April 15, 2019 - Several hundred citizens gathered on Sunday, 14 April in the Arms Square in Kotor at a protest gathering "Who is handing over Kotor?. The protest is against the shift of Mayor Vladimir Jokic (Democrats). They called on the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to give up its initiative for his resignation until the creation of conditions for fair and free elections.

With harsh disapproval and whistles on each mention of the party and its members, demonstrators have called on the SDP to fulfill its obligations in the ruling coalition with the Democrats, the DF, the URA, and the SNP. Protestors called SDP constituents to cease to sabotage the work of the majority in the local parliament, which Ranko Krivokapić's party has been doing for months now.

Otherwise, as heard at the meeting, the citizens of Kotor and the rest of the local governmental councilors believe that the SDP opened a coalition with the opposition DPS, SD, and HGI in that city and thus overlapped the electoral will of citizens from the last local elections in 2016. Acting this way, SDP also fails its signature on the recently-concluded Future Agreement with the rest of the opposition and organizers of civil protests #ODUPRISE.

SDP had formally launched the Jokić dismissal initiative ten days ago, accusing him of being autocratic, failing to meet strategic development plans and causing damage to Kotor. Their effort was supported by the DPS, SD and HGI delegates, and a session of the Assembly that is scheduled for their request, which will address the issue of trust to the Mayor, is scheduled for 24 April.

Mayor of Kotor, Vladimir Jokic and the president of Democrats, Aleksa Becic, Photo by Sinisa Lukovic

An informal group of citizens organized Sunday's protest against the intentions of SDP, DPS, SD, and HGI to rid Jokić, and support was provided by numerous activists of the movement "97,000 - Odupri Se".

The leader of Democrats, Aleksa Becic and the party functionaries Boris Bogdanovic and Danilo Saranovic, President od Crnogorska Vladimir Pavićević, mayor of Herceg Novi Stevan Katić (Democrats), Deputy Prime Minister of Kotor, Mišo Samardžić (PzP), President of Kotor Parliament and President DSS Dragica Perovic and numerous civic and NGO activists attended the protest. There were also members of the SNP headed by the former delegation of that party at the Montenegrin Assembly Snežana Jonica.

Among the citizens of the Arms Square were some of the members and functionaries of the Kotor SDP: Mladen Lučić, the current director of the Utility Company, the president of the Women's Forum SDP Kotor Jelena Milić, vice-president of the Women's Forum SDP Kotor Danijela Vidović.

Speaking to the gathering, Perovic said that the session of the local parliament on April 24 will not be the Assembly for which they voted and who expressed the will of the citizens from October 2016, for which the attendees invited them to the square to declare whether they are for or against the shifts Mayor of Jokic.

"I find that the proposal for the dissolution of the President of the Municipality of Kotor has been strongly rejected," Perovic said following the crowds presenting support for Jokić and the rejection of the SDP initiative.

The president of the Assembly of Kotor, Dragica Perovic, Photo by Sinisa Lukovic

"All of your efforts to end the election of thefts, intimidation, pressures, and political corruption, have resulted in the withdrawal from the Montenegrin regime in Kotor. Who is trying to bring that cremated ghost back to the political scene? Who wants to go to Kotor? Is our memory so short that we have forgotten everything they did - all the damage, all the lawlessness, the devastation of our environment and our lives, and which individuals are trying to rehabilitate in the last half of the year?"Perovic said, pointing out that "the time of the carnival has passed, so the political masks in Kotor should drop."

"The obsession that has been following us for the last thirty years is a great burden for each of us, especially for our children, our youth that is happy, prosperous, and humane," said Milica Ilic, one of the organizers of the civil protest.

"I sincerely believe in the love and dedication of Vladimir Jokic to Kotor. That's why I'm here today. I want to save the forces, the will, and the character of Kotor, a bastion of freedom, for our children and us," she said.

Dr. Goran Jovanovic (Timur Tmurni), Deputy of Democrats in the Assembly of Kotor, poet, satirist, and musician reminded that citizens of Kotor recently burned this year's carnival Tranjo Djudice Montanaro, who alluded to the leader of SDP Ranko Krivokapić.

