07 January 2019 - The General plan for the open sea has been adopted, tuna conditions in Montenegrin waters is good, and the opening of small businesses in the hinterland that would deal with fish processing would bring enormous profits to Montenegro, said Aleksandar Joksimović, head of the Laboratory for ichthyology and marine fisheries at Institute of Marine Biology in Kotor.

"So far, the progress in this area has been achieved in the organization of fishermen and associations, with the help of creation of clusters, and the awareness of fishermen that joint, teamwork can achieve results," said Joksimović.

Fishing the small oily fish, tuna farming, the development of a fish processing factory, as well as the logistics on the coast, can bring the Montenegrin economy the brand as something from the southern Adriatic - high salinity and clean water.

"Economically important species in fishing in the Mediterranean and the Adriatic Sea are hake, red mullet, shrimps, octopuses, but as well as the European pilchard and anchovy. For each of these species, a complete study is already carried out, which resulted in biological and economic limits which state that their fishing is limited to a certain number of tons," Joksimović reminded.

Members of the General Fisheries Commission of the Mediterranean have decided to increase the quota that has been set up in Montenegro to up to 50 tons of oily fish, European pilchard and anchovy. The new quota applies to all other Adriatic countries as well, and it is increased for up to 2.5 tons.

During the mid-December 2018, Montenegrin prosciutto became the new product under protection in Montenegro, as reported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

“Natural environment, climate conditions in the region of production, long tradition of production and a good reputation of this product, that extends over the boundaries of this region form the basis for the protection of this product as a specific and authentic product. The impact of the geographical surroundings, climate and the skillfulness in the application of special recipe, is responsible for the prosciutto that is highly respected among the consumers, especially tourists who visit Montenegro,” said the representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture.

07 January 2019 - Interest in the third phase of the project “1000 +” was huge last year. Organizers from the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism said that they were not able to give vouchers to all the applicants because of the limited budget. Therefore, they started the preparation for the fourth phase.

In the third phase of the project, there were more than 1000 applicants. So far, around 470 vouchers have been issued. Approximately 160 priority persons have been issued with a voucher and 200 citizens who belong to target groups. Then, in December last year, another 110 vouchers have been given to employees in the public sector, young married couples up to 35 and other users.

General Director of the Directorate for Housing Development, Mirko Čanović, says that they have planned the continuation of this project in the budget for this year and they had already started negotiating with the representatives of the Council of Europe Development Bank.

“I am delighted that citizens had trust in this project and recognized its quality. We have planned the fourth phase of it, and our ultimate objective is that the citizens resolve their housing issues simply and favourably. I am sure that in this next phase as well, we will enable the best market conditions,” said Čanović.

They provided a set of conveniences. The key convenience is the lowest interest rate in the market. In comparison to the previous three phases, what is new in the fourth phase is that the participation in the purchase value of the real estate is not mandatory. Also, this time, old-building apartments will be in the offer. Through the cooperation with the private sector, they will tend to provide additional conveniences.

Čanović pointed out that they would give the vouchers until the funds are spent.

Source: Cafe del Montenegro

07 January 2019 - The Real Estate Administration started drawing up an Address register that will collect records of the numbers of houses, streets and squares and that will be the main focus of the Real Estate Administration in 2019, said the first man of the administration, Dragan Kovačević. The address register is one of the key registers of the e-government and therefore, the importance of its establishment will be multiple.

“Areas in which this register will be particularly important are demographic, economic and territorial statistics, spatial planning, performing activities that fall within the competence of police, Armed Forces, tourism, healthcare, education and many other activities from the everyday life,” said Kovačević.

Real Estate Administration started this project last year, in cooperation with the Statistical Office of Montenegro, local administrations and Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro.

