23 December 2018 - Delta City Podgorica is the first big shopping mall in Montenegro, which, like a small town, has the most diverse stores, as well as various entertainment contents in which all guests can enjoy all day. This shopping centre has become a favourite meeting place of many locals but also citizens from other parts of Montenegro. A large number of shops, a multiplex cinema, a large children's playroom, cafes and restaurants - together make shopping, dining and socializing a real, top-notch entertainment.

Delta City Mall Podgorica marked the first decade of work this year, and on that occasion, the representatives of the company shared some interesting information about their business:

• Delta City occupies an area of 24.000 square metres, which is the size of 3 soccer fields, and if we add the parcel on which it is located, then that figure is almost doubled and amounts to 46.000 square metres.
• On opening day, on October 1, 2008, 44.000 people visited the mall.
• The shopping mall annually hosts between 4.000.000 and 5.000.000 guests, and for ten years of existence, the total number of visitors has exceeded the figure of 40.000.000, which is equal to the number of inhabitants of the state of Iraq.
• During 2018, Delta City has hosted over 90 different events, and in 10 years, the number of manifestations in this facility exceeded 800. A third of the total events had the character of social responsibility.
• The crown of annual work of the mall, when it comes to socially responsible business aspect, is definitely the Great Christmas Bazaar, organized in cooperation with the International Women's Club (IWCM) and all the Embassies in Montenegro, where over 3.000 EUR is collected every year for the needs of children health institutions.
• In the category "Real estate management - by income" for 2017, the shopping mall Delta City occupies 1st place.

The Shopping Mall Delta City today has 80 tenants, of which half are made up of international brands such as Zara, Bershka, Stradivarius, Cineplexx, Cortefiel, Pull & Bear, Oysho, Intimissimi, Tommy Hilfiger, Guess, New Yorker, Mango, Antony Morato, OVS Industry, Cortefiel and many others.

In 2016, shopping mall Delta City became part of the Hyprop Investments group. Hyprop Investments is the largest African fund investing in shopping malls and a Shopping Mall Delta City in Podgorica is managed by a newly established Hystead Limited based company in London.

December 23, 2018 - We are not among those who easily make promises that we cannot fulfill, and I think that the people of Zabljak recognize it. We try not to make everything we promised an ordinary populist story, but a realistic, feasible development plan. The best proof is the numerous construction sites in the municipality and realized projects, says Veselin Vukićević, President of the Municipality of Zabljak, who is very optimistic about the new 2019."The city has surpassed the national frames in the interest of tourists! During the summer, all hotels had an exceptional booking so that about 60,000 tourists visited Zabljak until October, who made 130,000 overnight stays. With the development of various types of active tourism, such as biking, hiking, mountaineering, kayaking, rafting and more, Žabljak is becoming an increasingly popular summer tourist destination. Tourism is a specific branch of the economy, for the simple reason that you must always be attractive and innovative. Simply, "past work" in this activity does not exist," Vukićević said to Vecernje Novosti. He adds that with the start of the winter season, they expect the number of guests to increase.

"To be competitive, we invest significantly in the infrastructure, which we do, together with the state's support. Almost 1.5 kilometers to Savin Kuk is almost completed, and a parking space for daily skiers is also available. The contractor for the purchase of a six-seater cableway and the construction of four kilometers of new ski tracks was chosen, worth about nine million euros, financed by the Government of Montenegro. For the next year, reconstruction of the access road in the length of five kilometers is announced, construction of cannons for snow and the design of new tracks in the length of 20 kilometers is underway. We expect that through these projects we will succeed in bringing Zabljak back with the epithet of the regional winter center, "says Vukićević.

 "This summer, tourists had at their disposal ten hotels, one boarding house and 1,300 beds in private accommodation. New hotel-tourist facilities will contribute to enriching the tourist offer. Therefore, three private hotels are now being constructed. This season started with work a long-awaited restaurant on Crno jezero," he says.

