The natural and cultural-historical region of Kotor is among examples of good practice.

Mostar hosted a conference on "Sustainable Tourism and Cultural Heritage", focused on management and tourism at UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The conference was opened by the Director of UNESCO’s Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, Ana Luiza Thompson-Flores and the Mayor of Mostar, Ljubo Bešlić.

During the session on “Examples of Good Practice”, the Secretary-General of the National Commission for UNESCO of Montenegro, Milica Nikolić, spoke of the Montenegrin experience regarding the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor, and maintaining their status on the UNESCO List, primarily based on the Action Plan for the implementation of the Istanbul Decision of the World Heritage Committee.

Among the presentations at the conference were experiences and management challenges in a time of increasing tourist pressure in the entire region, which brings with it negative consequences like sudden and uncontrolled urbanisation, change to the local way of life, and the influence these have on exceptional universal values of the region.

Further speakers at the conference included the Mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Franković, a representative of the city of Split, Jasna Jerkov, a representative of Crete Region, Dimitros Mikelogianis, and representatives of UNESCO Siniša Šešum and Peter DeBrine.

19 July 2019 - European Projects, their writing and implementation make ten years of experience in Tivat Municipality, which can be characterized by many challenges and successes for the officials and associates. On the role of operational structures for the implementation of the IPA Cross-Border Cooperation Program BiH - Montenegro for the period 2014-2020 spoke secretary of the Secretariat for Tourism and Entrepreneurship of Tivat Municipality Petar Vujović at a promotional meeting organized by the Office for European Integration of the Government of Montenegro and the Directorate for European Integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"The basic problem that existed at the beginning, and now to a lesser extent is the absence of an institutional framework in local self-government when it comes to European projects. It exists to some extent, but it is not institutionalized and unified at the level of Montenegro as a whole, so somewhere we have the office for writing European projects, somewhere there is a Service, and in some municipalities it is somewhat systematized in the Secretariat, as is the case in the municipality of Tivat. I believe that people who write projects can make their full contribution through institutionalization," Vujovic believes.

The second challenge has been the fluctuation of personnel, i.e., it was very difficult to find adequate motivation for writing and implementing projects, as the people who worked on the project worked through contract, though their permanent employment would have allowed them to have a more relaxed approach to work.

The third challenge and the problem in many municipalities, according to Vujovic, is the lack of technical documentation, which needs to be prepared for a particular project before writing. As an example, he mentioned the public lighting project which, for lack of technical documentation, almost did not fail.

"Looking at the side of success, I can say that Tivat has so far applied for more than 40 European projects, of which 17 have been approved. We managed to get around 3.5 million euros of grants for our local self-government. What has strengthened us in terms of administrative capacity is that we have been a leading partner in two projects. It has been a tremendous experience, the great and painstaking work behind this "unfortunate" function - to be a leading partner. " For the next period, Vujovic announced that the municipality would continue to strengthen administrative capacity, together with the partners, to raise awareness of the importance and benefits of European projects. Miodrag Račeta, Head of the Section for European Territorial Cooperation, Office for European Integration of the Government of Montenegro and Nada Bojanić, Head of the Service for Territorial Cooperation Programs, Directorate for European Integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina also spoke at the meeting.

Source: Radio Tivat

July 19, 2019 - Roman Night 2019 will be organized on Sunday, 28 July in Risan, by the Tourist Organization of Kotor. The event will be held for the first time and it will take place at Risan promenade and market, starting at 8 p.m, as announced from the Tourist Organization.

Roman Night is conceived as an ancient Risan festival that will bring the public closer to the importance of archaeology in tourism and enrich the cultural and tourist offer of Risan and Boka Kotorska. The aim of the event is to connect the content that will be developed from relaxing entertainment activities (food, drinks, souvenir sales, pedagogical workshops) through more active learning and dating of the ancient colony (dress culture, hairstyle) to professional performers shows (fighting gladiators, slave sales, dance with fire) in the best way.

The idea is to have many themes: fun, jewellery, clothing, gastronomy, crafts, games and the programme will be divided into animations for children, entertainment and gastro.

 The programme for children, with the engagement of animator "Event Montenegro" will introduce Roman games, such as fighting with swords and shields, rope withdrawal, throwing walnuts into the amphora and more.

A large number of gifts and surprises will be waiting for younger participants and all the participants will have the opportunity to get Roman hairstyles and dress in a Roman-style with a laurel-leaf on their head. A small gladiator school will be organized by Medieval Kotor. Medieval Kotor is a group within the non-governmental organization for the preservation of the cultural heritage of Kotor and Montenegro, which deals with historical constructions of crafts, tools, clothing, weapons and tools, technologies and other segments of life.