“The first step in drawing up the Register is that the competent institutions analyze the existing situation at the local and central level, as well as that they recognize the needs of the users of the Address register that is supposed to provide the possibility of fast, efficient and reliable business. With the aim of the future cooperation, Real estate Administration has set up a workshop in the cooperation with the Norwegian Cartography Agency. Based on the experience from the meetings held and the analysis of the current situation, the Real Estate Administration has prepared a comprehensive proposal activities plan. Plan of the implementation of this project has been presented, and all the participants of this program agree with the proposed activities,” explained Kovačević.

Kovačević said that this Register would significantly simplify the implementation of regulations in 2021.

“Together with other data from other relevant registers, this approach will facilitate the organization of activities and reduce financial costs,” said Kovačević.

Source: Cafe del Montenegro

07 January 2019 - According to Dr Veselin Vukotić, the Rector of the University of Donja Gorica, the critical thing in every debt is its connection with the profit that it generates once invested in a particular business. As long as the debt is seen in the context of profit it can generate, there is no negative impact on development.

The University of Donja Gorica hosted traditional Christmas discussions about the economy on January 6th. The topic of the 27th discussions was "Public debt and development“.

The host, Dr Veselin Vukotić, reminded that public debt was one of the causes of the downfall of our civilization. He pointed out that statement that 65% is the endurance limit of the national economy is false.

The debt was discussed in the context of development too.

“As long as the profit from investments of debt is higher than the debt itself, the debt is the stimulus of the development,” says Vukotić.

As he said, the debt refers to future profit, and profit can not be made without investments, innovation and entrepreneurship.

“If the debt is developmental, it makes us think about the future. If it’s aimed at expenditure and maintaining the status quo, political or any other, then it’s dangerous for the development,” said Vukotić.

He also noted that the future “lies in the information society”.

"We need to get two things straight. First, national states are losing power. Second, fight for the preservation of the identity of the states means captivating the vision," pointed out Vukotić.

Quoting the words of Dalai Lama, Vukotić concluded that “Our only possibility to respond to the challenges of today is education”.

06 January 2019 - Prime Minister Duško Marković wished a happy Christmas, on behalf of the Government and him, to all Orthodox believers and priesthood, wishing them happiness, mutual respect, and harmony. 

"I want us to find the best in people in the uniqueness of these days and the atmosphere of Christmas warmth. That in the harmony and balance of spiritual and everyday life, we find the strength for mutual respect and harmony. The overall progress of Montenegro assures me that by good intentions, the power of will and forgiveness, we can rise from the temptation of everyday life. Therefore, on this occasion, I express my commitment to dialogue and overcoming the differences that burden us. In this way, we will ensure agreement on the most important issues of Montenegrin society, and additionally, ensure the century-old coexistence that adorns us," Prime Minister Marković’s Christmas greeting letter reads.

President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović also wished a happy Christmas to all Orthodox citizens of Montenegro, with the best wishes to spend the most joyous Christian holiday in peace and love.

"Humanity, compassion, and solidarity are values we inherit for centuries, by which we built a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional fund, according to which our Montenegro is recognizable. The Christmas holidays are celebrated in peace and prosperity, and we are proud of this great achievement, aware of the shared responsibility for contributing to the preservation of coexistence in our country. Christmas reminds us and teaches us that we are closest to each other and that in keeping with this motto, respecting the universal values of Christian teachings, we can easily overcome the many challenges that we are facing in the hard times in which we live.

The day of Christ's birth with its timely messages encourages respect for family tradition, new beginnings and contribution to the further progress of our Montenegro, the respected NATO member country which is on its way to becoming part of the European Union.

With the desire to spend your holiday days in good health, happiness, and joy, I congratulate you once again on the most joyous Christian holiday," concluded Đukanović.

January 7, 2018 - In the realization of the construction project for the nautical-tourist center Porto Montenegro in Tivat, since its inception in the summer of 2007 until the end of September 2018, Adriatic Marinas invested a total of 551 million euros, the Montenegrin Government claims.

06 January 2019 - The successful year for Montenegro’s tourism industry has had positive effects on business operations of the Public Enterprise for Coastal Zone Management of Montenegro, claimed Predrag Jelušić, director of the company.

