The organization KOD, within the initiative 100,000 Trees is currently watering trees that they planted at the end of 2018 and early this year.

Nina Pantovic, a member of the KOD Organization, says trees are irrigated once a week.

"1.334 trees have been planted so far, and in autumn we continue with the planting campaign," said KOD.

"In addition to watering and preparing for future activities, we also use additional communication with citizens - which would serve to strengthen and further implement the initiative by 100.000 trees. We organized patrols for irrigation, mainly consisting of tenants in the street where trees are planted and members from KOD organization. We note that the maintenance of the landscape in Podgorica is the liability of the company “Zelenilo” Podgorica. We have officially contacted “Zelenilo” with the requirement to irrigate these trees as part of their regular activities, and in the letter, we have indicated the locations of those recently planted. As we haven’t received any feedback from this company, and after seeing for ourselves that these are not being watered, we started with weekly watering of the trees. The first watering was organized on June 20, and currently the fifth in a row is being carried out," says Pantovic.

Nina Pantovic (Photo: Organizacija KOD)

She points out that the water is taken mostly from the tenants, because there are no public fountains on most locations in the city, and a large number of existing ones is not in function.

"For now, most of the trees are growing. The total number of trees that are not growing properly is less than 3%, which is below the projected loss of trees after the first planting season - which is due to drought due to the poor condition of the particular seedlings," says Pantovic.

In addition to the usual summer drought and providing enough water, the biggest issue for the plants’ growth is the poor quality of the land. 

"During the construction of residential and commercial buildings, green areas are covered with construction waste. Thus, when planting the trees, we find layers of concrete, brick, Styrofoam and plastics up to one meter of thickness. This layer of waste is covered with a layer of 10 to 20 cm of fertile soil that is not enough even for grass vegetation, let alone for trees. This fertile land is brought from another site. By reducing the impact of concrete in one place, we reduce the value and fertility of the other. So little is needed for everything to be preserved and green, but some greed is swallowing what was last left to us. This is caused by the irresponsible performance of construction works, irresponsible control and approval for use of facilities," says the member of the Organization KOD.

Pantovic points out that due to such circumstances they planted species that are least demanding in terms of humidity and soil quality, for example, the European nettle tree.

"Regardless of the predisposition of the tree species, effort must be made during the first two years to make the tree become self-sufficient. Therefore, anyone who wants to contribute to the initiative of 100,000 trees can apply to the KOD Organization so that as many green trees as possible will be planted before the first autumn rain. Of course, the trees that have not grown will be restored, because we are persistent in the effort to get as many trees as possible," says Pantovic.

Until the automatic irrigation system is established in the cities where the Mediterranean climate is present, additional efforts will be required for the implementation of soft landscaping in our urban zones."Therefore, " Zelenilo "needs to justify its name, not to justify its (ir) responsibility due to the bad weather.

The situation with regard to the maintenance and arrangement of the landscape in the capital city is revealed by the following data: "Zelenilo" Podgorica in 2015 had about 115,000 euros of costs for the procurement of goods, raw materials and supplies for managing green areas, while about 966,000 euros were spent on salaries - this ration speaks for itself. Such a figure for salaries is not controversial - it is the money that belongs to employees only that the same employees should be allowed to carry out the jobs for which they are paid - therefore, investments in maintaining green areas must be much higher," Pantovic said.

Text by Vijesti online, on July 24th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

25 July 2019 - Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković met with Miguel Fluxa Rosselló, the owner and Executive President of the Iberostar Group that has been operating in our country for over ten years.

The meeting expressed mutual satisfaction with the cooperation between the Government of Montenegro and this world tourist giant, which has an annual income exceeding 2.4 billion EUR in 35 countries, generating 10% of total tourist nights in hotels and 25% in high-class hotels, as stated in the announcement by the Office of the Prime Minister of Montenegro.

The Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković and the Executive President of Iberostar Miguel Fluxa Rosselló jointly assessed that the cooperation initiated at their first meeting almost three years ago is an example of the successful implementation of the vision of sustainable tourism development and an important step forward in enriching Montenegro's tourist offer and significantly expanding the offer of this renowned company.

Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković informed the Iberostar Executive President Miguel Fluxa Rosselló about the extremely good results of this summer's tourist season saying that the number of guests in the hotels has increased and that financial indicators point to revenue growth.

The Executive President of Iberostar Miguel Fluxa Rosselló, whose company operates in Herceg Novi, Perast and Bečići, expressed interest in further improvement of the Montenegrin offer and expansion of business in our country and in the region. In that sense, concrete steps have been agreed on increasing the number of airlines flying to Montenegro and further improvement of our utility infrastructure.

