March 7, 2019 - Representatives of the Lufthansa Group visited the Tivat Airport, a month before their first flight to Montenegro. For the first time in history, the biggest European company is flying to Tivat from Munich, and a day later from Frankfurt. During talks with the Airport of Montenegro's Managing Director, Danilo Orlandić, representatives of Lufthansa informed that their airplane from Tivat would fly to Munich and Frankfurt once a week.

March 7, 2019 - Members of the Managing Board of the Union of Seafarers Montenegro based in Kotor are ready to assist in all projects that will improve the efficiency and fluency of the work of the Harbor Master Offices in Kotor and Bar.

Montenegrin athletes for the fourth time will participate in the World Summer Special Olympic Games, which will be held in Abu Dhabi from March 8^th to March 22^nd.

At these World Summer Games SOI, 7,500 athletes, over 3,000 members of national delegations and over 20,000 volunteers, will participate, which will be the largest Olympic Games organized so far.

Our delegation will consist of 22 members, out of which 19 will take part in sports competitions and the remaining 3 members will represent our country at the World Youth Forum organized during the WSG.

Our athletes will compete in 3 sports: athletics, table tennis and bowling. For the first time, we will participate in Unified competitions (inclusive sports) in which our athletes, together with their partners, will try to reach medals.

In the athletics, our athletes will compete in races of 100 and 200 meters as well as in discus throw. In table tennis, Montenegro will compete in the disciplines male singles, female singles, mixed doubles and unified doubles. In bowling, they will participate in the disciplines of male singles, female singles, mixed teams and the unified team.

"After more intensive preparatory training in the last six months, we hope that our athletes, as before, will make excellent results and will again rejoice with medals," stated the Special Olympics of Montenegro.

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Text by CdM, on March 6th 2019, read more at CdM

Dino Radoncic, the youngest Montenegrin basketball player, in an interview for the official FIBA League of Champions website, said that it was "a special feeling" being able to celebrate the placement in the World Cup.

"It was the most beautiful and happiest in my career. Latvia is a big team, and they arrived in Podgorica with five players from the Euro league. I think we did an extraordinary job by preventing them to win with more than eight points. It was a tough game, we went through difficult moments, but in the end – the placement to the World Cup is to be remembered," said Radoncic.

Although he is only 20, the player of Real, on loan to Murcia, is already a member of the Montenegrin selection for two and a half years.

He debuted on August 31^st, 2016, against Slovakia in the qualifications for the EuroBasket. He was also a member of the national team at the European Championship 2017.

"It was an incredible experience to play against Spain. A special memory for me will remain that I played against Pau Gasol. At the end of the match, I even wanted to ask him for an autograph, but we lost with 39 points of difference, so it was not the best moment," he said.

He reiterated that the selection of the national team for which he would play was easy. He could play for Germany, where he was born, Spain, where he spent almost his entire career, or Serbia, the country his mother is from.

"The choice was easy. Montenegro is the land of my family, it's my blood, my roots. I liked the fact that Montenegro was ready to include such a young man in the project," said Radoncic.

In the future, he wants to participate even more in the achievements of the Montenegrin team.

"It's an honor to be able to contribute to the fact that Montenegro is going to the World Cup. It is a big deal. As for me personally, I always want more and I'm sure that in the coming period I will be much more useful to the national team," said the basketball player of Murcia.

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Text by Vijesti sport, on March 6th 2019, read more at Vijesti

The government will soon be able to propose a gradual increase in the minimum wage of social partners, trade unions and the Union of employers, in order to reach half of the average salary in three or four years, along with partial tax benefits for employers, Vijesti reports.

This analysis is in the final phase and it was done in parallel with the analysis of the proposals of the trade unions and SDP that the minimum wage is immediately increased to the amount of half of the average salary, which has been negotiated for two years. The Employers Union increases the minimum wage by introducing a non-taxable portion of earnings or decreasing taxes on earnings.

The Ministry of Finance is finalizing the analysis and the final proposal could be known in about ten days. The current minimum wage of 193 euros has not changed for six years and is the lowest in the region. Also, Montenegro has the highest tax burden on earnings.

The proposed model could be similar to that agreed in Croatia in 2017 when all social partners decided that the amount of minimum wage will gradually increase to an amount of 50 percent of the average by the end of 2020. At that time, the minimum wage in Croatia was 40 percent of the average, and with the increase from December last year, now it is 46 percent of the average. At the same time, tax incentives and subsidies are introduced to employers, such as the possibility that the state subsidizes a portion of taxes and contributions if the employer cannot pay salaries higher than the minimum due to unforeseen circumstances or market disturbances, as was the case in the textile industry in Croatia at the time.

According to the working version, which is still being analyzed, the minimum wage could be increased to 42 or 43 percent from the previous year by the end of this year, and then it would grow by two or three percentage points each year until it reaches 50 percent of the average with which, later on, it would be regularly adjusted on a regular basis. At the same time, employers would be exempted from an additional two percent tax on gross earnings above average and tax on reinvested profits, also some form of tax-free profit sharing would be introduced, but with some restrictions, so no misuse would occur.

