01 March 2019 - Last year’s edition of the Sea Dance Festival, Montenegrin star festival organised by EXIT Team, managed to surpass all expectations straight from the start, attracting almost 50,000 people to one of the most beautiful beaches in Montenegro – Buljarica! This year’s festival, which will take place from August 30 to September 1 at the same location, is bound to be even hotter!

The first wave of the festival’s music stars is led by one of the most successful music producers of the 21st century - David Guetta! Guetta’s assistors in launching a new era for the Sea Dance Festival will include one of the leading German DJs and producers - Robin Schulz, who keeps shaking the main stages of festivals around Europe. The French hit duo Ofenbach, whose hits have topped the charts around the world, will join the German showman in creating the best atmosphere at the festival, leaving no one indifferent!

The current line-up was announced at the press conference at the Ministry of Culture in Budva. According to the president of the Municipality of Budva, Marko Carević, moving the festival from the peak of the season to its near-end extends the tourist season and places Budva as the leader on the new eminent markets. Surely, Sea Dance Music Festival managed to fulfil all expectations in the past years and with its quality organization and performers, the manifestation earned unreserved support of its sponsors.

“Sea Dance contributes to the affirmation of Budva as a world-famous destination and brings audiences from all the meridians to our city,” highlighted Carević.

After the first five years of development and a series of success along the way, the Sea Dance Festival has entered a new era, and it is time for new, even more ambitious steps, claims the founder of EXIT and the Sea Dance Festival, Dušan Kovačević. “This year's program confirms the new era, because the world's biggest stars are coming to Budva and Montenegro, and soon, we will announce major headliners of the third day, while dozens of other performers will be announced earlier than ever,” he says, adding that this year he expects a record visit.

The tickets will be available through the official website of Sea Dance Festival, while from March 5, through the official travel agency EXIT Trip, tourist packages will be available to visitors, which, in addition to tickets, will also contain various options for accommodation and transportation.

02 March 2019 - President of Montenegro and the President of Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović, stated that Montenegro must carry out painful socio-political structural reforms, particularly in the “sensitive” fields, to create conditions for a reduction of costs of public services.

“We are considering how to keep the same pace of economic growth in the medium term. Although we have achieved good results in the previous 13 years in terms of attraction of foreign direct investments, we now have to carry out painful socio-political structural reforms,” said Đukanović.

He said that the primary goal was to make public services better and more efficient and tailored to the needs of citizens, tourists, investors and entrepreneurs.

“Now, on the agenda, there is a question of our ability to create solutions that will lead to faster economic growth," concluded the President.

At a meeting of the Council for Monitoring of Implementation of the DPS’ Electoral Programme, he said that the goal of the development policies was to preserve competitiveness, encourage investments and entrepreneurship and improve the living standard.

Đukanović believes that the costs of public administration and social welfare should be lower, while the budget allocations for healthcare and education should be analysed in great detail.

According to the leader of DPS, it is only fair that the most important political exams are taken on this exact subject. "I am deeply convinced that DPS, due to its quality and due to the lack of real competition, absolutely has the best potential to answer these questions," Đukanović said.

02 March 2019 - As previously reported by TMN, Sociate Generale Group has signed an agreement for the sale of a stake in its Montenegrin subsidiary to Crnogorska komercijalna banka (CKB), i.e. OTP Group, subject to receipt of clearances from the relevant banking, antitrust and market authorities.

After submission of a request for an acquisition agreement by Crnogorska komercijalna banka (CKB) and Societe Generale bank Montenegro, the Central Bank (CBCG) will collect all relevant information and decide if the conditions have been met to approve this process.

“In compliance with its competencies, the CBCG will collect all relevant information in a formal decision making procedure, on the basis of which it will decide if the required conditions have been met for the approval of this merger, and what will be the impact of that transaction on the rest of the banking market,” the CBCG says in a press release.

The press release says that Chief Executive Officer of CKB informed the CBCG in mid-February about the plans of this financial company to acquire a 90.56 percent stake in Societe Generale banka Montenegro.

“However, the CBCG has not been informed about the concrete elements of the acquisition agreement concluded between these two companies,” the press release says.

Crnogorska komercijalna banka (CKB), the Montenegrin subsidiary of OTP Bank has signed an acquisition agreement on purchasing a 90.56 percent stake in Societe Generale banka Montenegro for €40.46 million.

The press release also says that Societe Generale banka Montenegro will continue to provide high-quality service to its retail and corporate clients, while preparing a smooth transition for its clients, ensuring the stability in their relations with the bank.

“Societe Generale Montenegro will be part of the cooperation agreement signed between Societe Generale and OTP Bank that encompass the provision of mutual services in various fields, including, but not limited to investment banking, capital markets, financing cash and liquidity management,” the bank says.

Source: MINA News Agency

03 March 2019 - According to News Agency Jedro, during the summer season 2019, the Montenegrin and Italian coast will be connected by the Croatian ferry Dubrovnik.