Andrija Ramadanović from Kotor will be in charge to represent the "gladiator" and "spata" type of Roman swords. He is the owner of "Romada" Collection, which has over 200 copies of handmade cold weapons from 8th century B.C. to 20th century A.D. For this occasion, nine specimens of swords had been chosen.

Peter and Eva Martinović, founders of the old crafts studios, who successfully sell handmade ceramic products for 15 years will be presented the same evening. At Rome Night, they will feature unique ceramics created by their memory and imagination.

The guests will also be members of the "Narona" Archaeological Museum from Metković, who will present roman jewellery in front of the museum and will also feature the film "Roman Night in Narona".

This museum has been built on the ruins of the Roman Temple and is unique by its specific finds of 17 marble sculptures. In addition to its numerous awards, the museum was specially awarded for the contribution to the enrichment of Croatia's tourist offer.

Sixteen performers will feature at Rome Night, dressed as centurions, standard-bearers and Roman legionaries. Gladiator battles with adequate gladiator equipment will also be shown, with the participation of 4 trained gladiators. This programme will be featured by Diocletian's Legion, the Association from Croatia.

The fire show will be organized with small props (candles, orbs, then), then with large props (sticks, bells, snakes), fire-blowing as well as volcanoes and pyrotechnics that will light up a few meters in diameter and enrich the program. The Haos animators from Serbia have been engaged for this part of the show.

A lecture on Roman culture will be held by archaeologist Mrs. Vilma Kovačević, and also a mini quiz.

For the gastro section, the association "Women of Risan" and the NGO "Karampana" from Kotor will be in charge, so that the visitors will get the chance to enjoy Roman delicacies.

The programme moderator will be Dolores Fabijan.

The project has been supported by the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, as stated by the Tourist Organization of Kotor.

A foreigner who invests two million euros in primary agricultural production, 3.5 million in the processing of agricultural and fish products or four million in wood processing, can apply for Montenegrin citizenship.

This was stated in the adopted rulebook on the conditions that should be fulfilled by development projects from agriculture and wood processing in the procedure of selecting investors who can acquire Montenegrin citizenship according to the project of economic citizenship.

As stated in this Government document, in addition to these conditions, the investor must employ at least ten workers if the investment relates to primary agricultural production or 20 workers, if it is dependent on the processing and wood industry.

An investor who wishes to obtain citizenship in this way must not apply for other incentive measures related to this investment. Priority will be given to those who enable this investment to substitute imports, utilize unused agricultural land, invest in underdeveloped municipalities, and encourage cooperation with hoteliers.

The government has adopted a decision adding port Kumbor - Porto Novi to the list of nautical tourism ports.

On the public ad for sale, the Government will offer its business premises about 1,100 square meters in the street Vojvoda Misic in Belgrade with an initial price of 916 thousand euros.

Text by Goran Kapor, on July 19th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

Tivat, Cetinje and Pljevlja received the first public chargers for electric cars, for which Montenegrin Telekom developed a technical solution. The charger in Tivat was installed at the parking lot on Arsenal Street in cooperation with the company Parking Service Tivat. In Cetinje, it is owned by the restaurant "Konak", while two chargers in Pljevlja are provided by the restaurant "Taša". Telekom announces the installation of e-chargers at new 11 locations across Montenegro.

In March this year, Telekom placed the first public charger in St. Stefan, as part of the luxury resort "Aman Sveti Stefan", owned by Adriatic Properties. Telekom announced that the installation of new e-chargers in the three Montenegrin cities is a continuation of the e-mobility program, which would allow owners of electric cars to visit the whole of Montenegro, without fear that their car will remain without power while driving.

E-charger in Tivat (Photo: Telekom)

"After St. Stefan, Tivat, Cetinje and Pljevlja received the chargers, and I am particularly glad that I can announce the installation of chargers at another 11 locations throughout Montenegro over the next period. By setting up the ecosystem of electric car chargers (e-mobility), we not only contribute to the sustainable development of Montenegro - at the same time encouraging the development of tourism and preserving the environment - but also upgrading the concept of a smart city that Telekom implements as the leader of the digitization process in the country. In this way, Montenegro expands its presence on the regional interactive map for electric vehicles - www.puni.hr

Thanks to that, tourists from all over Europe can continue their tour of the Mediterranean in our country, certain that they will have the support of car charging during the whole trip," said Vuk Vukasinovic, an expert in software solutions development at the Montenegrin Telekom.

