The government has not given up on the construction of the Verige bridge that will connect the two sides of the Bay of Kotor, stated the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs. As CdM learns, serious international investors are interested in this project, among them are Azerbaijanis and Chinese. It is estimated that the project is worth about 150 million euros.

As CdM was told by the Traffic and Maritime Affairs, in 2017 a Preliminary Design was prepared for the bridge, 65 meters high, with access roads and bypass Tivat. The designer was Tempusprojekt from Zagreb.

With the aforementioned changes in bridge design solutions, the proposals, suggestions and recommendations from the Study of the Visual Impact of Verige Bridge in the Bay of Kotor would be fully respected. A feasibility study for the construction of the Verige bridge across the Boka Bay with access roads was also done, carried out by Omega consult - project management Ljubljana and CEED - Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development Podgorica. The Environmental Protection Study of the passage through the Boka Bay was also done.

As explained in Osman Nurkovic's department, the provisions of the Spatial Plan for the Special Purpose of the Coastal Area define the obligation to create special so-called HIA studies for all major facilities, and so for the bridge over the Boka Bay. The commitment to make the Preliminary Solution and the HIA study completed before the realization of the project was defined and the same to be presented to UNESCO.

Also, the provisions of the Spatial Plan of the Special Purpose of the Coastal Area and the workshops that were held in connection with the preparation of the HIA study of that plan determined to re-examine the new location of the transit through Boka Bay with the given variant solutions, and after the realization of these obligations, further consideration of the optimal conditions of understanding this capital project will be implemented.

"In 1999, the Government, or the then Directorate for the Construction of Highways in Montenegro, announced an International Competition for the Selection of the Location and the Ideal Solution for crossing over the Boka Bay, where the first place was awarded to POINTING Engineering Bureau in Maribor. Later, the design of the Main Project and the Technical Project was entrusted to GRADIS NG, whose work was completed in 2003, also from Maribor. During 2009, the Visual Impact Study of Verige Bridge was completed at the UNESCO Natural and Cultural-Historical Region of Kotor, aimed at visualizing and evaluating from the independent position the Verige bridge and connecting traffic facilities, which are planned at approx. 2.5 km from the protected natural and cultural region of Kotor," the Ministry claims.

Preliminary design

They further clarify that the Study was prepared following the instruction from the Ministry of Spatial Planning and Environmental Protection, based on the 2008 UNESCO Mission Report, stating that the proposed bridge "is not a threat to the UNESCO World Heritage Site", with a proposal for drawing up the Study on the visual impact of the current proposal of the bridge, taking into account the "exceptional universal value" of this property and its landscape within the entire territory of Boka Bay, including the World Heritage Site and its surroundings.

"The study was done by the Institute for Urban Planning and Regional Planning from the University of Aachen-Germany, in cooperation with the Ministry of Spatial Planning and Environmental Protection and GTZ," the Ministry said.

As they add, Monteput assumed certain obligations under the recommendations from the mentioned Study, which refer to additional technical checks of the project, reconsidering the tunnel variant of the passage, checking the possible correction of the height of the bridge, moving the toll station and possible revision of the route by tunnel solutions in the area of Bijela and Opatovo.

"For the verification of a possible tunnel solution for the crossing of the bay, the technical parameters have been issued by the competent Ministry on the basis of which the Design Task was prepared, which envisages the elaboration of the Preliminary Design of the tunnel passage and the previous Feasibility Study for the construction in order to verify the general concept of the tunnel crossing of the bay as well as verification of the traffic- technical and economic conditions of justification in accordance with EU norms and technical standards for design and construction of tunnels for the speed of the high speed road. The preliminary solution of the tunnel passage and the previous Study of the justification of construction proved that the variant of the crossing of the Bay with a tunnel is more unfavorable from the spatial-urban, technical, economic, traffic-technical, ecological, functional and security aspects, "the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs said to CdM.

Text by Miraš Dušević, on February 22nd, 2019, read more at CdM

At a press conference with the European Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and enlargement negotiations Johannes Hahn, the Prime Minister Dusko Markovic said that the initiative for forming a technical government is an unjustified and politically unacceptable demand.

