24 May 2019 - The Government of Montenegro recently passed the Regulation on compensation for stimulating the production of electricity from renewable sources and highly efficient co-generation, which abolishes the renewable resource fee 1 from June 1st, which was charged to all households for consumption up to 300 Kwh.

"Today, as the Prime Minister announced at the previous Prime Minister's Question session, the Cabinet decided to abolish the reimbursement for the renewable resource fee from 1 June," Minister of Economy, Dragica Sekulić said.

She added that the number of funds needed to cover the necessary amount will be now paid from the budget and the funds collected from the polluters.

"In this way, we ensured that the Electric Power Industry of Montenegro's market operations is not disturbed, that citizens are partially relieved of payments by using renewable energy sources, and that the average electricity bills remain the same or partly reduced," Minister Sekulić explained.

She also noted that the latest Government's session discussed the future of renewable electricity sources and that the practice of not giving new concessions for small hydropower plants will continue.

"We will, however, continue to lease land without privileged tariffs for consumers," the Economy Minister said.

She concluded by saying that the Cabinet tasked the Ministry of Economy, as a coordinator, to review all the documents issued by all Montenegrin institutions, and for each location for which the concession was given, saying that giving the concession is only one of a large number of steps which the lessee must respect in order to be able to build.

24 May 2019 - Vranac Reserve 2013 produced by one of the most successful companies in Montenegro, 13.jul - Plantaže, won a gold medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2019 in London, competing with over 16.500 wines from 57 countries.

Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) is the world's most influential wine competition founded in 2004 and is the world's biggest wine competition with over 15,000 entries per year.

The wines of the company 13 jul – Plantaže, made by the autochtonous Montenegrin variety, won several medals at Decanter, which is the greatest and the most prestigious wine expo as well as the global wine championship. Plantaže managed to represent the wines that belong to the world wine elite brilliantly.  

This year, Decanter contest jury consisted of 280 wine experts and it has awarded Plantaže wines with seven medals. Judged by the top wine experts from around the globe, the DWWA is trusted internationally for its rigorous judging process. DWWA has judges from around the world, including Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers, and many of them are the foremost experts in their field.

Besides gold medal for Vranac Reserve 2013, the wines: Vranac Barrique 2015 and Vranac pro Corde 2015 were awarded the silver medal and the premium Vranac 2015 won the bronze medal. The wines: Vladika 2015, Epoha 2013 and Chardonnay Barrique 2016 were awarded silver medals, making a great success of Plantaže. 

Decanter World Wine Awards’ gold medal is awarded only to excellent wines of great complexity and character, while the silver medal is given to the producer of wine who created a very accomplished wine with impressive complexity.

This recognition is even greater because a popular ‘Reserve’ also won the gold medal a few months ago at Mundus Vini contest in German town Neustadt, so the award from London is an exquisite confirmation of great triumph of this wine. 

Actually, Vranac Reserve has been produced in the best vintages only. Upon aging in wooden vats (2 years) and bottle (3-5 years), it develops its full, characteristic and very distinctive bouquet.

It is important to note that it was at the same competition in 2017 that Plantaže wine Stari Podrum Cabernet Sauvignon won gold medal, drawing the attention of the wine world to the Plantaže vineyard, located in Ćemovsko polje, Podgorica where grand wines are made. 

The importance of these awards is even greater given the fact that Decanter proudly promotes the award-winning wines through its global digital networks, bespoke consumer tastings, presence at major wine trade shows and promotions with leading retailers around the world.

Data acquired from the Official Website of the company 13. jul - Plantaže.

24 May 2019 - The Tourist Organization of Cetinje, in cooperation with the NGO "Montenegro Old Timer", is organizing a show (exhibition) named "Old Timer Vehicles" on Tuesday, 28 May, starting at 10 am on the Dvorski Square.

Namely, on Tuesday, 28th of May, in the period from 10 am to 12 pm, Old Royal Capital of Montenegro will host 40 "Fića" cars, that is, their owners, whose caravan will pass through Montenegro as a part of the tour “Fićom po Balkanu” (English: "By Fića through the Balkans").  

The participants of the Caravan are the owners of the once-popular Fiat 600 and Zastava 750/850, known on the Balkans as Fića. The caravan, which started on 18 May from Munich (Germany), passes through Austria, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, ends on 31 May in Ljubljana (Slovenia).

During the journey through the countries of the Balkans, the participants will travel about 5000 kilometres and the arrival in Ljubljana will mark the end of their journey. Visitors of the Caravan in Montenegro will be able to see 40 Fića cars, and in the continuation of the journey, this number will increase significantly. The owners of Fića cars who will arrive in Montenegro come from all over Europe, most of them from the region, and one of the oldest model among them is the one from 1961.

The Zastava 750 (Застава 750) was a supermini made by the Serbian car maker Zavod Crvena Zastava in Kragujevac. It was a version of the Fiat 600 made under licence from 1962 and was longer in length than the Fiat version. Zastava 850 is nearly identical to the Zastava 750 but the engine has a larger capacity. The Zastava 850 is harder to find then the 750 model but both are still widely available in former Yugoslavia.