Chargers are available to all citizens, and information about their locations is also available via iOS and Android PlugSurfing applications, as well as on the map https://www.plugsurfing.com/map. Telekom believes that there will be even more of such initiatives since there are more and more electric vehicles in Europe, but also that the private sector in Montenegro is increasingly open and the innovative solutions in that company are developing in accordance with the specific needs of clients.

"Telekom, besides installing electric chargers, also offers software that enables user registration, remote e-charging management, statistics and monitoring, and, if necessary, charging the service," Vukasinovic recalls.

Telekom (Photo: Telekom)

E-cars are not the future but the present, and for their active use, adequate infrastructure is needed. That's why the Montenegrin Telekom, as the leader in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT) development, is working intensively on designing smart solutions for the Montenegrin market, and offers private and public sector expertise in their implementation.

Text by Promo, on July 18th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Niksic, Prof. Dr. Goran Barovic, hosted this year's winners of the Thirteenth July Award, Prof. Dr. Bozidar Sekularac, the publicist Dragan Perovic and the writer Pavle Goranovic. On this occasion, they were handed the "Geographical Lexicon of Montenegro" by prof. Dr Branko Radojicic. Barovic said that Sekularac spent two decades working at the Faculty of Philosophy, while Perovic and Goranovic, started or completed their studies at the aforementioned high education institution.

"All three work on the disclosure of unknown topics in Montenegro, and develop and spread the culture. At the Faculty, we have an open-desk where free intellectuals speak, with unspecified topics, so I invite you to be our guests in the autumn and hold a lecture of your choice," Barovic said.

On behalf of the laureates, Bozidar Sekularac expressed their gratitude and said that the three of them would not stop at this but would continue to work and create.

"I left a part of myself at this faculty, and the faculty also incorporated into me a high culture and rating that the college gives to one professor. Working at the university that at one time had 19 study programs is a pleasure and an honor," said Sekularac, and thanked Barovic for the reception.

Perovic gave two copies of the book "Stefan Perovic Cuca – orepak bica" to the Faculty's library, and Sekularac emphasized that he regularly submitted his works to the Faculty of Philosophy and that he did it for . the book "Montenegro in the Age of Crnojevic".

Perovic, a literary historian, publicists, was awarded for the author's TV series "“Crnogorci sentom po svijetu”,, for the cycle of the show “Istjerivač mitova”  and the book "Stefan Perovic Cuca – orepak bića”. Sekularac received the highest state recognition for the book "Montenegro in the Age of Crnojevic", and Goranovic for the book "Poetry”.

Text by Svetlana Mandic, on July 18th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

17 July 2019 - Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković hosted Dragoljub Šćekić, Mayor of the Municipality of Berane, on the occasion of the forthcoming Municipality Day, reported the Public Relations Service within the Government of Montenegro.

Congratulating the citizens, councilors in the Municipal Assembly and the leadership of Berane on the Municipality Day, Prime Minister Duško Marković expressed satisfaction with the cooperation with the municipality in implementing development and other projects.

"We do not make a difference among municipalities, depending on who is in power. We are dedicated to the development and valorisation of resources, especially in the North Montenegro region, to provide better living standards of citizens. This is a common goal," said the Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković.

In that context, Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković expressed the Government's willingness to consider the request of the Berane Municipality to support the finalisation of an important project to improve water supply and the construction of a sewage network and wastewater treatment plants.

It was noted that development projects carried out in the Northern Montenegro region contribute to better prospects for young people in particular, with a view to reducing migration and creating new jobs.

The Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković and the Berane Municipality leadership agreed to intensify contacts to implement development projects in North Montenegro, primarily the projects of the construction of a bridge in Haremi and the opening of the business zone.

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

17 July 2019 - During the first half of the year, out of 134 commitments planned by the EU Accession Programme, Montenegro fulfiled 95 commitments, that is, more than 70%, while the expected realisation of final regulations in the next few weeks will significantly increase the overall level of commitments, Deputy Chief Negotiator Marko Mrdak told the press following Cabinet session, reported the Office for European Integrations.

At this session, the Government passed the Report on the implementation of the Programme on Accession of Montenegro to the European Union 2019-2020, for the first half of 2019.

"Out of 134 planned commitments, 95 (71%) were fulfilled, out of 84 planned laws and by-laws 52 (62%) were implemented, while out of 50 planned strategic documents, 43 (86%)  were fulfilled," Mr Mrdak said.

