a new and better attitude towards the environment in which we live, "Vujačić pointed out.

She recalled the series of activities that the Capital is pursuing in this field, both through the promotion of alternative forms of transport, and through the establishment of the Energy Management Office with the Info Centre, with the task of providing all relevant stakeholders with adequate information related to energy management, as well as providing practical tips on ways to save energy and effective measures and solutions that they can apply in everyday life.

"Podgorica is our own corner of the planet, and our goal is to enrich the space we live in, and to show that we can, and we want to make Podgorica a more beautiful place to live in. I am convinced that the organization of "Energy Days" will stimulate contemplation and provide a significant contribution to our further successful joint action. I want to invite our citizens to be one of the main players and our valuable partners through their active cooperation, suggestions and criticism, "Vujačić concluded.

Energy Days 2019 in Podgorica began with Critical Mass in cooperation with NGO Biciklo.me, as well as with the measuring of carbon print of citizens and experiment on oxygen generation in the performance of the scientific section of pupils of elementary school "Vuk Karadžić".

Source: CdM

19 April 2019 - Hotel Group Budva Riviera finished last year with 2,6 million EUR of net profit. That is by a third better performance than in 2017. Palas, Castellastva, Aleksandar, Mogren, and Piva hotels, as well as Slovenska plaža tourist settlement, that operate within the group, have has a positive financial statement. Their profit has been by 14% higher than projected.

“Looking at the past ten-year period, the number of overnights has increased from 347.673 in 2009, to 487.357 last year. Business profit increased to 21,5 million EUR. Ten years ago, it amounted 11,5 million EUR,” reads the Information on the Performance of Companies.

Modernization and adaptation of hospitality facilities of Budva Riviera have cost more than 48 million EUR. Around 85% has been financed from the budget of the hotel group. Budva Riviera is on the White paper of the Tax Administration regarding the regularity of tax payments.

There were 487.557 overnights in the hotels of Budva Riviera last year. Hotel Aleksandar had the highest percent of overnights – 29%. Mogren and Slovenska plaža recorded the fall in the number of overnights.

Around 96% of guests were foreigners mostly from the countries of Eastern, Western and Northern Europe. There was a 30% increase in the number of guests from Northern Europe.

The group doesn’t run up any debts to the country of the municipality of Budva.

As far as the loans are concerned, the debt of Budva Riviera amounted 1,4 million EUR at the end of December last year. This hotel group falls within the category of low-indebted companies.

Budva Riviera has employed 386 persons. Average net wage amounted 500 EUR.

Yesterday the Government elected new members of the Board of Directors of Budva Riviera – Saša Radović and Petar Ivković.

Budva Riviera has been included in the Government’s Privatization Plan.

The group also owns Sveti Stefan and Miločer hotels which had been leased to Adriatic Properties company.

Source: Cafe del Montenegro

April 19, 2019 - NGO Green Home is organizing an educational camp for the fifth time marking the day of the Drim Basin. This year's camp will be held in cooperation with NGO Green Step from Ulcinj and with the support of the GEF project "Strengthening Cross-Border Cooperation and Integral Water Resources Management in the Widened Drim River Basin."

April 19, 2019 - LGBT Forum Progress conducted the first comprehensive research in the LGBTIQ tourism sector in Montenegro in the form of a thematic publication of a pioneering initiative for Montenegrin tourism, reported this organization.

April 19, 2019 - The new music event, notable not only for this part of the Montenegrin coast and Montenegro but also for the region - the Budva Beer Fest will be held from 14 to 16 June at the FC Mogren Stadium, the organizers said at a press conference, held yesterday, 18 April, in Budva.

18 April 2019 - KotorArt Don Branko´s Music Days are continuing to emphasize the significance of ecology after last year's festival when sustainable development and environmental protection were key themes. This year's activities will already begin in April. The goal is to raise awareness, primarily of young people, about nature and importance of its preservation.

The activities will begin by marking Earth Day on April 22 with a program entitled "Our ecological song" in cooperation with the company "Školjke Boke" (English: Shells of Boka), led by ecologist and breeder, Nevres Đerić.

In addition to the action of cleaning the coast from the bridge of the river Ljuta to the Orahovac water supply, a practice ecology lesson will be organized on composting activities at the eco plantation "Školjke Boka" in Orahovac, as well as a short lecture, presentation and tasting of organic sea products from the Montenegrin sea.  The action is organized by the companies "Boka Gard" and "Školjke Boka", in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Gymnasium Kotor, Kotor Maritime School, Savo Ilić Primary School, Njegoš Primary School, Vida Matjan School for Primary and Secondary Music Education "And JSC Napredak.

