10 December 2018 - Montenegro officially opened negotiations in Chapter 27 - Environment and Climate Change at the Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels earlier today.

At the conference, it was stressed that the opening of this chapter is another success for Montenegro and recognition for the intensive work on harmonising domestic legislation with EU regulations and building the necessary administrative capacity.

In his address to the representatives of the member states and the European Commission, Head of the Montenegrin delegation, Foreign Minister Srđan Darmanović, said that Montenegro has opened 32 chapters to date, of which three are closed. Darmanović added that the effort the country is putting in the alignment with the Acquis communautaire testifies to its continued and strong commitment to the European integration process. He believes that by opening the last negotiating chapter in the months ahead, Montenegro will once again confirm its leadership position, but also give a new impetus to the integration process, not only in the country but also in the countries of the region. The goal is to confirm the credibility of the European perspective of the Western Balkans.

Darmanović noted that the opening of Chapter 27 is very important, as the Constitution of 2007 defined Montenegro as an ecological state, dedicated to environmental protection and development based on sustainability principles. He highlighted that the process of European integration is the only framework that guarantees stability in the region and thus in Europe. “That is why we are sure that the presence of the EU in the region and the continuity of the enlargement policy are of fundamental importance for stability, further economic development and the competitiveness of the European continent at a global level," Darmanović concluded.

Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism Pavle Radulović stressed that the State is committed to protecting the environment. He said that the Government of Montenegro established the Environmental Protection Fund (Eco Fund) in late November in order to create the legal framework for future investments in the field of environment and climate change.

European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn also spoke at the opening of negotiations in Chapter 27, saying that Montenegro is making a significant step forward on its “European path”. He also welcomed the progress in the rule of law and said that the focus, in the coming period, should be placed on the activities under negotiating chapters 23 and 24. Commissioner Hahn reiterated that the European Commission will continue to support the integration of Montenegro into the EU in terms.

10 December 2018 - Destination management organisations not only need to motivate potential visitors before they come to the location but ensure their overall impression of the journey is maximised with sufficient reasons to remember the experience and “tell the tales” about it once they return home. Tourists want information in the palm of their hand, ahead of the holiday and as soon as they arrive in a city.

Technology advancement has created the possibility to present travel tours and landscapes using mobile applications. Such applications not only make this information accessible from anywhere in the world but also give the opportunity to everyone to surface information about the tourist routes, to check the tourist infrastructure facilities, examine history, culture and natural monuments, make a tour/hotel booking in online etc.

An available and straightforward one-application-only solution that contains all the information visitors want to know encourages further exploration and discovery of the destination.

During last weekend, Tourist Organization of Tivat released the mobile application “Visit Tivat,” which offers plenty information on all current topics of interest to tourists when planning to visit this city and during the visit. The application was made in Montenegrin and English. “-What to see; -where to eat; -where to stay; -what to do; -what is Tivat known for “are just some of the questions answered by the newly released application. One of its advantages is that you can use the app offline as well.

“Visit Tivat mobile guide also has an integrated map function to enable you to visualise your itinerary, get directions and see where places of interest are located. In essence, this is Tivat’s guide on your mobile phone,” explains the developer within the Play Store description of the application.

Within the mobile application, Tourist Organization has highlighted all events and special offers to make the tour around the gem of the Montenegrin coast exciting and memorable for all tourists. The main goal of the “Visit Tivat” application is to provide information for the exploration of the city and remind the tourists why they want to come back again and share the experience with friends and family.

The next project which TO Tivat will work on is the implementation of other foreign languages for the mobile application as well as for the interactive display (a project initiated in 2017).

For now, the application is available to Android users only. You can download the app here.

December 10, 2018 - Coalition 27, a network of 20 non-governmental organizations dealing with the environment and climate change, thinks that Montenegro should understand that the opening of chapter 27 is a concrete step by the European Union to more stringent requirements and the application of more serious mechanisms.

"We therefore think it would be far more convenient to inform the public about concrete plans for the future, and focus on closing the process, instead of the tacky enthusiasm by certain leaders, who have absolutely no credit for such a decision of the EU member states," the statement said.