Read more news about business in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

25 July 2019 - Minister of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria Boil Banov paid an official visit to Montenegro, during which he met with Minister of Culture of Montenegro Aleksandar Bogdanović.

As stated in the report of the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro, the meeting discussed the previous cooperation in the field of culture, as well as the joint activities that will be implemented in the following period.

Ministers Bogdanović and Banov agreed that relations between the cultural institutions of the two countries have already been established in many areas of cultural and artistic creation, that the cooperation in the field of cultural heritage was particularly intense, and that additional efforts will be made in order to implement joint projects.

In this sense, the Working Group of the Ministries of Culture of Montenegro and Bulgaria, which will be tasked with managing joint projects from September, will be formed during the next two years. The focus will be on projects in the field of cultural heritage, creative industries and various arts programmes.

Ministers Bogdanović and Banov emphasised that the existing Agreement on Cooperation between Montenegro and the Republic of Bulgaria in the field of culture, which dates from 2015, represents a good basis for future cooperation, but that it is necessary to sign the Bilateral Cooperation Programme as soon as possible, which will define in more detail areas of common interest.

"I am pleased that today we defined the basics of future cooperation, and above all, that the Working Group of the two ministries will work on concrete joint projects of Montenegro and Bulgaria in the field of culture from September. During the meeting, we especially discussed potential partnerships in the field of promotion of the cultural heritage of the two countries," Minister Bogadnović said.

Minister Banov thanked Minister Bogdanović and his associates for their readiness to work together, but also the Bulgarian Embassy in Montenegro, which significantly contributes to strengthening the ties of our two countries in the field of culture.

Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to Montenegro Meglena Plugchieva also attended the meeting.

Read more news about lifestyle in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

24 July 2019 - Over the past period, significant progress has been made in joining the EU, but instead of slowing down, the negotiating structure has new tasks and activities to intensify reforms that will lead to the completion of accession negotiations, it was estimated at the meeting of the Negotiating Group, reported the Office for European Integrations of Montenegro.

The twentieth session of the Negotiating Group, chaired by Chief Negotiator Aleksandar Drljević, was held today in Podgorica.

Members of the Negotiating Group discussed the current and planned activities of the negotiating structure aimed at fulfilling the final benchmarks and the implementation of recommendations from the European Commission's Montenegro 2019 Report.

Chief Negotiator Aleksandar Drljević assessed that a large number of obligations and significant results were achieved in the previous period, but that additional efforts are needed in the forthcoming period in order to maintain the dynamics and quality of the process, and, above all, to further improve the standard of living.

"It is the right moment is to intensify reforms in the negotiation process, because Montenegro entered the final stage of the negotiations, which will be completed by opening chapter 8 - Competition. After the elections and a new organization in EU institutions, we have received confirmation that Brussels' commitment to enlargement to the Western Balkans remains unchanged, which gives us additional motivation to engage and dedicate ourselves to our part of the job," the Chief Negotiator stressed.

Bearing in mind that Montenegro is entering the mature phase of the negotiation process which requires the highest commitment of all members of the negotiating structure, it is determined to respond effectively to all the requirements of the process. In this context, the negotiators pointed out that in July, the work and meetings of the Collegium for Negotiations, the Rule of Law Council, Negotiating Group and 32 negotiating working groups were intensified, the recommendations from the EC Report were reviewed, as well as a detailed plan of activities of all bodies for the upcoming period. In order to intensify reform activities and accelerate the negotiation process, the working groups actively monitor the activities that lead to meeting the final benchmarks and recommendations from the EC Report.

Furthermore, members of the Negotiating Group discussed the findings of the working groups which expressed disagreement with the individual evaluations from this year's EC Report and pointed out that the Group will inform the European Commission about this.

With the aim of better promotion of the negotiation process and presentation of the achieved results and further obligations in the accession to the EU, more active participation of the members of the Negotiating Group was agreed in activities aimed at improving the information of citizens about the EU and the negotiation process, through more active cooperation with local self-governments, academic and business community and civil sector.

Read more news about politics in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

24 July 2019 - Representatives of the Government of Montenegro congratulated citizens, members of the Municipal Assembly and the leadership of Plav on the Municipality Day, stating that the Government of Montenegro and the Municipality management share development vision and continue joint work on projects, which goal is prosperity of northern region and better life for citizens, as stated in the announcement by the Public Relations Service within the Government of Montenegro.