Now in the Montenegrin law, it says that the minimum wage cannot be less than 30 percent of the average, but in 2013, the social partners agreed that at that time it would still be 40 percent of the then average, so it received the amount of 193 euros. Since there was no annual harmonization since then, the minimum wage now stands at 38 percent of the average.

Now, for every euro of net earnings, employers pay 67 cents of taxes and contributions, and if the salary is above average, the fees can amount to 75 cents for each euro net earnings.

The average net salary in 2018 was 511 euros. If, according to these analyzes, the new amount of minimum wage would be set at 42 percent of the average, this would be a growth from 193 to 214 euros. On this growth of 21 euros, the state would receive 14 euros of taxes and contributions.

For every increase in the minimum wage to affect average growth, it should be expected that in the four years the average salary will be around 550 euros and a minimum of 275 euros. This would also affect the state's higher costs of social benefits and pensions that are partially aligned with the increase in average earnings, as well as subsidies to employers that would be agreed to their consent to increase the minimum wage.

Analyzes, for now, show that the state budget would be at zero or a slight deficit with such a rise in the minimum wage, the increase in the costs of salaries and social benefits and tax incentives for employers. The government expects that in two or three years the results of economic growth and large investments in tourism and infrastructure will be visible, that there will be a significantly higher number of employees and therefore higher revenues for the state cash register and the possibility for the growth of standards.

The campaign for increasing the minimum wage has lasted for three years, and trade unions and SDP requested it. A year ago, SDP launched a petition to raise the minimum wage that was signed by 11,000 citizens. SDP ‘s delegate Rasko Konjevic has proposed several times amendments to the laws that would increase the minimum wage to 50 percent of the average, but the parliamentary majority rejected it.

Prime Minister Dusko Markovic said two days ago that he believes that there will be an increase in the minimum wage and that a step will be made in this direction, and that certain benefits will be provided to employers.

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Text by Goran Kapor, on March 6th 2019, read more at Vijesti

06 March 2019 - Parking Service Podgorica recently launched an Android and IOS application that allows users to park their vehicles at the parking lots managed by the Parking Service, to detect the specific zone in which they are located, to pay parking fees and simply control the time during which their vehicle is parked at a certain location (parking lot). The application can detect the zone in which the user is located using his current location, and it provides the possibility to purchase a ticket for that specific zone.

The application has many options that you can use, such as the list of all parking lots with the exact location and navigation to the specific parking lot, checking the parking zone, monthly subscription forms, and many others.

Assuming the user’s vehicle was improperly parked, using the application, a person can check whether the car was taken away by the public towing service.

Using the application also saves time and money by locating the most convenient parking location without having to drive around.

The free parking service application makes it easy to find and pay for parking without running back to “feed the meter”. Whether the user is looking for a spot in the moment or he/she wants to reserve a space ahead of time, Parking Servis Podgorica is the right app for them.

"Users will also receive notification through the application on their phones at the expiry of the active card and when it's possible to buy a ticket," the representatives of Parking Service announced.

The application named "Parking Servis Podgorica" can be downloaded free of charge at official Android and IOS stores.

06 March 2019 - On March 6, the Mayor of Podgorica Ivan Vuković and Acting Mayor of Ankara Ali Gökşin signed a formal twinning oath, based on the long-term trusting relationship between the two signatory towns – the capital of Montenegro, Podgorica and the Capital of Turkey, Ankara.

"A strong foundation of political, economic and cultural cooperation between Montenegro and Turkey, as well as Podgorica and Ankara, was established in the previous period, as evidenced by the presence of a large number of Turkish businessmen in Podgorica, the activities of the Turkish Cultural Centre Yunus Emre and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency - TİKA, and by the increasing number of Turkish tourists in Podgorica. In that sense, today's signing of the Agreement on twinning of the capitals of the two states is the basis for further strengthening of our relations," Mayor Vuković said at the signing of the agreement.

He reminded that Montenegro and Turkey, just like Podgorica and Ankara, have a lot of connections.

"The oldest part of Podgorica - Stara Varoš originated from the Ottoman Empire, and people from the territory of today's Turkey left an intense identity trail in our history. Montenegro and Podgorica represent environments that are highly multiethnic, multinational and multiconfessional, of which we are very proud. We want to recognise this heritage and affirm it further, "Mayor Vuković pointed out.

Noting that history is very important, he assessed that it is even more important that the economic and political relations of the two countries are continually progressing from the moment when Montenegro renewed its independence.

"Today, Montenegro and the Republic of Turkey are allies within the NATO alliance. We do not forget the contribution of the Republic of Turkey when it comes to supporting our country in the process of Euro-Atlantic integration. The relations between the two countries at the political level are remarkable, as are numerous examples of the activities of the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, the TIKA Agency and the Yunus Emre Institute. An exceptional basis exists for further development and improvement of relations, and in this sense, today's signing of the Agreement is seen as a major and important step in that direction. The initiative for a boulevard in Podgorica to carry the name of Turkey's Capital is currently being processed, "Vuković said.

He invited the Mayor of Ankara to visit Podgorica and to open a boulevard together with the name of Turkey’s Capital.