Markovic said that the government was working in full capacity, that there is no political crisis and the opposition's request for the formation of a technical government was considered legitimate, but not realistic.

"Everybody on the political scene has the right to make political demands in the way they think it is the most appropriate in their interests. For me, this request is unjustified and politically unacceptable. We have more important issues to deal with, Montenegro must realize its goals, accelerate economic growth, and create new jobs," Markovic said.

He believes that this political request is not real and that the government can perform its function as long as it has support in the Parliament. Markovic said that the boycott was legitimate, but not pro-active and that the institutions are the place to resolve the issue. In his words, moving to the streets is legitimate, and this is a model that is applied in the region as well.

"This is obviously a new opposition model, and we have nothing against it, it is important for us that the institutions are operational. The government is working at full capacity," Markovic said and suggested the opposition to choose its way of acting. All this, he says, is monitored by the government.

"To give in to such demands is not realistic," Markovic said, adding that it is better for everyone to return to their jobs in the Working Group, which is supported by the EU as well.

"My invitation is to go in that direction, and I'm not an optimist. Basically, there is no reason for dramatization," Markovic said. "We have political tension, dissatisfaction, demands, but not a crisis," said Markovic.

Hahn said he is aware that the opposition in Montenegro is dealing with all that was happening in northern Macedonia.

"It is up to each country to deal with specific solutions," Hahn said, adding that he did not see the need for the EU to participate.

"Everyone has the right to an individual assessment of the situation. Everyone should be free to make their own assessment," Hahn said.

The European Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and enlargement negotiations, Johannes Hahn, said that Montenegro "has a clear perspective towards the EU".

"Boycott of the Parliament is not a European way to solve the problem," Hahn said. He added that the debate must take place in the Parliament.

The commissioner said that the protest organizers contacted him to meet. He explained that this was not possible due to the departure and that he asked the head of the European Union Delegation to Montenegro, Aiva Orava, to meet with them on his behalf.

Hahn said that he was monitoring the situation in the area of media freedom.

"I am worried about the pressure on the Public Broadcaster, the attacks on journalists, and the cyber-attacks," Hahn said.

Answering the question of whether there are double criteria in the media attacks, Hahn said that "everyone has responsibility," and that everyone should refrain from the attack.

"I am talking about physical attacks, if we are talking about a political debate, it's something that we all have to accept, and I expect respect among the parties and institutions involved. I think you can exchange views in one way or another. What I want is to establish communication, even if you have different views. More mutual respect is needed," Hahn said.

Text by Total MNE News, Source Vijesti, on February 23rd, 2019

February 22, 2019 - Citizens of Herceg Novi and their guests enjoyed the specialities of the Vojvodina cuisine and the sounds of drummers during the gastro evenings in the City Café, which was held within the Days of Novi Sad at the 50th Mimosa Festival.

Montenegro and the countries of the region, if they want to be competitive with the rest of the world and attract tourists from many countries, must have a common offer and promotion in these markets, said the Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism Pavle Radulovic.

He presented opportunities for investment in Montenegro at the International Adria Hotel Forum, held in Belgrade, at one of the most important events for the promotion of investment potentials and tourist offer, and expressed readiness for regional cooperation in the field of tourism. "The point is that distant emitting markets, that is, much-populated countries, such as Asia, China, Canada, and America, hardly recognize the borders of small countries. For the Chinese, everything that is from the Urals to the Alps – is the Balkans. They travel nomadically for a few days and visit many countries. If we want to be competitive to the rest of the world, we have to work together," Radulovic said.

The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism announced that Radulovic placed a special emphasis on the results achieved through the stimulating measures for the development of tourism in the last two years.

He reminded that the projects, whose total value is estimated at close to 150 million euros, include Mamula, Kolasin 1600, Mediterranean Zabljak and Ulcinj Riviera complex.

The Ministry said that Montenegro was also presented as a destination where projects are currently being realized, the value of which is worth three billion euros.

Radulovic, as an important instrument for stimulating investments in the field of tourism, listed the project of economic citizenship and announced an upcoming public tender for companies that meet the requirements to be included in the list of development projects.

"Montenegro is a country that has good airline links with emitting markets, and of special importance for the development of not only tourism but also the entire economy, is certainly the existence of a highway," said Radulovic.

