January 11, 2019 - From the Institute of Marine Biology (IBM), they have announced EUR 700,000 for the international “Food for Health” project to be implemented in cooperation with Italian and Albanian colleagues.

January 11, 2019 - Last year, Montenegrin tourism achieved many record-breaking results, and post-season prolongation has shown that the country is pursuing a strategic goal to become a year-round tourist destination, said the National Tourism Organization's Director Željka Radak Kukavičić.

January 11, 2019 - To promote a tourist offer based on an active holiday in nature, the National Parks of Montenegro (NPCG) participated at the Tourism Fair in Vienna together with the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro. In addition to representatives of NPCG and the National Tourism Organization, representatives of the Montenegrin tourist industry participated in the "Ferien Messe 2019" fair in Vienna, from 10 to 13 January.

January 11, 2019 - The first ten days of January this year saw the weather colder than the average, and preliminary data from meteorological stations show that the average air temperature is lower in all places in Montenegro, said meteorologist Dragan Burić.

"Given that it has almost become a rule that the weather is warmer than is customary for the year, we can say that the first decade of January this year is unique because it is colder than the average. According to preliminary data from our meteorological stations, the average air temperature for the first decade of January is lower than the average in all places in Montenegro," Burić said.

12 January 2019 - On January 12, Swiss DJ and producer Deetron will perform at the District Club in Podgorica. The party starts at 11 pm, and Deetron will play until 3 am. Cule DJ will be in charge of the warm-up, and the entry fee is 8 EUR.

Over the course or a career spanning more than two decades, Deetron has defined himself as one of the most dynamic artists in electronic music, continuously evolving his sound and style. Growing up in Bern, Switzerland, Deetron grew up in a musical home – his father was a double bass player – and was inspired when his childhood friend won the Swiss regional DMC heats. Listening to local hero DJ Djaimin and later witnessing an eye-opening set from Detroit legend Jeff Mills helped him to form a deep understanding of the fundamental pillars of what it means to be a great DJ – a deep record bag and a dedicated commitment to technical prowess.

Skip forward two decades and this relentless pursuit of excellence is evidenced in everything Deetron does – a master of three decks, few DJs on the planet can match his agility and poise in the booth. As a producer, Deetron has released a similarly accomplished string of records over the more than ten years, each honing in on a coherent but unique sound palette. For his second album ‘Music Over Matter’, released on Music Man records in 2013, the vocal element of his music came to the fore with a collection of collaborations and dance floor – ready tracks that incorporated ” a prismatic mosaic of vocal textures and expertly crafted grooves.”

In 2014 Deetron’s imprint Character was launched as well as the release of his Fabric 76 mix. The first few releases on Character, including the ‘Mars EP’ (Deetron & Ripperton as Roots Panorama) and ‘Theory or Light EP’ (Deetron), incorporating the massive underground hit ‘Photon,’ demonstrated an ambitious search for dance music that resisted the confines of any specific genre. In 2016 a long-time friendship with DJ Bone resulted in the collaborative project ‘The StoryTellers’ with a well-received EP and standout B2B sessions at Concrete Paris, Shelter Amsterdam, Brunch Elektronik Lisbon and 909 Festival that showcase the dynamic energy from a meeting of kindred hearts and minds.

In 2017 Deetron surprised with a remix of”Automation’ by British funk band Jamiroquai, and went on to tour with them for a number of shows. At the start of 2018, he then added to the DJ-Kicks series with a mix featuring exclusive collaborations with Jamie Lidell and Steve Spacek. With a busy international touring schedule and more remarkable as-yet unannounced records on the way, Deetron will undoubtedly be contributing to the evolution of global dance music for years to come.

District Club is inviting you to enjoy the performance of one of the best Swiss DJs. It’s a party you don’t want to miss!

11 January 2019 - The Singing Association "Grbalj" is organising a New Year's concert of traditional singing, customs, and dance on Monday, January 14, at 7 pm in the Kotor Cultural Centre "Nikola Đurković".

The list of performers at this event includes members of the Grbalj Association, the Serbian Cultural and Art Association "Sveti Đorđe" Goražde, "Teatar 303" Kotor, the Folklore Association "Sveti Jovan Vladimir" from Bar, the performers who will play the Montenegrin traditional musical instrument – gusle, performers who will play the diple and solo singers.

Ethnological heritage fans will be able to enjoy the performance of numerous traditional folk songs and customs. The audience will get to hear a cappella singing by the members of the singing association, who will perform numerous traditional songs which originated from Grbalj and are characteristic only for this region.