Acting Mayor of Ankara emphasized that the Agreement between Ankara and Podgorica is another confirmation of the friendship of the two countries.

"Both state administrations and the private sector are working to improve the relations of our two countries. Montenegro is one of the countries that mostly attract Turkish investors. I hope that after the signing of the Agreement, we will improve the relationship between the two cities on every level and that through our engagement we will contribute to the harmonic relationship between our citizens, "concluded Gokšin.

In the signed twinning agreement, it is noted that economic, cultural and other contacts that have continuously contributed to the strengthening of bilateral cooperation and long-standing friendship have been developed between two cities.

Before the signing of the agreement, the delegation of Mayor Vuković headed by Deputy Mayor Časlav Vešović, Entrepreneur Secretary Kemal Grbović and Director of the Agency for Building and Development of Podgorica Srdjan Raičević, discussed future terms of cooperation with the representatives of Municipality of Ankara. The meeting was also attended by the Ambassador of Montenegro to the Republic of Turkey Branko Milić. After the signing of the Agreement, the delegation visited Podgorica Street, which is located in the elite part of Ankara.

06 March 2019 - According to the data collected in February, 21.000 – 50.000 of submitted requests for property legalization have been processed.

"Most requests required additional documentation. In a small number of cases, the procedure was stopped and the decision has been adopted," said General Director of the Directorate for Housing Development within the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Marko Canović.

He points out that the property legalization process has not been blocked. It is just slower than expected due to the defined procedures and workload of the local administration units and the cadastral register.

“A great number of requests has been submitted, and their processing is a challenge for municipal administrations. The procedure is new, there is no practice,” says Mr. Canović.

The procedure entails the establishment of harmonization with the planning documentation, settled economic rights on the land and in the structure, as well as applicants’ will.

“Recording critical zones, mainly in the southern and central part, has been completed almost simultaneously with the expiration of the deadline for submitting requests,” said Canović and added that the Ministry, i.e., Unit for the quality control, must control the quality of the elements stated in the technical documentation and quality product plan.

Request for property legalization also included the design and authentication of the geodetic survey. It is, therefore, impossible to fictitiously legalize structures that can not be found.

“This orthophoto recording is not just a mere picture, but it is a collection of data about space. These data are the requirement for making records about the unlawfully built structures,” concluded Canović.

For proper implementation of regulations, authorizations and responsibilities of the municipalities regarding the adoption of decisions on the communal equipment of construction land for illegal structures, have been defined by law. The law also defines the annual fee for the use of land, as well as, fee for the provision of alternative accommodation.

06 March 2019 - President of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović, met with the Secretary-General of  NATO Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, in Brussels today. Đukanović said that Montenegro “is ready to defend its right to choose its path for the future in a sovereign way”, and Stoltenberg said that NATO could always count on Montenegro, as their reliable partner.

“I invite NATO to keep giving a contribution to what will turn out to be the only reliable formula of the stability of Western Balkans region. We are aware that there are interested third parties. We are ready to stoutly defend our right to choose our future path, to implement European system of values fully, not only in our state but also in the states of the region,” said the President of Montenegro.

Đukanović said that Montenegro “believes in NATO acquis and tries hard to promote them”.

“As a Member State, we assume responsibilities. We respect the dynamic plan of taking on equal burden of responsibility in financing NATO. Thanks to the dynamic GDP growth, we will be able to assume our responsibilities in the future too. The number of our representatives in NATO missions is getting bigger and bigger,” said President of Montenegro Đukanović.

Stoltenberg has said that Montenegro is a critical member of the Alliance. He welcomed its decision on increasing costs for defense. He also noted that Đukanović “is an ardent advocate of NATO open door policy”.

He thanked Montenegro for promoting stability at the Western Balkans, he thanked president Đukanović for the contribution of Montenegro to the Alliance and said he was looking forward to his arrival to London at the end of this year, at the meeting of the allied leaders.

Source: Cafe del Montenegro

05 March 2019 - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Zoran Pažin met today in London with British Minister of State for Europe and the Americas Alan Duncan. Montenegro and the United Kingdom are resolved to steadfastly oppose organised crime and serious criminal offenses through closer cooperation, it was noted at the meeting. 

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Duncan signed a bilateral agreement, complementing the European Convention on Extradition and facilitating its application. 

The main novelty of this agreement is that Montenegro and the United Kingdom express their readiness to extradite their own citizens to one another if one country seeks them for serious crimes for which a prison sentence of five or more years has been foreseen. 

"This agreement unambiguously indicates that there is a high degree of mutual respect and trust between Montenegro and the United Kingdom, with the conviction that the legal systems of both states will guarantee the right to a fair trial of every person who is extradited, respecting the presumption of innocence," DPM Pažin emphasised. 

The agreement states that the parties are "aware of the guarantee of the right to a fair trial of the accused within their legal systems, including the right to trial before an impartial tribunal established by law". 

DPM Pažin signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Minister Duncan and Financial Secretary to the Treasury Mel Stride to further deepen cooperation in the area of security, the rule of law and the joint fight against organised crime, especially against various types of financial crime.