He proudly points out that Montenegro has managed to bring the world-famous tourist brand "Aman", which begins to build a 5 + star hotel, at the site of the former hotel "Durmitor". "The value of this investment exceeds 20 million euros. Soon we expect the signing of a lease agreement for the military-tourist resort "Mediteran" with the renowned brand "Chedi".

Regarding the reconstruction of the hotel "Jezero", he adds that the construction of a tourist complex with bungalows is planned in this area, estimated at seven million euros.

Text by Novosti, on December 22nd, 2018, read more at CdM

December 23, 2018 - The olive groves Džidžarin in Stari Bar and Valdanos near Ulcinj are the first in Montenegro to be officially mapped according to the most modern method, which is the current world hit in agriculture and is based on satellite images and other data processed by the Geographic Information System (GIS).

This spatial data management system enables the creation of "smart cards" with precise parameters, in the specific case, how much the olive is on which plot, and is enabled thanks to the trilateral IPA project "Cross-border Olive" in which the Municipality of Bar and Association for sustainable development, regional cooperation and olive growing Valdanos. "For now, there are" Wine Roads "- the wine routes in Crmnica, and this project aims to map the olives to their tourist valorization, that is, to the" Old olive trees," they announced from the Municipality.

Džidžarin is one of the biggest and most beautiful olive complexes in Bar municipality. Experts point out that its great and ambient value is that, together with the remains of the old town, stone bridges, and mills in its immediate surroundings, it is one of the most valuable microcircuits on the entire Montenegrin coast. Džidžarin in KO Bartula, has a total area of about 70 hectares, with about 10.000 roots of olive trees in possession of approximately 130 owners.

Experts at the University “Ka Foscari” in Venice and the Homeland Museum found the remains of Greek culture from the 4th century before the new era in Džidžarin which was established by laboratory analysis of samples in 2009 in Venice. It was then announced that this olive tree is older than two millennia by these analyzes. Earlier, among the olive growers of Bar, there were speculations that these trees are ancient. The total budget of the current INTERREG IPA project is 625. Four hundred forty euros and the Municipality of Bar received an IPA grant of 73,962 euros. The biennial project started on May 28^th this year, Džidžarin was chosen by Bar Secretariat for Agriculture and Rural Development by the project criteria for selecting a location for mapping olives in the GIS system.

The leading partner in the “Cross-Border Olive” is the Faculty of Agriculture in Tirana, and beside Bar and Ulcinj, the other partners are the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute from Bari, the Urban Research Institute in Tirana and the Venafra Historical and Agricultural Park of Olives. This kind of mapping of old olive trees will also be done in Albania and Italy.

Text by Radomir Petric, on December 22nd, 2018, read more at Vijesti

December 23, 2018 - The first edition of the book festival - Humanities of Culture and Art FesKK Kotor "Be careful what you are reading" was closed on Saturday.

On behalf of the organizers of the festival, the director of JU Museum of Kotor, Dusan Medin, greeted the present audience, who pointed out that during the days of the festival the main mission was realized - Cultural heritage of Pro futuro, to talk about the cultural heritage in a way that it can bring us benefits in the future , but also to remind us of all our cultural values, especially the value and character of Boka Bay, especially Kotor as its center.

The president of the expert jury, Jelena Djurovic, announced the winners of the awards; in the category of publishers the award was given to CANU publisher and the Supervisory Museum of Montenegro, for the publication "Red Rock", editor Robert Whallon for international contributions in the field of archaeological research on the territory of Montenegro and the National Museum of Montenegro for the scientific contribution of the book "Art Museum", by the author Ljiljana Zeković.

For innovative educational practice, the award was presented to publisher Gligorije Dijaku for the book " Čudesni svijet puha Đorđa " by author Žarko Vučinić for outstanding contribution to innovative practice in education. "

In the category of the awards for authors, the award was given to Jovica Martinović for the scientific contribution of the book "Socio-economic structure of the society in Kotor in the first half of the XIV century", by a comprehensive survey of the socio-economic circumstances of the medieval Kotor.