Zastava 750 is widely known by its nickname "Fića" (Фићa) or "Fićo" (Фићo) in Serbo-Croatian, by "Fičo" or "Fičko" in Slovene and by "Fikjo" (Фиќо) in Macedonian. The nickname "Fića" comes from the main character of a comic published by the newspaper Borba during the first years of the car's production.

Owners of cars participating in the caravan have invested enormous amounts of money in their vehicles so that, after 64 years from the start of the production, these cars are still able to cross the 5000 km route smoothly.

The exhibition of fossils from Orjen opened in the mountaineering home "Za Vratlom". The organizer of the exhibition is the Agency for Development and Protection of Orjen and host is the mountain club "Subra". The exhibition includes up to 20 items, of which 14 are fossils, a specimen of stone from Djuric, and five exhibits with cherts.

The Agency for the Development and Protection of Orjen, with the fossil exhibition, opens the European Day of Parks, marked on May 24th, and wants to point out to some of the lesser-known attractions of the Herceg Novi mountain hinterland and intensify their more detailed scientific studies.

"In Orjen, in sedimentary rocks, predominantly at altitudes between 1000 and 1400 m, there are frequent paleontological finds of sea shells from the period of chalk (from 145.5 to 65.5 million years). These are the so-called rudimentary shells, the builders of springs. They are long-shapes similar to horns, but also cones with a lid, spirals, etc. This group of shells was completely extinct at the end of the chalk period (along with dinosaurs and 70% of other organisms), probably as a result of the impact of the large meteor that hit the Earth near Yucatan," said the Agency.

They explained that in the limestones of the outer Dinarides, which belongs to Orjen, there are a lot of fossils of these shells.

"These are the fossils which can reach the size of more than two meters, but these on Orjen are mostly of modest dimensions, usually placed close together. In some zones, there is almost every stone, so they are very easy to spot. Such is the case on the path Vratlo - the mountaineering home with surroundings, a part of the mountain Ubalj, the southeastern foot of Subra, as well as other places. Larger and better-preserved fossil shells can be seen in the lower parts, closer to the sea," said the agency.

In addition to the fossils, there is a specimen of a sedimentary reddish rock of glassy structure (Djuric’s stone), natural raw material of the upper chalk middle age period, which celebrated Kamenari, as well as interesting pieces of flint (chert), very widespread in certain areas of Subra, where we see them embedded in limestone rocks. It consists primarily of silicon dioxide. Its hardness is considerably higher than the hardness of the limestone, so the cherts were due to this characteristic and very sharp edges, a favorite material from which different tools were produced in the stone age.  

The museum's adviser Goran Culafic, assistant director of museum affairs at the Natural History Museum in Podgorica, gave his expert assistance in interpreting the collected findings.

Text by Slavica Kosic, on May 23rd, 2019, read more at Vijesti

Students from the School for Music Education in Kolasin have achieved great success at the three spring international music concerts held in the region.

Pianist Gala Dulovic won the first prize with a maximum of 100 points at the 6^th International Piano Competition in Bijeljina.

This was the fifth contest for Gala in May, and at each she has achieved remarkable results. She is in the class of the teacher Milena Dabetic.

At the 12^th piano competition "Slavenski" in Novi Sad, next to Gala, the first prize was also won by Milica Popovic in her category. In the same contest, young pianist Helena Vukovic was second. Milica is in the class of Mirjana Pekovic, and Helena in the class of the teacher Vanja Kazic.

Also, at the International Competition "Fantast 2019" in Becej, the young pianists from Kolasin achieved remarkable appearances. The first awards, in their categories, were won by Gala, Milica, Helena and Kalina Bulatovic, who is also in the class of the teacher Kazic.

Jana Raketic at this contest, also in the piano discipline, won the second prize. She is in the class of teacher Marija Bulatovic.

Students from the School for Music Education in Kolasin have over 100 prizes from national and international competitions. Some of them also performed in a European metropolis.

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

The basketball players of Buducnost Voli are on the verge of their 12th Montenegrin championship title.

Petar Mijovic's players in the second match of the final play-off in the Erste Super League defeated Mornar in Bar 84:74 and gained a great advantage of 2:0 in the series.

The match was resolved from the 37th to 39th minute, when Edwin Jackson and Danilo Nikolic hit three-pointers, and James Bell ended the series of 8:0 for the score 82:74.

The team from Podgorica will play Saturday at "Moraca" and the current champion will try to return the series to "Topolica" and extend their hope.

Nemanja Gordic was the most efficient for the winning team with 20 points, Nikolic scored 18, Jackson 15, Sead Sehovic 11, and Bell 10.