Stock Company Barska plovidba and its Croatian partner Jadrolinija from Rijeka have been in charge of the Bar-Bari route, a service that exists over half a century, for two years in a row.

The representatives of Montenegrin company Barska plovidba recently confirmed for Jedro that the most reasonable and probable solution for the establishment of a seasonal ferry service between the cities of Bar (Montenegro) and Bari (Italy) is the ferry Dubrovnik.

This will mark the third season in a row that the Croatian ship Dubrovnik takes over the Bar-Bari service line as the Montenegrin Stock Company Barska Plovidba still hasn’t purchased a ferry.

The managerial staff of SC Barska Plovidba visited Rijeka (Croatia) in February to negotiate business requirements, the timetable and schedule for ferries with managers of Croatia’s Jadrolinija.

“The 2019 summer season is about to start, and we had to provide an alternative solution for the Bar-Bari ferry line. We had good cooperation with Jadrolinija over the past two years, and we expect this collaboration to continue in the same way this year as well. Barska Plovidba’s still striving to buy a used passenger vessel that would take over the Bar-Bari line,” said the president of the Board of Directors of SC Barska Plovidba, Ljubo Kočović.

"This line was established in 1965, and so far it has transported two million passengers, 240.000 cars and about 100.000 trucks and trailers. For half a century, the number of passengers who have travelled on this route is four times bigger than the total number of people living in Montenegro, and our most successful business years were 1995, 1996, 2006, 2007 and 2008, "said Tihomir Mirković, Acting Director of Barska plovidba.

The ferry Dubrovnik has the length of 122,06 metres, a width of 18,82 metres and height of 12,55 metres with a gauge of 4,83 metres. The ferry’s structure includes a restaurant with 135 seats, a self-service restaurant with 224 seats, a cake shop, a bar with 274 seats, a video hall, a chapel and a playroom for children.

February 3, 2019 - Last night in Podgorica, the most massive protest took place since the independence of Montenegro, which according to the organizers, gathered 19,700 citizens from all over the country. At the fourth rally within the campaign “97,000 Odupri Se” (Resist!) held peacefully and without any incident, in addition to repeated demands for resignations with the deadline of 15 March, the protesters also addressed the opposition this time, demanding that they leave Parliament and boycott all elections in Montenegro until the fulfillment of civilian demands.

"We are the State", Copyright: 97,000 Odupri Se

Citizens at the Independence Square, Photo by Jelena Djurkovic

Independence Square, 2 March 2019, Photo by Zoran Mikic

03 March 2019 - Prime Minister Duško Marković met earlier today with President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) Guido Raimondi. 

Montenegro is very committed to the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights and executes the decisions of the ECHR in Strasbourg without exception and in the short term, it was noted at the meeting. 

"We believe that the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights that have been made in relation to Montenegro are in its interest, not against it," PM Marković said, adding that the judicial system is strengthened and that it gives additional support to the implementation of the Convention. 

Prime Minister Marković emphasised that Montenegro is striving towards the full implementation of European values and in this context pointed to the importance of NATO membership and EU negotiations. He added that a special focus was placed on meeting the provisional benchmarks for chapters 23 and 24 and in relation to the need to strengthen the rule of law, highlighted the importance of the freedom of the media, the fight against human trafficking, organised crime and corruption, and the strengthening of law enforcement authorities. 

European Court of Human Rights President Guido Raimondi praised the promptness in the execution of the European Court's decisions, noting that efforts to fully implement the rule of law are of the utmost importance. 

Both sides stressed the importance of signing Protocol 16 by Montenegro, which extends the jurisdiction of the European Court to provide advisory opinions at the request of the national court of the highest instance, arising from the need to reduce the inflow of cases from the member states of the Council of Europe within the comprehensive reform of the system that rests on the Convention on Human Rights. 

President of the Supreme Court Vesna Medenica and judge at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg Ivana Jelić also attended the meeting.

03 March 2019 - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Zoran Pažin met earlier today with President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) Guido Raimondi.

We are proud that Europe sees Montenegro as an example of responsible and consistent execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, DPM Pažin said at the meeting.

DPM Pažin said that Montenegro is aware of the great privilege and responsibility that, as a member of the Council of Europe, it provides its citizens with the highest level of protection of human rights and freedoms guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights. 

The Deputy Prime Minister expressed satisfaction with the European Court's assessment that there is no systematic violation of human rights in Montenegro. He stressed that Montenegro will continue to execute all judgments of the European Court in a timely, conscientious and proper manner, which it perceives as a chance for further development of the domestic legal order, promotion and strengthening of human rights and freedoms of Montenegrin citizens.

DPM Pažin pointed out that Montenegrin institutions pay full attention to the application of the standards of the European Convention at the national level, adding that the European Commission's latest progress report shows that Montenegro enjoys a good level of cooperation with the ECHR.