FesKK – closing December 2018.

 Festival editor Stanka Janković Pivljanin announced prizes awarded by the city of Kotor. The award was presented on behalf of the city by the Vice-President of the Municipality of Kotor Ljiljana Popović Moškov. The jury in the town of Kotor awarded two prizes to the publishers: Kotor Maritime Museum of Montenegro for the book "Lav Svetog Marka: simbol Serenisime predstavljen u umjetnosti grada Kotora", by Radojka Abramovic, in the category of a book that has a lasting value and achieves a scientific contribution. "This study, which is accompanied by an extraordinary illustrative material, has shown the maturity and cautiousness of the author as a critical investigator," said Jankovic Pivljanin.   

The second prize was awarded to the National Library of Montenegro "Đurđe Crnojević" for the book "Artistic treasures of Montenegro", in the category of reprinted editions of old books that have permanent value.

Two awards for authors were awarded to academician prof. Dr. Serbo Rastofer for the book "Komunisti i muhadžiri (1958 – 1971) slučaj Opštine Rožaje", in the category of books that provides an important scientific contribution. The second prize was awarded to prof. Dr. Miodrag Perovic for the book "Istorija matematike", in the same category.

The Special Award for Photo monography "Krsto Andrijašević", by editor Ljiljana Zeković, was awarded for a book that has a lasting value, published by Cano Koprivica Foundation and the National Museum of Montenegro.

"During the three days, the festival gathered 50 publishers and organized over 20 book promotions, it was successful," estimated Maja Grgurovic, a professor of literature and librarians at the Museum of Perast, at the closing ceremony of the festival at the Gallery Solidarnosti this evening.

Text by Boka news, on December 23rd, 2018, read more at Boka news

December 23, 2018 - Kotor Mayor Vladimir Jokić called on the Constitutional Court to urgently make a decision on the proposal to review the constitutionality and legality of the Detailed Urban Plan (DUP) of Kostanjica, whose implementation in Kotor and Montenegro would inflict irreparable damage. He announced it on Friday at the press conference he convened on this occasion.

On Monday, he submitted to the Constitutional Court a proposal to review the constitutionality and legality of DUP Kostanjica, explaining that this proposal was the result of the work of the legal team of the Municipality of Kotor.

"Kostanjica area is one of the most sensitive parts of the protected area of Kotor and has so far been recognized as a part of the area that is over constructed. This space was mentioned for the first time In its decisions, the UNESCO Committee mentioned this area for the first time in 2014. In 2016 UNESCO treated Kostanjica as a part of the entire protected area, and in 2018, at the last UNESCO Committee Session, it was underlined that every construction on the site which is under the protection of UNESCO should be prevented," explained Jokić.

He said that since the establishment of the new administration in Kotor there is a request for the issuance of eight building permits based on the DUP Kostanjica.

"These eight building permits refer to over 30 residential and auxiliary facilities, totalling over ten thousand square meters," Jokić said.

According to him, such construction would lead to Kotor losing status on the UNESCO list.

"Such construction would have caused the Kostanjica space to be permanently and irretrievably devastated. Such construction would lead to Montenegro and Montenegrin society knowingly and deliberately screening themselves out of the line of civilized peoples," said Jokić.

He reminded that the government, in April last year, introduced a moratorium on construction in a protected area of Kotor.

"However, since the requests for these permits are submitted before this Decision was passed in accordance with the law, all legal provisions have been argued in support of the need to comply with these requirements, that building permits must be issued," Jokić said .

Jokic, from April until today, addressed the Montenegrin Government, the Montenegrin President, ministries, citing that, in addition to the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, which on several occasions replied that Kotor must act in accordance with the law, and the responses of the Secretary General of the National Commission for UNESCO, "we have received no response from any institution we have addressed."

"Representatives of the Kotor Municipality, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism met on several occasions in July, and this resulted in an agreement to form an interest group of these three institutions, where lawyers engaged by the three institutions will try to find a way that the issue of eight building permits is overcome. This team met once in August and until today did not manage to have any results," said Jokić.