"In this kind of Montenegro, politics is reduced to infinite obstructions, raids, blackmails, attempts to take you back to the barracks; to be with them in the same mud. They are constantly knocking on their chests, calling for everlasting consistency, repeated phrases that differ from promises and acts, and support the survival of collective amnesia and collective madness," Jovanovic said, and added that "the biggest devastator of Kotor's mafia and thug regime Don Milo Corleone Djukanovic, his satellites and partners in holding a thief bag."

"Some still keep the sack, and some have kept it for a while, so maybe again," said Jovanovic, adding that "Kotor is undone and wounded, abandoned by many worthy and disappointed, but still has the power to resist and will resist."

Source: Sinisa Lukovic/ Boka News

The company "Zain Property Development" from Oman will soon begin construction of a diplomatic residence in Podgorica in Zagoric, and a Montenegrin company will build the villas, confirmed "Vijesti".

"Zain Property Development" will soon sign a contract with Montenegrin contractors, but they did not want to reveal which Montenegrin company would build luxurious villas in the area of the former barracks in Zagoric.

The project is worth six million euros, and will be officially presented to the Montenegrin public next week.

The project in Podgorica is a "test of the European market", says the Oman company.

"Zain Property Development" has already implemented several similar projects in Oman, and they are registered in Montenegro since 2016.

"Zain", a company owned by the family Moos Al Raisi from Oman, bought the land of 9,696 square feet in Zagoric for 752,201 euros in April 2017.

They received the consent of the chief architect Dusan Vuksanovic for the conceptual solution of the complex (residential building, squares, etc.), which was made by Studio Synthesis architecture & design from Podgorica.

Representatives of the company asked the Agency for the Construction and Development of Podgorica to calculate a fee for utility installations of the land for the construction of the complex in Zagoric.

At its session on December 29^th in 2016, the Government approved the sale of land in Zagoric.

"In response to the request, the Ministry of Finance initiated the procedure of sale of immovable property in the ownership of the state of Montenegro, i.e. part of the urban plots, and, after obtaining the consent by the Government, in accordance with the regular legal procedure, issued a public invitation to participate in public tenders for the sale of immovable property owned by the state of Montenegro, with a total area of 9,696 square meters, estimated at EUR 77.58 per square meter," the Ministry of Finance said earlier. 

The executive director of the company, according to the Central Register of Business Entities, is Milos Milosevic, and founders are members of the family Al Raisi with 49 percent by Moos Mohamed Abdullah Moos, and 51 percent by Mish 'Al Mohamed Abdullah Moos. The headquarters are on Tuski put in Podgorica.

Text by Borko Zdero, on April 12th 2019, read more at Vijesti

14 April 2019 - A total of 4.294 people with higher education in Montenegro are unemployed. Around 43% are younger than 30. However, the fact that 1.632 entrepreneurs under 35 were registered in 2018 shows that young people are looking for salvation in founding their own company.

According to Darko Kuzmanović, statistics adviser within the Employment Agency of Montenegro, most unemployed highly educated people are from Podgorica 1.206. Nikšić and Bijelo Polje follow Podgorica.

“Records of the unemployed persons counts 244 master degrees and 19 Ph.D. degrees. There are 3,154 women and 1.770 men among the unemployed,” says Kuzmanović.

As representatives of the Chamber of Commerce state, the number of small and medium enterprises where at least one owner is under 35, amounted 4.795 in 2018.

“Young people account for 17,4% of the total number of entrepreneurs. In the total number of micro, small and medium enterprises, they take part in the ownership structure with 24,7%,” said the representatives of the Chamber of Commerce.

The current economic situation recognizes entrepreneurship as one of the ways of tackling the unemployment problem. Development of entrepreneurship skills would contribute to higher employment.