"I am impressed with the way you look at the challenges and your courage and determination to tackle them. I perceive every your move forward as a great success. We will continue to work together on development," Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković stated in front of the Government of Montenegro at the meeting with a delegation of Plav, led by Mayor of the Municipality Mirsad Barjaktarević. In that regard, they agreed on concrete actions to further optimisation of the local public administration.

The Plav leadership informed the representatives of the Government of Montenegro in details about all the development projects being implemented in the Municipality of Plav, expressing personal gratitude to the Prime Minister for his engagement and commitment to the northern region, noting that thanks to the projects launched and understanding of the Government, positive energy and good perspective can be felt in Plav. The meeting also addressed the future Plav – Dečani road, including tunnel punching.

The representatives of the Government of Montenegro and the leadership of Plav agreed that, among numerous projects, priority should be given to the revitalisation and protection of the Plav Lake and the reconstruction of the Plav - Vojno Selo - Gusinje road in the immediate future.

Read more news about business in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

25 July 2019 - Polo in the Port, Montenegro’s first-ever polo event, has been welcomed by Porto Montenegro, as announced from the company. Three days of sporting entertainment will take place from 1^st to 3^rd August and the event is in association with Global Citizen Forum.

Porto Montenegro is set to welcome Montenegro’s inaugural polo event at the new Arena venue piloting this summer season in the Porto Montenegro village. The event will gather families, spectators, polo fanatics and social enthusiasts for three days of cocktails and canapes in the sun whilst enjoying a premiere of polo sporting entertainment. The occasion will mark a significant date in Porto Montenegro’s Events Calendar from 1^st-3^rd August 2019. 

Presented by the Global Citizen Forum, Polo in the Port is one of the key social sporting events of the summer that will fuse world-class sport in a stunning waterside setting, where four teams will compete in an extraordinary pop-up polo field, overlooking the world’s finest superyachts, with sunshine, food, music and groups of sporting and social excellence, it has been said in the announcement.  

“We believe in the unifying power of sports that reaches beyond borders and brings people together,” said Armand Arton, founder of the Global Citizen Forum. “Following our last Forum in Sveti Stefan, we’re excited to be part of yet another special experience in beautiful Montenegro.” 

Among the extensive list of sponsors are Arton Capital, Regent Porto Montenegro, Universal Capital Bank, Voli Motors, Plantaže, Azimut Yachts, Rolex, Beluga, La Martina, Boadicea the Victorious and Sunreef Yachts, who join forces to commemorate this first-of-its-kind momentous occasion on the Tivat Riviera. 

"I am very much looking forward to my first time in Montenegro and what better way to mark that than by being able to play polo with my favourite crew in a totally new and exciting setting. Polo in the Park is one of my favourite events, so I can’t wait to see what Polo in the Port has in store", comments Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh (Pacho) of Jaipur.  

Opening the occasion from 8 pm on Thursday 1 August will be a remarkable horse parade through the Porto Montenegro marina village, giving residents, spectators and the local community an opportunity to join in on the opening festivities. The parade will be followed by an invitation-only welcome reception at the Regent Porto Montenegro.

On Friday 2 August, doors will open to the VIP Clubhouse, with matches kicking off in the late afternoon. The games will continue into the second day of play ahead of the finals and trophy ceremony. Guests will have an opportunity to get dressed to the nines for an exclusive party at the Porto Montenegro Yacht Club Pool to mark the end of Montenegro’s first-ever polo event.

Tickets price is 20€ and is available for purchase via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The event will be a pet-and family-friendly affair, open to the public and giving guests and spectators an opportunity to sip champagne under the blue skies and majestic mountains of the Boka Bay, all steps away from the waterfront and superyacht-lined marina, whilst watching quality sporting action. Families will have the opportunity to enjoy picnics on the fresh lawns of the Arena, enjoy summer music and get a taste of the Porto Montenegro community.

The Traditional Boka Night, which holds the status of intangible cultural heritage, will be held on Saturday, 24th August, starting at 9 pm.

A procession of imaginatively decorated boats, the work of Kotor artists, will make its way along the Kotor Bay.

The procession will be announced by Sailing Club Lahor, and the decorated boats will be competing for prize money totalling 4,500 euros.

An expert jury will choose the best creations, after which there will be a grand firework display.

After the display on the water, the party will continue on the various squares in the Old Town.

Locals and tourists will be able to enjoy music from Kotor groups, including the following:

Armoury Square: Tri Kvarta and The Grupa

Saint Tryphon Square: Four Blues Drivers and Jelena Kažanegra and Band

Museum Square: Mija and Sanja

Saint Nicholas Square: Acoustic Therapy

Škaljarska Square: Klapa Incanto and Škuriband Band

The Night is organised by Kotor Cultural Centre “Nikola Đurković” Kotor, in cooperation with the local tourist organisation, and is sponsored by Kotor Municipality.