He pointed out that the Municipality of Kotor, for the time being, tried to find a way to deal with this problem, "regardless all kind of pressure we are facing to issue these building permits."

He said that the three reasons why he believed DUP Kostanjica was illegal and unconstitutional.

"The first reason is that in 2009, when deciding on the amendments to the DUP Kostanjica, the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning, headed by Minister Branimir Gvozdenović, was obliged to consent to the local authority that the plan is adopted in accordance with the plan of the higher order, "said Jokić. He said that Gvozdenović did not give such consent on that occasion, but consent to the procedure being conducted in accordance with the law.

"He avoided that kind of consent, which was a legally binding element for adopting such a plan document," Jokić pointed out.

Jokić also pointed to the adoption of the Decision on the adoption of the DUP in 2009, which was passed as a modification of the 1991 decision, clarifying that by this same 2009 decision the decision from 1991 was taken out of force.

"So we have a paradoxical situation - the amendments to the basic act cease to apply this act. This means that no new act could have been valid either, "Jokić said.

He said that in 2013, the Assembly of the Municipality of Kotor, at its meeting in December, adopted the Decision on Changes of the Decision on the DUP in Kostanjica.

"These changes adopted by the Assembly extend the validity of the DUP Kostanjica to the adoption of a new planning document. On that occasion, the legal procedure for amending the law was strictly formalized," says Jokić.

He pointed out that the previous practice of the Constitutional Court, in the same cases, on the same occasion "resulted in such decisions being declared unlawful and unconstitutional."

"By acting in our opinion on the unconstitutional and unlawful detailed urban plan of Kostanjica, we would inflict irreparable damage to Kotor. Ultimately, it would inflict irreparable damage to the reputation of Montenegro in the international scene and the status of Montenegro in UNESCO and other United Nations agencies, "said Jokić.

He said that preserving Kotor on UNESCO lists issues of public interest. "It is not Kotor as a member of UNESCO, but Montenegro is a member of UNESCO," Jokić said.

He called on the Constitutional Court, noting that he did not intend to interfere in any way with its final decision, to take a proposal to review the constitutionality and legality of the DUP Kostanjica in the priority considerations.

December 23, 2018 - The Kotor Tourist Organisation participates in several international projects and is waiting for the project selection within the open call of Interreg IPA CRO-BA-ME 2014-2020, which closed on 20 December 2018. Participation of the Tourist Organization of Kotor for each project is 15% of its costs, while 85% of funds should be provided through project programs.

The project "Explore Crossborder Aquatic Biodiversity - ExChAnge" Kotor Tourist Organisation is carried out with the Institute for Marine Biology at the University of Montenegro, the Tourist Association of Hercegovačko-Neretva Canton and JP Nature Park of Hutovo Blato from Čapljina. The project aims to create four new thematic routes linking the Aquarium in Dubrovnik, an aquarium that will be open in Kotor, the Hutovo Nature Reserve and the Neretva River and the Old Bridge in Mostar, to create infrastructure and to establish and respect the standards in promotion natural heritage. Activities of TO Kotor in this project amount to EUR 327,417.73.

"Augmented Cities-Digital Cities - AC-DC" project, in cooperation with the Tourist Board of the City of Sisak as a leading partner, Kotor Tourist Organisation performs and with two other partners - the Agency for Development of the Municipality of Tešanj and the Interpretation Center of Banovina Heritage. Partners in this project are working on the creation and exchange of ICT solutions created to modernize the tourist offer that will be enriched with digital content based on virtual and expanded realities and electronic databases on the cultural heritage on site in front of each facility — the activities of TO Kotor in this project amount to EUR 150.054,23.

The project "Joint development and promotion of newly developed NAUTICA CBC" TO Kotor is realized in partnership with the Faculty of Transport Sciences of the University of Zagreb, the Faculty of Maritime Studies in Kotor and the Port Authority of the Split-Dalmatia County. The aim is to create a common tourist product in the field of nautical tourism and to create a framework for research, education, and promotion of the offer in this field — activities of the Kotor Tourist Organisation in this project amount to EUR 206,266.00.

