January 19, 2019 - The Little Fiesta of Orange will "spice up" the Jubilee 50th Mimosa Festival with salty and sweet delicacies. Organization members and their guests have prepared rich gastro content devoted to orange. NGO Hands from Herceg Novi is organizing the Little Fiesta for the fifth time.

January 18, 2019 - Ivica Arandus (Ivica Ivo Arandjus) is an academic painter from Tivat, who started his artistic career at the end of the 80s when he moved from Tivat to Düsseldorf, Germany. Today, Arandus enjoys acclamation among his colleagues, but he is also extremely well received by the audience, which has the chance to see his works at numerous solo and collective exhibitions across Europe. We succeed to meet him in Tivat before he goes back to Düsseldorf to close two of his exhibitions which opened in December.

Did art take Arandus to Germany, or did he discover his artistic gift by moving to Düsseldorf?

 

How hard was it to find his artistic path in an entirely new environment, among foreigners, in a foreign language, in the situation where the competition is vast and strong? It seems that for Ivica Arandus, when it comes to art, there have never been barriers.

Although Arandus calls his poetics socio-critical, the first thing that the observer notices when accessing his work is the almost ever-present figure of a woman.

"Surprisingly, the series you're talking about is the best selling of all the thematic series I've been working on so far. I'm still working on it, and I cannot escape this subject because it keeps inspiring me. These are very critical images, but even strong Catholic families in Germany bought those paintings, which I could not believe. They are much more open than eastern countries, such as Poland and the countries of our region. Even in Italy, people are quite critical of the church. The Pope has recently released all bishops in Argentina. In Chicago, the church released about 900 priests for child abuse. In France, there is a trial against one of the major cardinals. Courts generally defend the hierarchy. If there is no pressure from the public, that there are no people to oppose it, it would all be stuffed and still unknown. In Germany there were over 2000 applications, which will ultimately lead to civilian courts. Until now, that was not possible, even the police did not have access to the church. Now it is slowly starting to go globally, people all over the world are slowly rising and retreating. Therefore, it is certain that the Church is one of the themes that will continue to be present in my creation because in my paintings I will continue to deal with the transgression of the spirit and illusions of man. There are certainly good things in religion, but there are also huge scams and exploitation of the population," says Arandus about one of his significant occupations in art.

Although living and creating most of the time in Düsseldorf, Arandus is present in the art scene of Montenegro, where he has had several solo exhibitions in recent years. He also finds time to socialise with colleagues and occasionally participates in art colonies. Asked how to evaluate the position of artists in Montenegro and the Montenegrin art scene, Arandus answers:

In Germany there is a huge competition, only in Dusseldorf, there are over a thousand painters. And there are maybe thirty galleries with where the artist can seriously work. But there are a lot of museums. I think it is needed to feel the competition in a positive sense. It is the competition that motivates you, which gives you the wings to do more and better. The situation is different in our country. I have countless times heard when asking for the price of the picture, so people comment that they can buy a car for that money. Still, the people in our country are more committed to investing in a status symbol, something that other people can see. You buy a picture and exhibit it in your home, and it does not have that effect. The same is with literature. When you read a good book, this is something that is good for you, although not transparent to others," the artist says. 

The police in Bar escorted several citizens who rebelled against the cutting of cypresses in Bar.

Three of the civilian protesters were taken to the police station where, according to police quotes, "they should make statements as citizens".

In front of the building of the police in Bar gathered  30 citizens, relatives, and the friends of three young men, one of whom is a student at the gymnasium in Bar.

Among the citizens are also professors from the schools in Bar.

Young men were released after giving statements and were welcomed by the applause of the citizens.

Stevo Martinovic, Bojan Rukavina and Uroš Pajovic told reporters that they were taken to the police because they undertook passive resistance to police officers, that the police officers treated them fairly and that they protested quietly against the cutting of the cypress trees within the fenced area.

Due to the lack of personal documents, Blažo Marinović was also in the station and was released after giving a statement.

Many police officers were present at the site.

In front of the construction site fence, citizens yelled "UA" at the sound of the wood-saws and were singing the national anthem.

This morning, around six 6 a.m., the cutting of the cypress trees began in front of the gymnasium in Bar.

The trees were removed to build a kindergarten there.

Citizens of Bar were battling for weeks in order to save the cypress trees and kept watch to protect them.

The petition was signed by thousands of citizens, but the city authorities remained silent.

 By 8 a.m. almost 20 trees had already been cut.

Police officers were legitimizing civil activists this morning, who gathered in the enclosed yard and said to "decide whether to continue the protest or not.

Around 8:30 a.m. there were 15 activists inside the site, and around the fence the citizens gathered while the workers of the Nikšić "consortium" continued to cut the cypress trees.