An interesting custom of the Singing Association Grbalj is that they have numerous young members, aged five to six years, and they perform with the adults on stage. The youngest members love the scene, and they have talent, which the audience recognises year after year and they get the biggest ovations.

Within this year's concert, which will be held on Monday, January 14th in Kotor, this Singing Association will once again demonstrate how the origin, past, and tradition of Grbalj can be presented uniquely.

The Singing Association "Grbalj" was founded in 2000 with the aim of protecting the cultural heritage of Grbalj, which has attracted the attention of a significant number of scientists: ethnologists, ethnomusicologists and archaeologists for centuries. The Association wants to introduce people to Grbalj’s customs and, at the same time, preserves the songs, customs, and traditions that originated from this area.

The first performance of the Singing Society "Grbalj" was held in Kotor. After they performed locally for a while, they had numerous performances throughout Montenegro and the region. One of the traditions of the Association is to organise a concert at the Cultural Centre Kotor each year on January 14, which is one of the most visited concerts in the region.

Singing Association “Grbalj” is a regular guest of numerous cultural associations from Sarajevo, Foča, Goražde, and Višegrad. The association members are recognizable for their kindness and humanity, mainly because they always respond to all performance invitations for humanitarian purposes.

January 11, 2019 - Among many Turkish investors operating in Montenegro, there is the owner of a Turkish national food restaurant in Podgorica. Baris Bidav told TVCG that he came to Montenegro, first of all, because of the favorable business environment, which enabled him to open the company in a brief time, such as lower taxes and, according to him, more comfortable living conditions.

Two years ago, Bidav came to Montenegro for a holiday.

"I realized that this is a country where I can stay. Then I came here for three months. I did nothing. I was just looking and exploring the market," Bidav said.

A few months ago, this research yielded fruit. Baris opened the Turkish national restaurant in Podgorica.

"I decided to open a restaurant here because I saw it was missing. I came with my cook, and we started making Turkish dishes," he says.

But Barish is not the only Turk who came to Montenegro for business. Since 2017, the number of companies whose founders are Turkish citizens is multiplying.

"In 2015, we had only 29 companies registered by Turkish citizens. During 2016 - 71 companies, while in 2017 there were 435 registered subjects. When it comes to 2018, this figure is drastically higher, and it is about 1,545 entities founded by the Turkish citizens," said Milica Vuletić from the Tax Administration.

When everything is gathered, the Turkish citizens in Montenegro have a stake in 2.097 companies. Most of them are opened in Budva, just over a thousand, then in Podgorica and Tivat. For now, the tax is paid on a regular basis. "In 2017, they made two million and 600 thousand, and in 2018 that figure doubled. So, we have a charge of five million and 300 thousand euros," said Vuletic. It is precisely the payment of these taxes that led Barisha to Montenegro. He says that in Turkey, where he still has a production house, he pays as much as 48 taxes.

"Why did I come from Turkey? Because three conditions are very useful for foreigners - one of the reasons is to open the company in a very short time and get a work permit. The second reason is the amount of tax, which is low compared to our standards and we saw the possibility of an easier business in Montenegro. The third reason is a small country and easier living conditions," says Barish.

While living in Istanbul, Barish spent almost four hours traveling go to work and returning home. That's why he's surprised why Montenegrins complain about traffic jams.

"Turkey has a lot of people. Montenegro has very few inhabitants, and that is why life is slower, while in Turkey it runs faster," he says.

He also points out that the business we finish in five business days is done in Turkey in one day.

"Montenegrins are not very fast. You're a bit slower, but it comes from a geographic position, and if you do not work quickly it will not have a greater impact on your business," he said.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Montenegro, at present, 4,187 Turks reside in the country. There are still more Chinese and Russians, and citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.

Text by RTCG, on January 10th, 2019, read more at CdM

January 11, 2019 - Executive Director of the Directorate for Defense Policy, Ivica Ivanovic, met in Riga with the Political Director of the Ministry of Defense of Latvia, Janis Karlsberg.

The interlocutors expressed readiness to improve the defense cooperation of the two countries in the field of defense, initiated in 2008 by signing a Cooperation Agreement in the field of defense.

In the focus of Ivanovic's and Karlsberg's talks, there was the upcoming visit to Latvia by the Minister of Defense of Montenegro, Mr. Predrag Boskovic, as well as the recent transfer of the Scout Department of the Army of Montenegro to the mission Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP). Ivanovic said that our country's presence in Latvia demonstrates the tendency to continually contribute to the overall efforts of the Alliance in strengthening the security of its citizens and territory, while also enhancing the operational capability and interoperability of the Army of Montenegro.