European Court President Raimondi welcomed Montenegro's commitment to respecting high standards of protection of human rights and freedoms and commended the Government for the principled and consistent execution of all judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. President Raimondi also stressed that a quality dialogue that the ECHR has with Montenegrin courts is essential for strengthening the national legal system.

03 March 2019 - On the occasion of the celebration of the Day of Protection and Rescue in Montenegro and the World Civil Defence Day, the Ministry of the Interior organised a ceremony to grant awards and recognitions for the contribution to the development of the protection and rescue system in the previous year. 

Minister of the Interior Mevludin Nuhodžić and Director General of the Directorate for Emergency Situations Mirsad Mulićaddressed the audience. 

Prime Minister Duško Marković sent a congratulatory letter to members of the protection and rescue services, noting that they are a reliable backbone both of Montenegro and our NATO partners. 

Minister Nuhodžić emphasised that every year the rescue system is additionally improved. He recalled that last year a new firefighting aircraft was purchased and the status of 20 firefighters was solved. The Minister expressed special satisfaction with the Protection and Rescue Fund, through which over 94,000 EUR were allocated for projects that will further strengthen the rescue system. The commitment of the Government and the Ministry of the Interior to improving the status of firefighters is also shown in an increase in their wage coefficient, the Minister said, adding that this was only one of the benefits defined by the Law on Protection and Rescue. 

Director General Mulić expressed satisfaction with the quality of the rescue system and the good cooperation of all the entities of the system, pointing to the complexity and responsibility of the tasks performed by members of the protection and rescue system. 

Mulić noted that there were 13 296 interventions in the past year, while Directorate for Emergency Situations 112 recorded 105 395 calls and coordinated 40 rescue operations in the mountains, where 88 people were rescued. He also stressed that there were no human casualties. 

A total of 19 awards and recognitions were granted this year. 

02 March 2019 - The most expensive villa in Montenegro was sold in Tivat Municipality for 10 million EUR, stated Niko Laković, executive director of Nekretnina.me, a website offering superb luxury properties throughout Montenegro.

According to Laković, certain villas and apartments in Montenegro have been sold at even higher prices than in some other, more developed tourist destinations.

“Over the past few years, the real estate market in Montenegro saw an upward trend and the opportunities have been pretty favorable. The luxury real estate market functions mainly thanks to Porto Montenegro and Luštica Bay, where most of the high-end apartments were sold at higher prices than in some more developed tourist destinations,” said Laković.

The average price of villas per square meter in a high-end Montenegrin village ranges from 6,000 EUR to 7,000 EUR, said Laković, adding that some coastal villas are being offered from 5,000 EUR/sqm to even 10,000 EUR/sqm (palaces in Dobrota, Ljuta and Perast).

So far, affluent real estate buyers from Serbia showed the most interest in Montenegrin luxury properties followed by the Turks, Russians, and Brits.

Luštica Development Company, responsible for developing and building Luštica Bay, stated that last year was pretty much successful when it comes to selling homes and apartments which brought to somewhat higher prices of the remaining real estate in this newly built luxury complex. According to this company, the most expensive villa in Luštica Bay was sold for 2.43 million EUR and right now, there’s another 3-room townhouse available for purchase if anyone’s willing to give 1.03 EUR million for it. As for the apartments in this village, the most expensive one is situated in the residency ‘Kamelija’ and can be purchased for 1.58 million EUR.

Source: Cafe del Montenegro

02 March 2019 - Representatives of the Government of Montenegro recently hosted President of the European Handball Federation (EHF) Michael Wiederer for talks on the 2022 European Women's Handball Championship, which will take place in three countries - Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Slovenia.

The representatives of the Government of Montenegro stated that further development of sports is among the strategic policies of the Government, together with the affirmation of top athletes and their results, as well as the improvement of sports infrastructure throughout the country.

It was concluded that Montenegro, as part of further support for sports and state promotion, has taken adequate steps to sponsor this competition with the valuable support of the European Handball Federation.

In that context, the meeting also discussed the need to build a multifunctional sports hall in the Capital City of Podgorica, which would serve other purposes as well. Both sides agreed that the new facility would be an important link in further affirmation of sports, but also an important additional content in the tourist offer of Montenegro and the Capital City.

The meeting was also attended by Minister of Sports and Youth Nikola Janović, Vice President of the European Handball Federation Predrag Bošković and President of the Handball Federation of Montenegro Petar Kapisoda.

Recently, the biggest Montenegrin club, the Women's Handball Club Budućnost, celebrated the Jubilee - 70 years of existence in the Montenegrin National Theater.

Seven decades were presented through a documentary by Blagota Marunović and the Center for Multimedia Production (CEZAM), in which their stories about Budućnost were told by the former presidents Miško Kalezić, Rade Đurđić, Budimir Stanišić and Predrag Bošković, famous coach and sports director Nikola Petrović, legends of this sport Maja Bulatović and Bojana Popović, current head of the expert staff Dragan Adžić and well-known senior fans - Zef-Bato Dedivanović and Husein-Ceno Tuzović.