“In 2018, we generated over €7.1 million thus exceeding planned revenues, and all these extraordinary results happened thanks to the efficient implementation of a 3-year plan, but also due to the responsible approach of our tenants,” he stressed.

In 2019, he added, expects to have a categorisation of public beaches introduced, as well as more activities concentrated on waste on beaches and new responsibilities referring to the sea/ports transport management. By the Coastal Zone Law and Law on Ports, one of the responsibilities of the Public Enterprise for Coastal Zone Management of Montenegro is to manage coastal zone and local ports of general importance and for public use.

“We required introduction and definition of terms city port and municipal slips. By introducing this, we are to create a regulatory framework and grounds for managing ports and other facilities belonging to maritime infrastructure,” noted Jelušić.

In 2019, one of the most important events in the Montenegrin coast would be opening of the Portonovi resort in Kumbor equipped with marina.

When asked whether the new marinas would impose new obligations for the Public Enterprise for Coastal Zone Management of Montenegro, Jelušić said it is good Montenegro will get three new marinas, especially for the development of nautical tourism.

“In this context, the Public Enterprise for Coastal Zone Management of Montenegro will strive to perform public function beside the commercial one. As an example, I should mention planned construction of the water fountains on Tivat airport,” Jelušić said.

He reminded of the fact Montenegro so far has had only two types of beaches – hotel and public – but in line with the guidelines from the Strategy for sustainable beach management, public beaches are now categorized as romantic ones, for same-day visitors, for active vacays, family beaches, pet-friendly and party beaches, and there will be more public nude beaches.

05 January 2019 - Spouses from the Netherlands found a message in a bottle that was sent by the Literary section of the Tivat primary school.

A lot of parents encourage their children to write and send messages with happy wishes to friends and family for their child to connect with people around them. Sometimes, though, we just want to write a message without a specific recipient and let the message find their way to a certain someone. That’s when we awaken our imagination and write a message, put it in a bottle and let it sail away. An even greater wish for numerous children and even adults is to find a message in a bottle. This is a true story about the message in a bottle from Tivat that reached the Netherlands!

On January 5, Katica Čavor, a professor of Montenegrin language at the Primary School "Drago Milović" from Tivat, received an unusual e-mail from an unknown address – a husband and wife from the Netherlands, as reported by the news agency Boka News.

As Ms Čavor explained, the content of the mail referred to the recent event in which spouses from the Netherlands found a message in a bottle that was sent by the Literary section "Good morning, sea" of the primary school in Tivat. A while ago, within the activities of the literary section, the students wrote messages about peace, love and friendship, and put those wishes into decorated bottles which were deployed from the boat "Vodena kočija" at the entrance of the Bay of Kotor near the Mamula Island.

Charlotte and Pedro Elfos, who live in the Netherlands, found the message in a bottle. This message contained beautiful wishes and an e-mail address, in case someone wanted to send a reply. The couple was surprised and quickly sent an e-mail explaining that on October 19, while they were sailing through the southern Adriatic, they found one of the bottles that the students wrote and posted.

“To find your letter at that exact moment in the southern Adriatic was an unexpected and perfect gift for us. A few days before we found the message, we got married in Portugal, and we just went on a honeymoon to Croatia! Your wonderful message meant a lot to us, and it was just magical to find something in the sea like this and read such beautiful messages and wishes," the spouses from the Netherlands wrote, wishing Professor Čavor and her students a happy New Year's holiday.

06 January 2019 - On Friday, January 4, Aleksandar Kapisoda, a German of Montenegrin origin, presented the new digital currency – perper, at the Consulate General in Frankfurt.

Kapisoda, an Internet communications engineer and digital technology scientist at a German pharmaceutical company, decided to "resurrect the currency of the Kingdom of Montenegro in a form appropriate for the 21st century" and to deliver his intellectual property as a gift to Montenegro, as reported by the news agency “Pobjeda”.