“Results of the research suggest that an entrepreneurship career is very popular among young people in Montenegro. More than 60% of the young people would rather work for themselves than for an employer, 75% think that starting their own business is risky, but that entrepreneurs enjoy a social reputation, while one third thinks about entering into entrepreneurship. Young entrepreneurs often choose sectors that are easily accessible and that do not require huge initial capital,” said the representatives of the Chamber of Commerce.

Representatives of the Union of Young Entrepreneurs think entrepreneurial resources are not used enough.

“Young people in Montenegro are becoming more and more aware of the opportunities for their own business. We must identify the space for putting our ideas into action. The idea does not have to be innovative and special. It should be sustainable and real, and that is enough,” said the representatives of the Union.

However, young people are faced with so many obstacles in their efforts to develop their own business.

“Moral support and finances are the first challenges young people face. Those who have already started their business face even greater challenges. They should be taken into account before launching anything,” said the representatives of the Union.

Ministry of Economy has envisaged a special programme line for entrepreneurship development for 2019. Besides, the Chamber of Commerce provides young people with many educational activities.

“They also have Enterprise Europe Network that offers the possibility of connecting with the partners from abroad. Also, Chamber implements projects that include clusters as a good model of cooperation,” said the representatives of the Chamber of Commerce.

Source: Cafe del Montenegro

14 April 2019 - Crvena Zvezda mts defeated Budućnost VOLI once again and have therefore doubled their lead in the 2019 ABA League Finals with the score of 107:69! This means that the red and whites need just one more win to dethrone the reigning champions and to return the precious trophy to Belgrade.

Game 2 was a one way street from the beginning to the end. Crvena Zvezda mts simply outplayed Budućnost VOLI in every single game element and the 38-point margin at the end shows how much better the home team was in this match.

The only bad thing for the Belgrade side was the injury of Stratos Perperoglou, who had to leave the court at the end of the 3rd quarter.

Crvena Zvezda mts started building their lead already in the opening quarter and the margin just kept growing and growing throughout the match. The home side was even up by 40 points at one moment.

The man of the match award belongs to Stratos Perperoglou. The Greek forward scored 17 points before he had to leave the court due to injury. He also missed only one shot during the entire game as he was 4/4 for 2 points and 3/4 for 3 points.

When it comes to Crvena Zvezda mts, this was as close as you can get to the perfect game. The red and whites were 25/30 for 2 pointers, 12/25 for 3-pointers, they had 26 rebounds, 20 assists, ten steals and only seven turnovers. For Budućnost VOLI, Nemanja Gordic scored 11 points along with six assists while Filip Barović and James Bell added ten points each.

Source: Aba League News

Montenegro has made progress in the fiscal and financial sphere, it was assessed at a meeting of representatives of the Montenegrin delegation and the World Bank, and a strong expectation that a second development policy guarantee could be approved at the end of this or early next year.

Members of the Montenegrin delegation have continued talks on approving the other guarantee for development policy at a meeting with the Vice-President of the World Bank (WB) for Europe and Central Asia Cyril Muller, organized within the spring session and this financial institution and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

"It has been stated that Montenegro has made progress in the fiscal and financial sphere and a strong expectation that this arrangement could be approved by the end of this year or early next year," it was stated in the joint statement by the Central Bank (CBCG) and the Ministry of Finance.

The meeting was also about the projects implemented in Montenegro, funded by WB. At a meeting of the Montenegrin delegation headed by CBCG Governor Radoje Zugic and Minister of Finance Darko Radunovic with the Director of the European Department of the IMF, Paul Thomsen, it was noted that CBCG selected the appropriate priorities for the forthcoming period, relating to the improvement of supervision, money laundering prevention measures and strengthening and modernizing the payment system.

Radunovic presented fiscal indicators for the previous year and mid-term projections, stating that in the first two months of this year, budget revenues increased by 18.5 percent compared to the same period last year.

As he said, structural reforms, in particular, those of importance for obtaining another development policy guarantee, continued.

At a meeting with the Dutch-Belgian constituency executive director in the IMF, Antony Delanoy it was discussed the macroeconomic environment in Montenegro, the situation in the banking system and measures of fiscal consolidation.