Representative of the contractor said that “Konzorcijum” workers from several cities started cutting around 7:15 a.m., "according to all obtained permits" and that the plan was to cut 80 to 90 trees.

The citizens protested when the cutting began at 7:15 pm, pointing to the trees that were already cut inside the schoolyard.

The police unofficially said that the citizens are legitimized this time, and that the next time they will be arrested, and that "we will provide assistance if the contractors call us", with the statements that the citizens, from this moment, are located where they are not supposed to be because of the works.

Support to the citizens was given by the participants in the expert seminar "Development of Critical Thinking" for elementary school teachers who are holding their workshop in the amphitheatre inside the enclosed part of the yard, besides the cut cypresses.

Text by Radomir Petric, on January 17th 2019, read more at Vijesti

18 January 2019 - The Public Enterprise for Coastal Zone Management of Montenegro has completed the official Atlas of Montenegrin Beaches – a cadastre of beaches and swimming areas from 2019 to 2023, which determines the standardisation of the beaches, i.e. 12 "types" of beaches that exist on the Montenegrin coast. The beach and swimming area types were already determined within the Program for the Improvement of the Coastal Zone of Montenegro, which was adopted in 2018 by the Steering Committee of the Public Enterprise.

The Atlas defines: hotel swimming areas, family swimming areas, active rest swimming areas, party swimming areas, romantic swimming areas, city swimming areas without beach equipment, swimming areas for people with dogs, swimming areas with natural healing factors and wellness facilities, excursion swimming areas, nudist swimming areas and swimming areas intended for children's resort.

With the categorisation of beach types, the beach offer is harmonised with the demand of the markets that require the segmentation of the swimming areas, explained the director of the Public Enterprise for Coastal Zone Management of Montenegro, Predrag Jelušić.

“When we declared a certain segment of the Great Beach as sporting and recreational, for guests who want a more attractive and active vacation, we noted that the outcome was favourable. The guests who like to spend their vacation on beaches with a full-day, active content were overjoyed with the innovation in our offer. Thus, this year we have also made progress through the development of the Strategy of Montenegrin Beaches, and we believe that both tourists and the local population will appreciate the change," Jelušić said.

In Herceg Novi, including Njivice, Žanjic, Rose, Dobreč, Mirišta i Arza, 131 bathing places are categorized, of which most are family swimming areas.

“We also want to take on the role of spatial planning for the permanent integral land management in other municipalities, raising the level of quality of service and content which are appropriate for the coastal zone,” Jelušić said. “When we complete the documentation and determine which objects can permanently improve the quality of tourist offer in all municipalities, we will also be able to designate the number of necessary catering facilities. We will insist that these be catering facilities of high content, a minimum category of 4 stars,” explain the representatives of Coastal Zone Management Enterprise.

Source: Radio Jadran

18 January 2019 -  From May 22 to December 1, 2018, the ferry “Dubrovnik” on its route Bar-Bari-Bar (Montenegro-Italy-Montenegro) transported 21.887 passengers, 3.955 cars, 206 camper buses, 44 buses, 888 trucks, 36 trailers and 460 motorcycles. During this period, the ferry departed for Italy 37 times.

The company Barska plovidba AD has been in charge for the route between Bar and Bari for the last two years in cooperation with its Croatian partner Jadrolinija from Rijeka, whose ship "Dubrovnik", for the second year in a row, connects the coasts of Montenegro and Italy, a line that exists over half a century.

The ferry "Dubrovnik" has connected Italian and Montenegrin coasts on the Bar-Bari-Bar route from May 22, 2018, according to Barska plovidba. The leaders of AD Barska plovidba and Jadrolinija from Rijeka signed an agreement on cooperation in 2018, which stipulated that during 2018 the ship "Dubrovnik" will cover the route between Montenegro and Italy.

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.

In 2017, the ferry "Dubrovnik" departed for Italy on 44 occasions and transported about 23.500 passengers and about 4,000 vehicles.

"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.

Artistic works of the NGO "Slikarski uranak" from Podgorica will be exhibited in the Gallery of the Museum of the Town Perast from January 17^th to February 10^th, 2019. The exhibition can be viewed every working day from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The organizer and custodian of the exhibition is Aleksandra Simeunović, an art historian and museum consultant, who is employed in the Museum of the Town Perast.

The non-governmental organization „Slikarski uranak“ was founded in 1993 by Miloš Uskoković, a retired professor, in cooperation with KPZ CG and ULUCG.