Radulovic held bilateral meetings with colleagues from Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia, while he said he expects cooperation with Albania and Macedonia.

"Joint projects that are under preparation are roads of wine, mountain routes and a project called “From the sky to the sea”," the statement said.

According to Radulovic, more tangible steps must be taken.

"We already have several joint projects, for example, the Ski Resorts of Serbia and the Ski Resorts of Montenegro have signed the Agreement where the ski pass applies to both territories. Also, we jointly participate in events in the emission markets with Croatia, Serbia, and Macedonia," Radulovic said.

The Adria hotel forum is an event that is organized for the seventh year in a row, and for the past two years has been sponsored by the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism of Montenegro.

According to Radulovic, for the promotion of Montenegro, this is one of the biggest events in the Mediterranean, because it is an opportunity for Montenegro to present itself to investors, financiers and operators.

Text by MINA Business, on February 21st, 2019, read more at Vijesti

Berane became the 12^th Montenegrin municipality that has a Youth Club. The reconstructed premises for the needs of young people was opened by Minister of Sports Nikola Janovic.

The money for this reconstruction was jointly provided by the Ministry of Sports and Youth and the municipality Berane.

Ministry of Sports and Youth, in the last two years, continuously worked on creating new opportunities for young people in order to improve their position, in accordance with the Youth Strategy 2017-2021.

"One of the key priorities is the opening of new and support in the work of the existing youth services, centers and clubs. Today, we have 12 youth clubs in the municipalities throughout Montenegro, as well as the Youth Center in Podgorica. With the new legal solution, the Government of Montenegro and the Ministry of Sports and Youth will continue to support the opening of new youth clubs throughout Montenegro, but also to make their work sustainable," Janovic said.

He explains that by supplementing the name of the institution in the Ministry of Sports and Youth, the Government gave a clear message that the care for the young people is a key priority and that the ministry is the right address for programmatic fulfillment of their needs.

"We expect that the representatives of all municipalities in the coming period will take care of the young people in an adequate way and that we will continue to develop programs and projects for young people together. Today's event is a confirmation that young people from the north are on the list of priorities of the Government and the Ministry of Sports and Youth," Janovic said.

The Minister also reminded that the attitude towards the youth in Montenegro will be systematically improved by the new legal solutions for the development of youth policy, which are currently in the parliamentary procedure.

Text by Vijesti online, on February 21st 2019, read more at Vijesti

February 22, 2019 - Kotor Winter Carnival Festivities begin on Saturday, February 23, at 6 pm on the main square of the concert of the Klapa "Contra" - the Organizing Committee announced.

21 February 2019 - State balance of payments at the end of 2018 was 793 million EUR in deficit. The key item that had an impact on such a result was the import that amounted to almost 2,49 billion EUR. On the other side, revenues generated in tourism that exceeded a billion and thus the expenditure part of the current account was alleviated.

As far as the revenues of the state are concerned, they amounted to 46,3 million EUR whereas the expenditures amounted 13,2 million EUR.

Total reserves of the Central Bank at the end of 2018 reached 203,1 million EUR. Preliminary data show that around 843,1 million EUR was brought into Montenegro thanks to foreign direct investments.

However, there has been an outflow of 515,5 million EUR.

The biggest part of foreign citizens investments was related to investments in various companies and banks. Slightly less than 300 million EUR is intercompany debt, that is, investments that do not increase the initial capital. Thanks to real estate, foreigners invested 182,6 million EUR and 23,2 million EUR in other activities.

Around 10,22 million EUR came with the reduction of capital in foreign banks and companies. Income generated from selling real estate abroad amounted to 677.775 EUR.

Italy takes the very first position on the list of states that brought most foreign direct investments (116,7 million EUR). Great Britain takes sixth place on the list (48,3 million EUR).

For the purposes of comparison, in 2017, most invested money came from the United Arab of Emirates, followed by Italy.

Thirty-nine, out of fifty-three citizens who invested in Montenegro, have invested amounts higher than one million.