Ivanovic informed Karlsberg about the modernization of the Montenegrin Army's capacity, the progress of the implementation of the Goals' Capabilities, the promotion of Euro-Atlantic values in the Western Balkans region, through the implementation of NATO's “open door” policy, and the provision of support to the countries of the region in achieving their key foreign policy goals. He thanked for the support provided by the Republic of Latvia to the training of Montenegrin officers and Defense Ministry officials at the Baltic Defense College.

Karlsbergs stressed that Montenegro is proving to be a reliable and credible ally and stressed that Latvia would continue to support Montenegro and its efforts on the path to the European integration. He assessed that Montenegro's contribution to the eFP mission is another proof of Montenegro's commitment to strengthening global peace and stability.

The two colleagues exchanged views on contemporary security threats and stability of the Balkan and Baltic region, stressing the importance of jointly opposing the challenges through an active national contribution to the collective defense system.

Ivanovic also met with the Ambassador Edgars Skuj, General Director for Security Policy and International Organizations in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, with whom he exchanged views on the current security situation. It was concluded that only joint efforts and teaming up could eliminate security challenges on a global scale.

Text by CdM, on January 10th, 2019, read more at CdM

10 January 2019 - Internews Montenegro, in partnership with Internews, is launching a multimedia news production and regional content exchange project entitled “Strengthening Independent Media in Europe and Eurasia.”

As part of the project, Internews Montenegro will provide grants and editorial support to national and local media partners to produce and exchange multimedia news stories within Montenegro and diversify their website content to engage their audience better. The project will also support the production of regional stories and exchange, highlighting common events and issues that are affecting other countries in the Balkans and Eurasia as well as Montenegro.

The purpose of the project is to increase citizens’ access to reliable information about local, regional, and international issues of public importance in the Balkans and Eurasia.

The project “Strengthening Independent Media in Europe and Eurasia" will serve the important goal of strengthening local media in Montenegro, and improve journalistic content available to Montenegrin audiences online. The project will expand citizens’ understanding of the processes in the neighboring countries.

National media partners will receive lower-tier grants to research, design, and produce thematic content packages about issues of national importance. The stories will be shared with local media partners, which will adapt them to their own audiences’ needs. Local media partners will receive grants, editorial support, and business skills training and mentorship.

The project will also support the production of regional, cross-border stories on topics of significance to the citizens of the Balkans and Eurasia. Content producers selected through a competitive process will receive grants to travel to other project countries and report on common issues.

As part of the project’s efforts to encourage production of high-quality, human-centred stories of public interest, a Storytelling Inspiration Lab will gather journalists and IT specialists from the participating countries twice in Kyiv in 2019 and 2020 to familiarize them with best practices, techniques, and tools for creating engrossing digital news stories.

Get more information about the project at the Internews Website.

09 January 2019 - In the last three years, operators invested around 250 million EUR in electronic communications, said CEO of the Agency for Electronic Communications and Postal Services, Darko Grgurović.

He thinks that the trend of the positive development of this sector was continued, both in the context of infrastructure and provision of services.

“Investment volume in the last couple of years was higher than the third of total revenues of this sector. For comparison, in the EU states, investments at an annual level range from 12-15% of the revenue in the electronic communications sector,” says Grgurović.

He said that 117 million EUR was invested in 2016, that is, 50,8% of the total revenue of the sector. In 2017, there was around 82 million EUR of investments. Last year 44,8 million EUR were invested, and around 33,7 million EUR are planned for this year. Considering that the greatest operators at the Montenegrin market operate within the world-famous and regional telecommunication groups, it can be stated that they are stable and that a predictable regulatory framework that guarantees further development of the market has been established.

“Montenegro is recognized as a state with favourable business environment, that is improving with years. With NATO accession and with continuous progress in the European integration, Montenegro became even more attractive for the investors in all fields,” said Grgurović.

Huge investments in the sector of electronic communications led to increasing int he number of connections, quality and reduction in service prices.

“Increase in the number of connections caused penetration of the broadband Internet access by 73,4% concerning the number of households. Judging by this indicator, Montenegro came closer to the EU states regarding penetration average which amounted 75% at the end of 2017,” said Grgurović.

By degree of mobile networks signal coverage, Montenegro can be compared to the most developed states of Europe. All the three operators provide 99% of GSM coverage. All these indicators point out the continuous development of technologies and the accessibility of the most contemporary services.

Montenegrin Electronic Communication Operators have invested in the Montenegrin market more than 500 million EUR in the past ten years. Also, the Agency built five facilities for the control and monitoring of radio-frequency spectre, main measurement and control centre, regional measurement and control centre and three remote measurement and control stations in Pljevlja, Rožaje and Kotor.