The cabinet meeting also adopted the Information on the Collegium for Negotiations' guidelines for the further functioning of the negotiating structure, defined at the 22nd session of the Collegium, with a view to intensifying the dynamics of the negotiating process and achieving better results in the continuation of the EU accession process.

In addition to agreeing that meetings of the Negotiating Group, Rule of Law Council and the Collegium for Negotiations with the EU will take place once a month, and that meetings of all working groups will take place by 15 July, it was agreed that periodic meetings of line ministers with non-governmental organisations that are members of working groups should be organised.

"In this way, not only do we want to formally boost the system of cooperation with civil society organisations, but essentially find a mechanism for improving all public policies and the use of all knowledge in our society. We can say that the Government has defined the most intensive and most dynamic a plan of work in the coming period, focusing on all of its expert capacities and consulting the political level," Deputy Chief Negotiator Mrdak concluded.

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

18 July 2019 - The water polo team of Montenegro ends the group phase of the World Cup in Gwangju Thursday morning, July 19th.

After two games played with Serbia and Greece, both settled at score of 10:10, the Montenegrin water polo team will have an easier training against hosts of South Korea, and an opportunity to practice some things for the knockout phase, reported CdM.

The ranking in the group no longer depends on the Montenegrin national team, but on the match between Serbia and Greece.

"At today's meeting, we watched a match with Greece. The meeting concluded that we were guilty of this result, and we had this feeling right after the match. We have two tied matches out of two played and we will probably take second place in the group. That is if the match between Serbia and Greece ends up as a tie. It is all up to us, I think we play good water polo, we swim well, we are physically well prepared. We need to fix some of the things in the game, primarily individual responsibility," Vladan Spaić pointed out.

He also added that the team needs to fix some things in defense, as they can not afford to repeat the same mistakes in the continuation of the championship.

"Everything is good so far, we do not have a defeat at the championship, and from that side, we have to stay positive and focused on the current course of the competition. We still have great chances for high ranking. As for South Korea, they are a total outsider, but they should not be underestimated. We have to enter the match seriously, to play some known actions and to get up a little more and prepare for the eighth finals," concluded Spaić.

His team mate Đuro Radović shares the same opinion.

"Two of the hardest matches in the group have passed, aand we should end the group phase without defeat, which is positive. In both matches, we had control, from game to game, we seemed to grow as a team, to play better, which is the goal for now. Let's go on; there is no more glance back. Against South Korea, we need to raise the level of the game to the maximum. The knockout stage is next and that is something we were preparing for. We are going against South Korea for the most convincing victories, so that we can deal with some things in the game," Radović pointed out.

The match with South Korea is played on Friday at 10.50 AM, while the match between Serbia and Greece is scheduled for 9.30 AM.

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

18 July 2019 - A new five-star hotel Ānanti Resort, Residences & Beach Club, opened in the Reževići settlement on the Budva Riviera, in the presence of numerous guests from Montenegro and abroad, reports RTV Budva.

The officials of the Municipality of Budva – Budva’s Mayor Marko Carević, the director of the National Tourism Organization Željka Radak Kukavičić, and the investor of this luxury resort Stalbek Mishakov, addressed the guests, and, by cutting the ribbon, they ceremoniously opened the new resort.

Ānanti Hotel is a 5-star luxury resort in Montenegro that offers a large selection of independent villas — encompassing exclusive and spacious villas and residences complimented by a plethora of amenities including a beach, a signature Asian-fusion restaurant, kids club and fitness centre – all nested in the quaint and charming inlet of Reževići.

Inspired by Asian and Middle Eastern luxury, the essence of the five-star brand is to provide the ultimate enjoyment and happiness to all its residents and guests. According to the hotel’s owners, every step of the journey in Ānanti, from checkin to check out, is meticulously crafted to offer a carefree and relaxed stay.

The environment of the Reževići area, where the hotel is located, is ideal since the residence is surrounded by untouched nature with spectacular views on the sea. The complex is only a few dozen meters away from the Hotel’s exclusive beach. Nothing interferes with the privacy of the guests’ holiday since the hotel offers a comfortable and silent atmosphere.

The management of this hotel stated that they are satisfied with the hotel's occupancy, and announced the construction and opening of the spa centre for the next year.

Find more information about the resort, take a look at the hotel's offer and book your stay at the official website of the Ānanti Resort, Residences & Beach Club.