Source: Cafe del Montenegro

21 February 2019 - Prime Minister Duško Marković said today in Podgorica while opening the Ministerial meeting on the transition of the Western Balkan countries to clean energy, that the region's energy fully shares the basic characteristics of a single European energy, that Montenegro will even exceed the ambitious plan for the share of renewable energy sources, and that there is no giving up on ecological Montenegro.

"The issue of economic development is inseparable from the development of energy, and energy, as a strategic branch, implies a well-thought-out and long-term plan. Fortunately, the countries of the Western Balkans have a global leader as their partner in this crucial business. For decades, the European Union has set standards for sustainable development and clean, climate-neutral energy. In that sense, today's job, of the honourable ministers, is essentially facilitated. The unequivocal commitment of the countries of the region to European integration is an important determinant of long-term national energy policies and strategies. Montenegro does not have doubts here. Although extremely small, our energy system shares the basic characteristics of unique European energy. Import dependence, the challenges of environmental protection, improving energy efficiency, energy receptivity and energy for our citizens and the economy, are the issues that this and every other responsible government in the European Union tackle," the Prime Minister said.

Minister Duško Marković said that Montenegro's path is clear, adding that one of the largest solar power plants in Europe will be built in the country,

"Montenegro is already certain to reach and exceed the ambitious national goal for the share of renewable energy in final consumption by 2020. We pay a high price for this, but we remain confident that the validity of this bold commitment will be confirmed in the medium term. Initial failures should not lead us to a dilemma of whether to give up on the essentially noble idea. We will not give up on ecological Montenegro. But this also implies correction of omissions and permanent improvement of applied models," the Prime Minister stressed.

20 February 2019 - Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policy and Financial System Milutin Simović recently hosted a delegation of the Western Balkans Chambers Investment Forum led by President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce Marko Čadež, the Chairman of the Forum. 

As a regional association of chambers of commerce of the Western Balkans, the Western Balkans Chambers Investment Forum was established at the Vienna Summit in 2015 with the aim of strengthening regional cooperation, through joint chamber activity, cooperation and harmonisation of activities aimed at developing the competitiveness of the economy of the region. The founding of this Forum has highlighted the initiative for the active involvement of national chambers of commerce in achieving the concrete goals of the "Berlin Process."

The Deputy Prime Minister supported the Western Balkans Chambers Investment Forum concrete approach, which, in addition to monitoring the implementation of large regional infrastructure projects, approved by the European Commission, is dedicated to the implementation of smaller-scale projects. It expects the chamber to provide feedback from the market in a timely manner, along with recommendations to indicate to governments the norms that need to be made in order to create a more attractive business and investment environment. In that regard, DPM Simović called for regular two-way communication, exchange of opinions and consultations.

He concluded by saying that the ultimate goal of the chambers, business people and governments of the Western Balkan countries need to be reaching the level of success in which it will not be necessary for us to present the region's investment potentials, but that investors, through successful projects, invite other investors to start a business in this region.

20 February 2019 - Works on the boulevard in Donja Gorica are in full swing. The scheduled deadline for the completion of works was extended and the boulevard is now supposed to be finished by 28 March. Dušan Kokić, an engineer from the Transport Administration, said that judging the current dynamics of works, he expects for the works to be completed by the established deadline.

“Works are being carried out according to plan. Works on the installation of fecal and atmospheric sewer are currently being executed on the stretch between “Namos” and “Grand” furniture showrooms. It will be one kilometer long and the workers have already set up 500 meters of it,” said Kokić.

The remaining part of the boulevard has been formed and one layer of asphalt has already been placed.

From the starting point of the boulevard up until the roundabout next to Lješkopoljska street, the traffic moves in two ways. On the stretch where the underground installation is currently being set up, traffic is run on the right boulevard lane in both directions and with no congestion.

Property relations have been settled but during the rainy period works slowed down.

Boulevard in Donja Gorica is 3,5 kilometers long. It has four lanes (3,25 m wide), 2-meter wide median, four roundabouts and full pavements (1,5 m wide).

Value of this construction amounts to 9,6 million EUR.

Transport Administration provides 6 million EUR, whereas the remaining 3,6 million EUR is provided by the Capital City. The contractor is “TEHNOPUT MNE”.

Source: Cafe del Montenegro