Members of the Montenegrin delegation said that despite the problem-solving in small non-systematic banks, business indicators were improved, which contributed to the preservation of credit rating.

With the executive director of the Dutch constituency at WB, Koen Davids, the delegation talked about technical assistance programs and challenges in realizing projects funded by this financial institution. The delegation also participated in a regional workshop organized by Thomsen featuring the macroeconomic tendencies in Europe. 

"It is noted that we expect a slightly weaker growth than the previous year, but that macroeconomic fundamentals are still satisfactory. A special segment of the workshop referred to the inefficiency of state-owned enterprises, “CBCG and the Ministry of Finance reported.

Text by MINA Business, on April 14th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

14 April 2019 - Lipa Cave, the first cave adventure in Montenegro that offers a fascinating diversity of karst features to provide visitors with a unique experience of the underground world, officially opened for visitors on April 1.

Located near Cetinje and visited by more than 20 thousand people per year, the cave traditionally opened its beautiful and wild system of 2.5 km of passages and halls for visitors this April.

The representatives of tourist company Lipa Cave recently announced that the ticket prices remained the same as last year. The ticket price for adults is 10.9 EUR, for children up to five years 1 EUR, and for children from 5-15 years old 6.9 EUR. The family package costs 29.9 EUR and includes two adults and two or three children up to 15 years of age. The price includes parking, a train drive to the cave and back, a tour of the cave, a guide and insurance.

All the tours of the cave begin with a train ride that departs from the Lipska Cave parking lot and arrives at the cave entrance where all the visitors get off and eagerly await the start of their tour.

Each year, Lipa Cave offers two types of tours, so visitors have the opportunity to choose The Cave Tour that is accessible to everyone and has the length of 600 meters and The Extreme Tour aimed at adventurers. "Aside from the regular tours, additional services such as wine tasting and a mini-concert of classical music in the cave will be organised," said the company's representatives.

As explained by the tourist organisation Lipa Cave, the cave was open for tours since 2015. All visitors of the cave are accompanied by local guides who are kind, helpful, and well-trained. Cave tours are easily accessible as Lipa Cave is located only 33 km from Budva, 35 km from Podgorica, and 5 km from Cetinje. Its built-in trails and modern lighting make it even more attractive and perfectly safe. The cave is preserved in line with high environmental conservation standards. Only a year later from its opening websites like Montenegro Travel, Trip Advisor, as well as many others recommended Lipa Cave as one of the best places to visit in Montenegro. All the efforts of the TO are focused on providing an unforgettable cave adventure to the cave’s visitors, which has placed it on the list of the attractions you must see in Cetinje.

14 April 2019 - Hungarian Ambassador to Montenegro József Négyesi estimated that it is realistic for Montenegro to become a full member of the European Union by 2025.

The Ambassador said that Hungary follows the political developments in the Western Balkans with special attention and that the dangers of slowing down the integration process are completely clear to them.

“That's why we advocate that the European Union, and also the members themselves, despite the numerous existing challenges, make the decisions necessary to accelerate the integration of the countries of the region as soon as possible", said Hungarian Ambassador to Montenegro József Négyesi in an interview with Pobjeda daily.

He pointed out that there is significant progress in fulfilling the preconditions for Chapter 23: Judiciary and fundamental rights and Chapter 24: Justice, freedom and security.

Asked whether he notices that there is a delay in EU enlargement policy, he says that Hungary's position on this issue is clear. "It's never enough to emphasize that enlargement is a process that represents the road to a united and stronger Europe, whose intensity and efficiency, however, is subject to change," Négyesi said.

If the situation continues to develop as in the past, the Ambassador believes that the year 2025 represents the real deadline for the accession of Montenegro to the European Union.

"The accession to the European Union, above all, depends on the readiness and effort of Montenegro. My previous experience tells me that Montenegro does not lack political determination or professional knowledge. Therefore, according to my assessment, if Montenegro maintains the current tempo of preparation, it can become a full member of the EU by 2025, "he said.