The project "C-BH-M Border Triangle Cooperation - BTC" Kotor Tourist Organisation has been prepared in partnership with the Public Institution for Management of Protected Areas of Nature of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, the Development Agency of the City of Dubrovnik, the National Parks of Montenegro, the Municipality of Ravno and the Municipality of Neum. The project is cross-border to improve the tourist offer, exchange of information and establish coordination in the conduct of joint activities to present in the best possible way the unified offer of the cultural and historical heritage of this area — activities of TO Kotor in this project amount to EUR 177,595.33.

Cross-Border Cooperation Program Interreg IPA CRO-BA-ME 2014-2020 is an instrument for implementing the policy coherence within the EU Member States on which it is based, and is performed with a view to establishing balanced development and strengthening economic, social and territorial cohesion in order to stimulate growth in the EU member states and other countries participating in the program. Kotor Tourist Organisation is expecting a response to the project proposal under this program.

22 December 2018 - The Ministry of Sport, in cooperation with youth organisations and international partners, organised a conference presenting the results achieved in the field of youth policy, as to nourish a good practice and summarize the outcome of the activities with young people at the end of the year. 

The conference was opened by Sports Minister Nikola Janović, who said that recognising the values on which modern Europe rests enabled present and the coming generations to not be burdened with the problems that our ancestors faced and that only in this way the young people can dedicate themselves to science and knowledge.

"Young people are the pillar of society and as such must have the support of institutions and organizations dealing with youth, as well as the support of the wider community. Special attention should be paid to creating an environment for young people belonging to vulnerable groups to integrate them in all areas of social activity," the Minister said. 

Minister Janović stressed that young people must be bearers of the new age that removes barriers and contributes to the unification of generations that respect each other and create a better future. He also said that the need of youth for a better tomorrow is inspirational to the entire community, precisely because of the strength of the young. Countries united in the system of values of the European Union, and those who aspire to membership, including Montenegro, are committed to creating and fostering dialogue with young people. 

"Our ambition is not hidden - we want Montenegro's youth to remain in Montenegro and contribute to its development. Therefore, in the following period, we will be very dedicated to working on improving the living and work conditions of young people to strengthen further the environment in which they need to feel concrete benefits and care of the state for their better future," concluded Minister Janović.

22 December2018 - Montenegro is a source of peace and stability in the region, and partnership and friendship with the United States is permanent and value-based, Prime Minister Duško Marković's meeting with newly-appointed United States ambassador Judy Rising Reinke stressed.

"Our extraordinary bilateral relations, confirmed many times so far through significant events for both countries, can now be enriched by strong economic cooperation," said PM Marković, highlighting that Montenegro is now a free, democratic state, a NATO member and a stable country progressing on the path of EU accession.

The Prime Minister said that Montenegro has been implementing a strong economic agenda, experiencing intensive development and achieving economic growth, which is among the highest in Europe.

Noting that he sees a commitment to building and strengthening institutions, Ambassador Reinke said that she wants to dedicate her mandate to strengthening partnership within NATO, but also to enhancing economic cooperation, especially in the area of entrepreneurship and SMEs.

"Montenegro is a destination in which it is safe to invest and which can provide profit to the investor, but also better living standards for our citizens," Prime Minister Marković stated. 

Both sides agreed that it is important to further improve the environment for entrepreneurship and investment, including the legislative system, to ensure full competitiveness and equal opportunities for all.

The Prime Minister pointed out that Montenegro is finalising the development of the Smart Specialisation Strategy to best recognise and exploit its potentials, and that in the coming period, strong incentives will be given to medium and small enterprises, entrepreneurs and startup companies.

Pointing out the Government's commitment to the balanced development of the country, the Prime Minister praised the United States Embassy's "Peace Corps" programme, which envisages the arrival of a group of American volunteers who will teach English to children from primary and secondary schools, mainly in the north of the country.