Croatia is said to have opened and closed the negotiation chapter within ten months. "This would be fatal for Montenegro, in a situation where state institutions do not have the necessary administrative and financial capacity to implement the values and the legal acquis in an optimal way," assesses the Coalition 27.

As stated, a decade after the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement, Montenegro has managed to transpose a significant number of European regulations, while their implementation is seriously lagging behind, especially in the area of nature protection, waste management, water quality, and air emissions.

Montenegro has failed in ten years to respond to the priority task defined subsequently by the Accession Strategy, which relates to a significant strengthening of the capacity of the environmental inspection system in accordance with the European Parliament and Council Propaganda on Minimum Criteria for Environmental Inspection in the States members.

"Montenegro failed to provide temporary protection of potential Natura 2000 areas in which the devastation of natural values such as the devastation of Tara River, Cijevna, NP Skadar Lake and Durmitor, sea areas by hydrocarbon exploration resulted in devastation of the natural and unplanned development, while the protection of Ulcinj Solana and all international and national communications have not yet been reached," the statement said.

Coalition 27 estimates that Montenegro has not provided the goals for preserving good ecological status of waters, according to the Water Framework Directive, given the planned and carried out significant degradation of numerous watercourses in the north of Montenegro, caused by the construction of hydroelectric facilities.

"We are seriously concerned about the planning and management of finances now estimated at 1.6 billion euros and whose amount is not to be reduced, but it is increasing compared to the estimated 1.4 billion in the previous year, and especially knowing that the state so far invested 200 million euros," the statement said. It is alleged that the country's critical state of unreadiness is related to waste management and the situation that two local governments have not established a waste management system by the law, while in the whole country there are only four wastewater treatment plants with unacceptable dynamics in the construction of new plants and sewers.

"After decades, the institutions are fighting with 350 illegal dumps, urban dumps, unknown quantities of landfills, waste in factions and different waste streams," said Coalition 27.

They recall that, according to the latest report of the World Health Organization Pljevlja, they are on the list of the most polluted cities in the world, despite all legal obligations and standards that limit the excessive emissions of polluting particles.

Coalition 27 argues that there is no long-term plan, either at the local or national level, to solve the problem, and so far the measures have not produced any effects. "Thermal power plants continue to pollute the air in Pljevlja without paying compensation for damage to human health and the environment."

"Instead, that the Government of Montenegro and the relevant ministry should seriously examine the problems and accumulated obligations in implementing regulations and invites all interested social actors to the necessary cooperation, they are conducting a campaign of discrediting the non-governmental sector and concealing the real situation in the public," the statement said.

Text by MINA, on December 9th, 2018, read more at Vijesti

December 10, 2018 - In 2017 Turkey was ranked 9th as a foreign investor in Montenegro, and data for the nine months of 2018 show that Turkey is in the third place. This is a concrete result of high-quality political and diplomatic relations, and I expect that investments from the Turkish economy will be even more significant in 2019, said the Turkish Ambassador Serhat Galip during the meeting with the Minister of Transport and Maritime Affairs Osman Nurkovic.

According to the Ministry of Transport, the meeting served to summarize the impressions and results of cooperation during the mandate of Ambassador Galip in our country.

With the assessment that the cooperation in the past period was at a very high level, Ambassador Galip expressed expectations that by appointing the new Ambassador of Turkey to Montenegro, communication will continue to be carried out in a quality manner with the support of the Montenegrin institutions.

As the Ambassador pointed out, the data show significant growth of the trade exchange trend and the focus will continue to be on the strengthening of the economic cooperation between the two countries.

Nurkovic thanked Galip for the commitment and engagement in developing diplomatic and friendly relations between Montenegro and Turkey.

"The appeal by Turkish diplomats to Turkish businessmen presenting our country as a stable investment destination is of great importance," said Nurkovic.