„Slikarski uranak“ is an international association of artists that has over 400 members of all artistic and scientific profiles. For the past 25 years, numerous festivals, such as art colonies, literary evenings, exhibitions and excursions across Montenegro, with paintings and photo sessions have been organized, with guest appearances from the region and around the world.

Text by CdM, on January 17th 2019, read more at CdM

Information on the conclusion of the Agreement on the "Montenegrin Scientific and Technological Park" was adopted at the session of the Montenegrin Government. This is a formal establishment of a new institution, like the central one in the scientific and innovation ecosystem in our country, after the contract was approved by the Managing Board of the University of Montenegro at the end of last year, as announced by the Ministry of Science. 

The statement adds that the Science and Technology Park represents a physical infrastructure - a capital building of approximately 13,000 square meters within the university campus, but more importantly, a foundation that will establish new links between business entities and universities.

"In this way, we want to stimulate the dynamics in the transition of our economy to a knowledge-based economy. The science and technology park will be a place of cooperation, joint projects, education, exchanging ideas, and business connections, in a way that already exists in our country but is not visible enough. Many young people focus on innovations as their business changes, but they often work independently on the foreign market without much influence on entrepreneurial and innovation culture and the wider environment in our country. Also, many experienced entrepreneurs, innovators and scientists with high-quality ideas, backed up by many years of research and experience, are waiting for some future partnerships to make them happen," the Ministry of Science stated.

The government’s department said that NTP is the place where innovative entrepreneurs will meet with scientists and students, prospective entrepreneurs and investors, where potential business opportunities will be realized.

"We expect that certain high-tech companies will be interested in establishing their hubs - places for education and the guidance of employees, as well as innovative startups, young companies with the potential for rapid growth and expanding to the wider market, will have their place in NTP," writes the Ministry of Science.

They also pointed out that the Science and Technology Park is networked with other activities of the Ministry of Science, such as Centers of Excellence, Smart Specialization Strategy, and the Program of Stimulating Innovative Startups.

"It is expected to be one of the most active factors in the implementation of our science policies, which are linked to innovation and technological development," the Ministry of Science said.

The founders of the Science and Technology Park are the Government and the University of Montenegro, in a ratio of 57:43 percent.

The facility is located on the Boulevard Mihailo Lalić in Podgorica, near the Technical faculty and is currently in the rough construction phase.

The completion of construction, if administrative procedures and construction works are carried out by the plan, is expected by the end of 2020, and the Montenegrin Government will provide funds estimated at EUR 8.4 million.

Text by Vijesti online, on January 2019, read more at Vijesti

The current local government has made a decisive move to address one of the most significant problems for the city under Orijen. Thus, after almost a decade of the original idea, Herceg Novi Municipality budgeted one million euro in 2019 for the implementation of the new bus station project at Šištet. The goal of the local government is that the city under Orjen, in 2020, will get a representative building that will be the foundation for the further development of Igalo, and Herceg Novi in general.

Design of bus station

The Agency for Construction and Development of Herceg Novi has done a study which elaborated the locations for the construction of a new bus station. The study showed that the advantage of the location at Šištet is that it is located on the west side of the city and gravitates towards border crossings with Croatia, but also towards the branch of the future bypass and the highway route starting in Sutorina. In addition, this is a land owned by the Municipality that covers an area of about 21,000 sqm.

"First of all, we will build it with everything we need, and then expand it later on with the business and economic aspects," explained the Director of the Agency for Construction and Development of Herceg Novi, Boro Lučić.

PROJECT THAT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESS

As stated in the preliminary design, a significant number of tourists visiting Herceg Novi emphasized the fact that bus station is an important public building for the functioning of the utility city system, but also the first urban element of visitor experiences coming to the city.

Complex of the bus station

In the completed design solution, the surface, content and appearance of a new modern bus station are defined. The new bus station with accompanying facilities will occupy approximately 30 thousand sqm. It is designed as a complete functional zone, consisting of a terminal building, an object of accompanying business and commercial content, manipulative spaces for buses, an access road with a parking area and a maintenance facility with parking spaces. The conceptual solution envisages a total of 326 parking spaces, of which 99 are over-ground and 227 underground.

According to the conceptual solution, the bus station with additional facilities would be built in three phases, i.e. three mutually functional and technologically separate facilities.

The first phase involves the construction of a bus station building with a plateau and a supporting business space, totaling 15,169 m². As a precondition of the first phase, an access infrastructure will be built - a crossroad with the Adriatic highway and access street and parking in front of the main station building.

The second phase implies the construction of facilities for accompanying business and service facilities, while the third phase foresees the construction of a commercial center.

"Herceg Novi is an important tourist destination of Montenegro, and the proposed solution builds the first impression of Herceg Novi through the arrival of a complex urban ambience, conceived of a variety of facilities, organized into a unique functional unit that broadcasts the modernity, originality of interpretation and color sensations of the Mediterranean," reads the conceptual solution.