22 December 2018 - The youngest citizens of Herceg Novi will have the opportunity to try decorating a Christmas tree, but also tlearn something new, through the traditional manifestation on the occasion of the New Year's holidays – “Christmas Decoration of Spruce tree on the slopes of Mount Orjen”. Aside from children and parents, the manifestation is open to all mountain lovers and to all people who simply enjoy socializing.

The manifestation, which will be held tomorrow - December 23, is organized by Mountain Club Subra at the Mountaineering Hut “Za Vratlom”.

According to the club, the departure is tomorrow at 9:30 from the former motel Borići (800 metres above sea level) and there is around an hour and a half hike to the Mountain hut "Za Vratlom" (1160 metres above sea level). There, along with the old story of the tradition of Christmas Decoration of Spruce tree on the slopes of Mount Orjen, the youngest will be able to enjoy local food and drinks.

After that, it is officially the time for the Christmas Decoration of Spruce tree on the slopes of Mount Orjen, in the true spirit of this gorgeous mountain, which has been adorned with a thin white blanket since the last weekend. In addition to warm shoes and clothes, children can take crayons, as there will be even more exciting activities and small surprises, as announced from the club representatives.

"Christmas Decoration of Spruce tree on the slopes of Mount Orjen" was organized with the support of the Secretariat for Social Activities and Sports of the Municipality of Herceg Novi. Participation is free of charge. Keep in mind that the parents and guardians are responsible for their children.

To take part in the event, it is best to acquire information via Facebook page Mountain Club Subra, telephone 0038269-684-084, or Instagram profile "mountainhut_zavratlom".

December 22, 2018 - The Ministry of Science will spend 91,893 euros at the Institute of Marine Biology in Kotor for the construction of a marine aquaculture laboratory. Bearing in mind the significance of the project for the development of science and strengthening the capacity of the Institute of Marine Biology, as well as the fact that at the moment there are no funds for such projects, the Ministry has decided to co-finance the establishment of a laboratory.

The planned upgrading of the Institute of Marine Biology implies the construction of an additional 260m² of space to provide a laboratory working area and the premises for artificial breeding of microalga and shellfish, as well as a cabinet for the head of the laboratory and the technical staff.

"The new Laboratory aims to create conditions for artificial reproduction of shellfish, then breeding lettuce using the cultivated microalgae and increasing the production of shellfish in the area of Boka Bay. Several shellfish farms will be partners on the project and will be supplied directly with grown-ups, after which they will grow in the natural environment to reach the consuming size," the document adopted by the Montenegrin Government states.

This is about information on the realization of the project "Sustainable and innovative Agro food and fisheries value chain for SMEs cross border market - Food4health" of the University of Montenegro - Institute of Marine Biology in Kotor.

The results of scientific experiments in Laboratory will be directly applicable in the economic sector and influence its development, while the rich practical experience of shellfish growers will contribute to the final phase of the experiment- the promotion of domestic high-nutrition products and the branding of shellfish from Boka Bay.

As stated, the formation of such a Laboratory opens up the possibility of numerous scientific researches in the field of marine aquaculture, fisheries and primary production through various fundamental and applied researches - from artificial cultivation of endangered or vulnerable species to marine organisms, repopulation of certain species whose resources are transmitted, development of new protocols and improving taxonomic methodologies.

Otherwise, during 2018, the Institute of Marine Biology participated in the preparation of project applications under the IPA Interreg Call for Cross-Border Projects for Montenegro, Italy, and Albania. Institute reported the project in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Montenegro, the Albanian and Italian Ministries of Agriculture and three other scientific and research institutions from Italy and Albania.

Given the specificity of the area, the Institute of Marine Biology, as an equal partner in the project, proposed the upgrade of the Institute building to establish a Marine Aquaculture Laboratory, purchase of the necessary microalga breeding equipment and in vitro breeding of high economic value bivalve mollusks.

The planned start of the project is March 2019, and its implementation will last four years.