This project was dedicated to the anniversary of the Christmas rebellion, according to the Diaspora Cooperation Council.

The project by Kapisoda – perper digital currency, is equivalent to bitcoin, or online payment solution or method.

"The main wish of Aleksandar Kapisoda is to use the cryptocurrency perper for those transactions of the diaspora which fund humanitarian and social projects that would benefit the people of Montenegro. However, if the currency gets accepted by a larger number of users, he agrees that the currency can be used for business transactions such as direct investments in the economy of Montenegro," they stressed from the Council.

With this project, Kapisoda has given his support on the path of digitisation to the people of Montenegro, which paves the way for business in the digital world, say the representatives of the Council.

General Consul Karadžic is pleased that the first Montenegrin cryptocurrency saw the light of day on the anniversary of the Christmas Insurrection.

Source: Investitor

The creation of a domestic cigarette brand would be significant for the further development of the tobacco industry in Montenegro, said the Executive Director of the New Tobacco Combine Podgorica (NDK), Savka Darmanović. She spoke about the plans of the company for 2019, among which is the increased production and purchase of tobacco from individual producers, as well as the launch of new capacities and the opening of 90 jobs.

"Since the end of September, we have produced six cigarette brands. We continue with the introduction of new brands, and we are working on the further expansion of the assortment. All three production lines, one for producing king size cigarettes, another super slim and third for the production of a cigarette filter, are operating in the installed capacity. Production is carried out concerning the standards of the profession, established norms and fulfilling the regulatory obligations that the new management has set as a priority task. Precise records and cost monitoring, planning, performance measurement and production efficiency with the implementation of new software solutions are integrated into the modern system of work organization and quality management," says Darmanović.

As far as employment is concerned, she added that 56 domestic workers work in NDK, of which 80 percent are in the production department.

"Equipment at the factory is modern, new and therefore demanding to handle. Due to this, BMJ industries occasionally engages their workforce in the process of installing production lines, commissioning, testing and production, as well as training of domestic workers for operating the systems. The success of employees in production is continuous on production lines, but also in the organization of production in all phases," she said.

Darmanović said that the number of employees in this year will increase, because it is planned to build another facility for the primary production.

"Thus, by building the second phase and putting into operation the primary production hall, this number will be around 90. In this plant, tobacco will be purchased, processed and prepared for the secondary production. Currently, the purchased tobacco is sent for processing outside Montenegro. Activation of the planned plant will also create conditions for the processing of tobacco producers from the region, which will enable an increase in production and lower costs, and thus increase revenues to the company. The production process will be rounded up in financial and technological terms," she announced.

According to her, depending on the business plans and the situation on the tobacco market, it is possible to introduce and shift work for additional production, which would also employ the new workforce.

"Due to the free business zone of NDK, the benefits to investors are also numerous, especially for those oriented to exports. It is extremely important that, on the example of such investments, with significant effects of transfer of technologies and knowledge and with direct additional employment, we include domestic companies, small and medium enterprises as subcontractors. By realizing their services and products, they additionally increase their capacities and placements by improving the overall business and contributing to the development of the economy as a whole," said Darmanović.

According to the data of the competent service, out of 45 local producers, NDK bought 39,000 kilograms of tobacco worth 75,000 euros.

"The basic plans of NDK have so far been focused on the European and the Middle East markets, of course, not limiting exclusively to the mentioned destinations. Considering the quality cigarettes of 20 brands and recognizing them as such, the distribution and market positioning have been facilitated from the very beginning. In addition to exports and employment, it would be good to create a home-grown brand of cigarettes, which is very important for the further development of the tobacco industry in Montenegro. We are also planning to intensify the efforts of services and management at the beginning of this year aimed at increasing the production and purchase of tobacco from individual producers. Management intends to continuously create and improve working conditions, educate employees and provide opportunities for further advancement and improvement, "said Darmanović.

Text by Vikend novine, on January 5th 2018, read more at CdM