Especially unique are investments in northern Montenegro, bearing in mind the opportunities that exist, but the problems that citizens of this part of Montenegro encounter. "The work of the traffic department creates the preconditions for a better quality of life of citizens, primarily the construction and maintenance of road infrastructure, where it is definitely important to work on the realization of the project of construction of Bar-Boljare highway. The stronger development of northern Montenegro will affect the development of the whole country," the minister said. During the meeting there were talks about cooperation in other sectors in the field of education, there is a quality program of support for Montenegrin students in Turkey. As the ambassador pointed out, the Turkish government allocates certain funds for financing such programs, and it is up to us to jointly promote and create such and similar projects.

Text by CdM, on December 10th, 2018, read more at CdM

December 10. 2018 - Every citizen of Montenegro annually uses an average of 400 to 600 plastic bags. No plastic bag is recycled in Montenegro, most often ending in nature. This is worrisome data, says Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism Pavle Radulovic, and emphasizes that Montenegro will be in great danger if we do not start to address the problem. He announces the ban on the use of plastic bags and the introduction of a deposit for PET packaging.

San Giovanni Excursion Useful Tips:

09 December 2018 - The street food industry has always been present but has never enjoyed such publicity and glory as it does today. Every day people are increasingly looking for a quick and cheap meal which is the main offer of portable booths and other catering facilities of the kind. Street food vending offer includes a various selection of ready-to-eat meals, snacks, fruits, and drinks.

The administration of Kotor Municipality recognized the convenience of ready-to-eat food or drink sold by a hawker, or vendor, in a street or other public place to tourists. The Directorate for Development and Construction of Kotor has published a public call for lease for temporary use of portable booths for sale of cakes, pastries, “ruštule” (appetizer often served in Bay of Kotor), crepes, sausages, small fish and shellfish, French fries, boiled wine and other hot and cold drinks at the location of the city promenade. Street food is generally convenient and cheap and quite simple regarding preparation and ingredients. Still, the few bites eaten on the streets of an exciting destination is often a perfect way to sample some authentic local cuisine.

As stated in the public call, the term for issuing a portable booth is from December 14, 2018, to January 20, 2019. This means that people from Kotor, as well as tourists from the country and abroad, will be able to enjoy freshly made home specialties from Kotor and from all over Montenegro. The number of booths is limited, which means that only the very best vendors can secure a place there. It is especially worth a visit during the holiday seasons, since Kotor offers rich New Year programme (you can read about it here). Come hungry as the food stalls will offer delicious food and you’ll certainly want to pop into a nearby pub for a pint at the end!

Working hours are set in advance, from 10 am to 9 pm, except on December 30, December 31, January 1 and January 2, when the working time is extended to 1 am.

December 9, 2018 - With the concert of two great musicians, violoncellist Dmitry Prokofiev, and pianist Ratimir Martinovic, the fourth concert season started with the concert organized by the Music School "Vida Matjan" and KotorArt Festival Don Branko Days of Music.

Photo Parteli Kotor

Prokofiev and Martinovic performed an exciting and demanding program in front of the numerous audience made from the compositions of Shuman, Shubert, Schnittke, and Shedrina. In the introductory speech, the school director Laura Jovanović reminded of the importance of such a practical improvement of school pupils, as well as the fact that most guest artists and professors from the local and regional art faculties held free workshops for pupils of the school.

Photo Parteli Kotor

Mayor of Kotor Vladimir Jokić said in his speech that one of the ideas of this season is that "in the days when the coastal towns are mildly melancholy, bearing the depression of rainy days, we awaken the sleepy town and disperse the weight of the south with the music."

Photo Parteli Kotor

Kotor concert season will last until June, during which its focus will be on the cello, as a deficit instrument in Montenegro about young musicians.

Photo Parteli Kotor

The audience in Kotor and Montenegro will have the opportunity to listen to the best pupils at the festive school concerts from Christmas to Christmas, during the Days of Kamelija, on the eve of the school day, artists from the domestic scene like pianist Bojan Martinović and violinist Vujadin Krivokapić, regional musicians like concert cellist Sandra Belić and Irina Josifoska and the opera ensemble of the Academy of Arts in Osijek, as well as internationally acclaimed musicians such as the Polish Krakowsky duo Kalinovski-Selezer (cello-piano), who performed already on Tuesday, December 11th, in the hall of St. Duha in Kotor.

Text by CdM, on December 7th 2018, read more at CdM