Minister of Transport Osman Nurkovic (BS) spoke with the press about what the Proposal for the concession act of the state airports of Montenegro and draft concession contract contain.

He said that the future concessionaire which must be registered as a legal entity in Montenegro must pay at least 100 million euros in advance and will pay another 10 percent of the total budget revenues of the Airport to the state budget.

Nurkovic said that the airport Tivat will be given under concession in three phases. At the first stage, there will be a land area of ​​about 846,000 square meters and this transfer of land will be done until the entry into force of the concession act.

In the second phase, transfer of land will be on the surface of about 560,000 square meters within 24 months from the entry into force of this concession act, and in the third phase, the transfer will be about 170,000 square meters of land that will be transferred within 48 months from the entry into force of the concession act.

https://youtu.be/Nzc4tw0FrAk

Text by Marija Mirjacic, on July 25th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

The government adopted the proposal of the concession acts for the state airports of Montenegro and the draft concession agreement, with the disagreement of the Social Democrats (SD).

Now there is a debate at the session on this subject.

The opinion by the Minister of Education Damir Sehovic (SD) was excluded, with sharp criticism and assessment that the document is not in line with the law, that certain solutions are not transparent.

Minister of Health Kenan Hrapovic (SD) was not present at the session. All other members of the Government supported the proposal. The Government's Economic Policy commission in May returned the proposal to the Ministry of Transport in order to align it with the law. Government members from the DPS and Minister of Transport Osman Nurkovic (BS) assessed that everything is in order and to continue the process towards the long-term concession of airports in Podgorica and Tivat. The dispute over the Airports lasts for a year. DPS and BS are in favor of the concessions, and SD, which has been running this state-owned company for years, is against it.

From the start, they claim that the department of Nurkovic is not doing this job legally. Minister Nurkovic announces the adoption of concession acts since October last year.

Text by Ivana Gudovic, on July 25th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

"Kolasin - the encountering place of heritage" – it is the motto of this year's fifth Ethno Camp in the city, which will be held from August 1st to August 7th.

This kind of "laboratory" dedicated to national dances and songs is a pioneering undertaking in Montenegro, which year after year justifies its existence. Gathering students, pupils and their professors from the faculty from the region says Davor Sedlarevic, the founder of the camp and the manager of Kolasin KUD Mijat Maskovic, the goal is to recognize, document and learn elements of the intangible heritage threatened by disappearance,

"Also, those who are still in function or create cohesion of old and new. Revitalizing old ways of dancing and singing is one of the tasks of the camp. Over the past years, over 800 GB of audio-visual material has been recorded, mainly interviews with residents of Kolasin and surrounding villages. This rich resource is used to learn about one's own heritage, a scientific interpretation of certain matrices and motives that have been practiced in the past, but also for the empowerment of local and national identities," he explains.

Ethno camp (Photo: KUD)

Workshops of the dances and songs will be led by Dr. ethnomusicologist Zlata Marjanovic, l Pastrovici researcher Mila Medin and teachers specialists for traditional dances Igor Popov and Davor Sedlarevic. For the first time, the Montenegrin dance heritage will be enriched with several dances (kolo) from Pastrovici, which are topic of research of the Petrovac Ethno-lab The Cultural Center Kolasin, on the first day of the camp, will also open an exhibition on rich material and researchers who have visited Pastrovici through history, and some rare items of folk costumes will be shown.

The public class with participants of “Oj-ha in Kolasin" will be held on August 5th at Trg borca ​​and camp participants will play songs and dances learned at the camp. Then there will be a kind of competition in the playing of the Montenegrin dances (kolo) and the exclamation of the traditional exclamation "Oj-ha". All the workshops are completely free and open to all interested and are especially recommended for active and former folklorists who do not often have the opportunity to cooperate with dance and song experts in Montenegro, "announced the camp's organizers.

The camp will be attended by students from educational institutions from Banja Luka, Novi Sad, Belgrade, Kraljevo, Kikinda, Kotor, Budva and Kolasin.

The camp is organized by the Center for Culture and KUD, supported by the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro, Municipality, and CIRTIP Kolasin. Project collaborators are the Society for Culture Development "Bauo" from Petrovac and Budva Museums and Galleries. Organizers also invite "all those who know more about dances and songs, as well as good memories, folk instruments and singers to call them to record their stories and use them to study and transmit the heritage".

Text by Dragana Scepanovic, on July 24th, 2019, read more at Vijesti