FREE TRANSPORT FOR CHILDREN, PUPILS AND PENSIONERS

The local administration has provided transportation to pupils from the villages and suburban settlements in Herceg Novi free of charge throughout the whole year, as well as for those whose families are in a difficult financial situation and to the children of the Children's Home "Mladost." In addition, free transportation was provided to the retirees with the lowest incomes from the territory of the Herceg Novi.

For the first time in three decades the city bus line has been extended, so buses are now moving to Sutorina, making the Municipality respond positively to the numerous requests of the citizens. In this way, it meets the needs of numerous citizens, residents of Bajkovina and Njivice, as well as numerous employees of large business centers in this part of town, to whom the extended line will make much the transport to work much easier. In addition, another station will be introduced at the intersection towards the settlement Servisna zona and Bajkovina for citizens who live and work in this part of the city.

Text by Promo, on January 18th 2019, read more at Vijesti

16 January 2019 - The Ministry of Defence of Montenegro will begin the construction of the operation centre for the supervision and protection of information of the Ministry and the Army in 2019, to improve the country's cyber defence mechanisms. Also, the Ministry plans to build a Cyber Polygon, a training place for cyber-attacks, which would be completed by 2028.

Montenegro's long-term defence plan explains that the development of capacities for cyber defence and the improvement of information protection measures through the application of information security standards both represent a significant challenge for the Ministry and the Army of Montenegro.

"In the coming period, the focus will be on building up Montenegro’s cyber defence capabilities, primarily through the construction of a Security Operation Centre (SOC). The Centre will represent the central monitoring point, in line with the NATO Initiative on the Future Mission Network (FMN),” reports local News Agency Pobjeda.

The Ministry plans to provide a preventive and proactive response to cyber incidents, by forming the computer incident response team (CIRT) of the Ministry of Defence and the Army.

"This will create preconditions for active contribution to cyber defence at the national level and therefore to the NATO's collective security system," as explained in the defence plan.

Military analyst Aleksandar Radić said that, when it comes to Montenegro, it is necessary to invest in "communication channels" that are protected. "NATO has defined what a member country must have; it is a condition for establishing a connection and receiving information from the Alliance. The communication channel has represented a big problem until now since you cannot be part of a network of confidential NATO data if you do not have a means of connection that is protected by certain regulations. This is what we are currently working on; it is a work in progress. The purchase of connection channels and spatial planning is the basis for progress because all confidential information must be entered in the central register - these are the rules, "Radić stated for Pobjeda.

He also explained that in the period when defence priorities were defined, cyber defence was subsequently added as one of the priorities. "And of course, when you analyse the requirements for communication channels, you can understand what a military integration into NATO actually includes. In practice, it is the creation of a "Connection System" that will be compatible with NATO and that will be safeguarded according to the NATO rules of the game," Radić concluded.

Source: TVCG

17 January 2019 - The Government is focused on improving the quality of life of citizens, especially in Northern Montenegro. That is why 30% more money from the budget was allocated to Gusinje than last year – it was noted today at the meeting of Prime Minister Duško Marković and local leadership led by President of the Municipality Anela Čekić. 

The allocations from the Capital budget of EUR 1.34 million were envisaged for several projects in the municipality of Gusinje, of which the most significant is the landscaping project of Ali Pasha's springs, as well as the reconstruction and equipping of administrative facilities. 

Prime Minister Marković, who is paying a working visit to Gusinje, pointed out that EUR 200,000 was allocated for the reconstruction of local roads in the municipality of Gusinje, which is three times more than it was allocated earlier. 

He added that the key issue of state development is the issue of the development of Northern Montenegro. He recalled that the highest allocations from the Capital Budget are for the north, adding that there is no development without improvement of the infrastructure. PM Marković said that the least developed municipalities, including Gusinje, will be given more money from the budget, and in this context, he pointed to the new Law on Local Government Financing. 

The meeting assessed that it is essential that the Municipality and the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism soon solve the problem of planning documentation in Gusinje because it is a condition for further development of the municipality, new projects, including school and sports hall, worth nearly three million euros.

Following the meeting, the Prime Minister and the President of the Municipality will open a municipal administrative centre of over 1,000 square meters, which cost more than EUR 1.2 million. The most significant part of the money, EUR 1.1 million, was provided by the Government of Montenegro, and the rest by the Foundation "Gusinje" and Montenegrin emigrants from the United States, and the Municipality of Gusinje. The new building will provide better conditions for the work of employees and better service to citizens, which is one of the priorities in the process of public administration reform.