This action is the first step of the ArtEco project, which will be organized from April to August, and involves three types of activities – “Learn! Activate! and Create!”, which contribute to the adoption of positive values ​​necessary for the sustainable development of society. The Segment "Learn!" brings interactive ecology talks through environmental lessons, while the "Activate!" segment is based on the celebration of the days of the earth, wind and sun through actions to clean the coast. The second segment also includes cultural and ecological walks and getting acquainted with the natural and cultural heritage of Kotor and Bay of Kotor. Segment "Create!" involves art workshops in which young people, through artistic recycling of collected waste, create art installations and unusual musical instruments. They will also prepare the performance "The World is Music" which will be held on August 13th, to end this year's KotorArt Don Branko's Days of Music.

This is not the first time that KotorArt Don Branko's Days of Music connect the theme of ecology with art. Last year, at the opening ceremony of the festival on July 13, a premiered performance of Rambo Amadeus with the topic of ecology - "Pasija po Steli" was held, followed by concert lectures "ClimateKeys". In cooperation with the Institute of Marine Biology, a first underwater exhibition was realized in cooperation with the association "Diving World", and after the action of cleaning the shore, the program ended with the performance "Boka naša nasušna".

You can follow all the ArtEco project activities on the website www.kotorart.me, or the profiles of the festival on social networks.

18 April 2019 - Credit rating agency Moody's confirmed in its new report the assessment of the credit rating B1 for Montenegro while retaining a "positive" outlook. The last available credit rating for Montenegro was also B1.

This credit rating is primarily due to the high GDP growth per capita, the institutional strengthening supported by the perspective of EU accession, attractiveness for foreign direct investment, as well as significant investment projects in transport, tourism, and energy. In parallel, the positive outlook with the B1 rating reflects the favourable mid-term prospects of the country, supported by adequate structural reforms, as well as the consolidation measures the Government has continuously implemented, which contribute to strengthening the fiscal position of Montenegro. Furthermore, the Government has taken adequate measures to reduce the risk of medium-term debt refinancing significantly.

The report states that the growth of GDP in 2018 of 4.9% was primarily driven by investments, but also another year of a record-breaking tourist season. In addition, positive trends in the labour market supported growth in household consumption, with an increase in employment, while the FDI inflow was slightly lower than in the previous year, but with a still high 9% of GDP.

According to the Report, the weaker global economic outlook will contribute to lower growth rates. Despite this, Montenegro foresees a healthy business cycle, with growth rates at 3.0% in 2019 and 3.2% in 2020, that is, above the 10-year historical average of 1.9%.

As a major backbone of the future development of Montenegro and further improvement of the credit rating, it is stated that strengthening of the competitive position will be achieved through the implementation of projects in the sectors of tourism and energy, as well as mitigation of external risks.

In this year's report, Moody's has highlighted that Montenegro is the forerunner in the process of EU accession among the Balkan countries, which represents a further impetus for the improvement of the rule of law and institutional capacities in the coming years. Since the start of EU accession talks in June 2012, Montenegro has opened 32 out of the 33 negotiating chapters and has three temporarily closed chapters.

18 April 2019 - Numerous environmental campaigns, with an emphasis on climate change and environmental protection, will be held in Montenegro on April 22 - Earth Day.

On this occasion, Montenegrin Olympic Committee (MOC), Montenegrin Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism and representatives of the United Nations Development Programme will sign a Cooperation Agreement on the realization of the Games of the Small States of Europe, which will be hosted by Montenegro from May 27 to June 1.

As announced by UNDP, with the slogan “Be fair by nature”, Montenegro 2019 is part of the Programme “Green Games”, supported by Olympic Solidarity, whose goal is to create a sustainable sport event. It consists of 3 phases: the creation of the environmental standards related to the organisation of sporting events, education, and promotion.

The project of the Montenegrin Olympic Committee "Not just a field game – be fair by nature", which promoted sport and its role in environmental protection was rated as one of the best projects in this area within the Olympic solidarity of the International Olympic Committee.

For the organization of Games MNE2019, the Montenegrin Olympic Committee, as the leading carrier of this project, will employ more than 500 volunteers, over 250 members of associations and clubs as well as 50 employees from five Montenegrin municipalities working in sports, that will all undergo training which integral part will be a GREEN aspect of the MNE2019 Games.

The goal of education, but the complete project as well, is that all national associations and their technical staff pass training and adopt these solutions and recommendations, and implement them when organizing all future events in Montenegro.

"More than five thousand people from all over the world have applied to participate as one of 450 volunteers who will contribute to the organization of Games and help the organizers to present Montenegro as a good host," the statement said.

The UNDP said that Montenegro would host competitors from Liechtenstein, Cyprus, Iceland, Monaco, Luxembourg, Andorra, Malta and San Marino.

After the signing of the Agreement on Cooperation, as announced, a tree planting project is planned in front of the Morača Sports Centre in Podgorica, with the participation of the Mayor and officials of UNDP, the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism and the MOC.

"The tree planting will be organized simultaneously in Budva, Tivat and Cetinje in the presence of the city’s Mayors and representatives of the organizers of the Games of Small European Countries - Montenegro 2019," said the official announcement.