According to Ambassador Négyesi, the Hungarian Government aims to provide all available support to Montenegro in the interest of faster accession to the EU, and at this moment two Hungarian EU experts work in Podgorica to assist the Montenegrin Government in the process of EU integration.

In regards to cooperation between the two countries, the Ambassador said that the key area for strengthening relations is the economy, especially agriculture.

"Thanks to excellent political relations and a favourable investment climate, Hungary has indeed become one of the largest investors in Montenegro since the restoration of Montenegro's independence. The total value of foreign direct foreign investments from Hungary to Montenegro over the past decade exceeded 500 million euros," Négyesi said.

The Ambassador also assessed that Hungarian companies are satisfied with the business climate in Montenegro. The most important Hungarian investors include OTP Bank and Hunguest Hotels, which have had positive experiences in Montenegro. This is evidenced by the fact that most of the present Hungarian companies are planning to expand their activities in Montenegro, and Négyesi hopes that this will result in new Hungarian investments and the arrival of new Hungarian companies to Montenegro.

April 14, 2019 - Protest of support for President of Kotor Municipality Vladimir Jokić will be held on Sunday at 11.55 am at the Arms Square in the Old town of Kotor. A protest call titled "Who is handing over Kotor?" on the social network Facebook sent a group of citizens called Kontrafor. 

13 April 2019 -  Italian Air Force Eurofighter aircraft were launched for the first time to execute a NATO Air Policing mission over Montenegro.

In the morning of 9 April 2019 Italian Air Force Eurofighter based at Gioia del Colle Air Base some 20 km south of Bari, Italy, was launched by NATO's Combined Air Operations Centre at Torrejon, Spain. The mission was to intercept a civilian airliner that lost communications with civilian air traffic control over Croatia and was heading south towards Montenegro and Albania.

Two Eurofighter aircraft who are on alert to protect NATO airspace over Italy, Albania and Montenegro under the auspices of the Alliance, successfully intercepted the aircraft only a few minutes later. The Eurofighter pilots a visual check of the aircraft to rule out illegal action, technical or any other issues. 

It was established that the loss of communications was related to a misunderstanding between civilian air traffic control and the airliner crew. After resuming regular contact with the civilian controllers, the airliner continued to proceed to its destination in Hurghada, Egypt.

Allied Air Command is in charge of all Air and Space matters from northern Norway to southern Italy and from the Azores to eastern Turkey. All missions support NATO’s strategic concepts of Collective Defence, Crisis Management and Cooperative Security.

Source: NATO Allied Air Command

13 April 2019 - The first section of the Bar Boljare motorway will be completed in the middle of next year and this deadline will be met, Chairman of the Chinese company CCCC Liu Qitao promised at a meeting with Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković in Dubrovnik. Vice President of CCCC Wen Gang and President of the CRBC Lu Shan and their associates also attended the meeting.

Prime Minister Marković emphasised the importance of the project for the overall development of Montenegro and stressed that the works must be completed within the defined deadline.

"The motorway connects the country and encourages the development of all sectors of the economy. Furthermore, at this stage, we have indirect investments in agriculture, tourism, and other areas," PM Marković said to representatives of CCCC, one of the world's 500 richest companies and among the largest in the world for designing and building roads. CRBC, which builds the first motorway section in Montenegro, is a subsidiary of CCCC.

The high-quality completion of works on the priority section, Prime Minister Marković pointed out, is the capital for everyone and it will open cooperation possibilities for projects in the future. Both sides agreed that it is a project of two countries, which will be a symbol of friendship between Montenegro and China.

Liu said that his CCCC company successfully works around the world and can work on several other projects in Montenegro.

Prime Minister Marković said that the options for cooperation in different areas would be considered in the coming period.

"Our economy has grown at a rate of over 4.7 percent over the past two years, and a significant generator of such growth is the construction of the motorway. I want to provide these growth rates for a longer period, and for that, we need credible partners and private capital," the Prime Minister highlighted.