In the defeated team, the most efficient was Ivan Jelenic who scored 14 points, three of which were related to the turnaround at the start of the 3rd quarter. 12 points were scored by Uros Lukovic and Strahinja Micovic, and 11 by Nikola Rebic.

Text by Nikola Nikolic, on May 23rd 2019, read more at Vijesti

May 24, 2019 - Yacht Club Latin Sail Bar organizes the first edition of the Regatta of the Youth on May 25. Organizers expect the participation of about 30 different class sailing ships, and the event aims to promote sailing, especially among the younger generations.

23 May 2019 - All necessary prerequisites ot successfully hold the 18th Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE) will be met, it was emphasised at the session of the Honourary Committee of the Games of the Small States of Europe chaired by the Committee Chairman, Prime Minister Duško Marković.

President of Montenegrin Olympic Committee Dušan Simonović, who is the Vice President of the Honourary Committee, noted that the state authorities and institutions undertook the necessary activities, as well as that sports and other infrastructure is at an excellent level. It was stressed that comprehensive measures were implemented in order that the event, where more than 2,000 participants are expected, goes smoothly. 

The meeting noted that leadership of the municipalities in which the games will be held – Budva, Bar, Tivat, the Old Royal Capital Cetinje and Podgorica are very committed to their obligations.

The Games of the Small States of Europe will be held from 27 May to 1 June and are a great opportunity for the promotion of Montenegro, its tourism potentials and cultural heritage. The meeting stated that this event would be a great introduction to the upcoming tourist season.

The Games of the Small States of Europe are an Olympic, multi-sport competition featuring athletes from the small countries of the European continent. Since 1985, the GSSE have been held every two years and are currently bringing together nine countries: Andorra, Montenegro, Iceland, Cyprus, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco and San Marino. The competitions are organised in athletics, bocce, volleyball, beach volleyball, basketball, swimming, judo, shooting, tennis and table tennis.

23 May 2019 - Due to the importance of the Decision on the Community Order in the daily functioning of the city, citizens of business entities, tourists and their relation to common public spaces, it is necessary that as many citizens as possible help with their suggestions in drafting the Decision on the Community Order which will regulate penalty fees for disturbance of Community Order, as reported from the relevant municipal services.

The importance of this decision, as well as the rules and limitations of behavior on public surfaces, can be seen in the decisions of the cities of neighboring countries where, for example, tourists were given notice of the rules and penalties that they expect in the event of improper conduct. Thus, walking without a shirt calls for a 500 EUR fine, and walking in a swimsuit 600 EUR, while a penalty for eating and drinking in a public area is 700 EUR.

This decision may prescribe various, other rules of conduct that would regulate neighborhood parking problems, drying of laundry, garbage disposal, appearance of buildings, loud music, etc.

Also, as this decision stems from the Law on communal activities regulating public water supply, management of communal waste waters, management of atmospheric waters, municipal waste management, arrangement and maintenance of public areas, public lighting management, public transport of passengers in urban and suburban settlements, maintenance of municipal roads and cycling trails, the maintenance of troughs and watercourses of local importance, maintenance of public cemeteries, chapels and burials, maintenance of markets and parking spaces, maintenance of public toilets, disposal of abandoned animals and maintenance of shelters for their collection, all citizens need to take part in its forming.

Due to those above, the Public Call for Preliminary Consultation will last two months in order to prepare the draft of the Decision on the Community Order that will be at a public hearing in the extended period, so that all interested parties could solve problems that have not been defined by the existing regulations.

23 May 2019 - Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia Zoran Zaev traveled to Podgorica on Thursday, 23rd May 2019 for a two-day official return visit to Montenegro at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Duško Marković. 

During the visit, a joint session of the Government of Montenegro and the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia will be organised, after which a number of bilateral documents will be signed, and the Business Forum Montenegro - North Macedonia, with the participation of the Prime Ministers, ministers and businessmen of the two countries. 

Prime Minister Marković was an official visit to the Republic of North Macedonia on October 16 and 17, 2017. On that occasion, the Prime Ministers Marković and Zaev concluded that between the two friendly states there are no open or unresolved issues, that the relations are excellent and that they are developing for the benefit of the citizens of both countries and that they can and should represent an example in the whole region of the Western Balkans. They also announced intensification of economic cooperation.

At the session that took place during mid-February, the Government of Montenegro passed the Draft Law on the Ratification of the Protocol on the Accession of the Republic of North Macedonia to NATO and sent it to Parliament for adoption under the shortened procedure.

The rationale of the proposed law states that, by reaching a historic agreement with Greece on the new name in June 2018, the integration of the Republic of North Macedonia into NATO, after many years of stagnation, marked significant progress and at the NATO Summit in July 2018, Macedonia was invited to start accession talks with the Alliance. With the adoption of constitutional changes in the Parliament and the ratification of the Prespa Agreement by the Greek Parliament, the conditions for the signing of the Protocol on the Accession of the Republic of North Macedonia to NATO were created at the North Atlantic Council meeting (NAC) on 6 February 2019.