04 December 2018 - Montenegro can genuinely be proud of its beautiful 293 km long coast with 73 km of sand, pebble, and rocky beaches spread over 117 locations. Each summer season, beaches attract numerous tourists from all over the world to Montenegro. Having clean and beautifully arranged beaches have been recognized as a necessity by the Montenegrin Government, so The Public Enterprise for Coastal Zone of Montenegro decided to make an effort to improve beach appearance and positively affect the tourist offer of the country during the summer.

As announced from the Coastal Zone Management Company, as of next summer season, Montenegrin beaches will have a new, unique look when it comes to beach equipment that will be more appealing to tourists from the country and guests from abroad. Achieving a beautiful looking coast should contribute to an increase in satisfaction with tourists who travel to Montenegro for the summer holidays.

The Local News Station RTV Budva recently interviewed Blažo Rađenović, the director of the Limited Liability Company "Mediteran reklame" (English: "Mediterranean Advertising") on the subject, and he explained that the new decision that will soon be made and the three-year plan proposal would introduce new regulations when it comes to beach advertising. He justified the recent agenda with the unsightly multicolor picture of Montenegrin beaches, where umbrellas, sunbeds, and cabins are used for commercial purposes, and they do not reflect the beauty of the country’s coastal area.

According to Rađenović, The Public Enterprise for Coastal Zone of Montenegro will create new coastal area regulations in the following period, so that all beaches have their unique appearance that is focused on attracting tourists, and not creating commercial effects for private companies.

In the past period, before the issue of coastal zone appearance was brought to the surface by the authorities, LLC “Mediteran reklame“ was in charge for controlling the advertising aspect on the Montenegrin beaches, and have charged a fee for advertising in beach zones.

"We tried to act preventively with our taxes and limit the advertising options. In Montenegro, that was the only way to influence and change something for the better. If our company did not exist, everyone would have the right to place hundreds of ads, and that would worsen the image of the country’s coastal area, "Rađenović concluded. He is pleased that the public company has recognized the importance of this issue and that taxing will no longer be the method for creating a more beautiful image for the beaches.

04 December 2018 - Even though winter is just around the corner, the weather in Montenegro manages to impress even the locals. Chilly days filled with sunshine are lining up, almost ideal for a day trip to one of the coastal cities of Montenegro! Half-Day Private Tour of Perast & Kotor is a perfect way to spend your day, taking advantage of the favourable weather conditions before the winter catches up.

Enjoy a 4-hour tour of the most beautiful bay in the Adriatic. Visit the Baroque town of Perast with the islet Our Lady of the Rocks. Take a walking tour in the medieval town of Kotor. This tour will provide you with a chance to see the best part of Bay of Kotor, one of the gems of the Mediterranean. You will visit the Baroque town of Perast, a small place with a rich history.

There, you will have a short boat ride to the island Our Lady of the Rocks to visit the church with a museum. According to legend, the island was created over the centuries by local seamen who kept an ancient oath after finding an icon of the Madonna and Child on July 22, 1452. Upon returning from each successful voyage, they laid a rock in the bay and, over time, the island gradually emerged from the water. The custom of throwing rocks into the sea is alive today. After the tour there, you will head back to Perast to have a short walk and some free time.

Head back to Kotor, a UNESCO site and a well-preserved medieval fortified city. Take a walking tour of the old town there and see the 12th century St. Tryphon Cathedral, its narrow streets, and palaces unfold before your eyes. In Kotor, you will definitely want to investigate the tremendously rich history of the town on tour with a professional guide.

The tour includes private transportation with a comfortable car/ van, licensed English-speaking professional guide, taxi boat tickets, museum entrance fees and Old town Kotor entrance fees and maps. The ticket does not cover your meals and drinks.

Discover the pearls of Bay of Kotor including Perast and Kotor Old Town on a sightseeing tour of Montenegro, ideal for those with limited time, especially cruise ship passengers. Learn the legend of the Our Lady of the Rocks island and more!

You can find more information about the tour here.

December 4, 2018 - The continuation of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th regular session of the Municipal Assembly of Kotor, which was supposed to, among other things, decide the confirmation of the 14 decisions that had been taken by the mayor Vladimir Jokic (Democrats) was not held yesterday because the president of the local parliament Dragica Perovic DSS) canceled it due to "the impossibility of attending sessions at the scheduled term by certain members of the ruling coalition."

According to our findings, the collegium of the president of the SO will be held on Wednesday when it would be necessary to finally determine whether the local parliament will be scheduled again by December 29th. Then, the half-year term expires in which, according to the law, if there is no Session, the Government introduces forced administration to the municipality as an introduction to extraordinary local elections.

"On our side, once again in spite of the difficult words heard in the past days, we will talk to our partners and we will try to reasonably overcome the problem and preserve the local government. However, the other side is needed by for achieving the agreement," said the source from the top of Kotor local government.

The ruling coalition (Democrats, DF, URA and SDP) in SO Kotor, with parliamentary support from SNP, has 17 votes of councilors, while the opposition made by DPS and its close parties has 16 councilors.

The last parliamentary session of the Kotor parliament was held on June 29^th, when the meeting was interrupted because they did not vote on the purchase of Jugopetrol real estate in Škaljari and the industrial zone because Nova and SDP were against it. Since the end of June, the parliament has been virtually blocked by disagreements among local government actors, predominantly Democrats and URAs on one hand and SDP on the other. The Party of Ranko Krivokapic withdrew support for the purchase of Jugopetrol's real estate, on which its staff has been working since the beginning of this project rated as very important for the further development of Kotor.

Vladimir Jokić – photo Boka News

Mayor Vladimir Jokic (Democrats) SDP objected that "it would usurp the basic Constitutional and legal right of Municipal Assembly members to decide, without calling them" and that in the meantime he has allegedly issued a number of illegal decisions, to which Jokic replied that he had, according to the law, the right and duty in a situation where the work of the local parliament is blocked. SDP also accuses Jokic that "as a tool of the waste from SNP Snezana Jonica", in the local public enterprise employees are being dismissed from SNP personnel and appointing them to Jonica or her associates with whom she allegedly makes a new party. The SDP felt threatened because a possible replacement of Krivokapić's party Mladen Lučić from the position of director of the Utility company that is, Safet Luković from the position of director of the company Water and Sewage was announced from the circles close to Jonica. SDP had to let the staff of DF and Jonica's SNP wing, which controls all SNPs in the Kotor parliament, several vital places in the municipal company Luka Kotor, which in no way beneficial to that party.

DPS has not yet announced whether they will formally submit an initiative to vote for Jokic's distrust, because they do not have a decisive, 17th vote among the party councilors at the state level, officially a "heavy" opposition to the DPS.

SDP holds the key to the survival of the coalition

From OO SDP Kotor, they confirmed that they would attend the Collegium of the President of the SO on Wednesday "in order to re-request the return of legality in the work of the local self-government and finally to hold a session of the SO that would decide on the decisions they made on its behalf".

"For us, the primary interest is the respect of the law and the will of the voters who have made it clear that the government must work in the interests of the citizens."

Text by S.L. on December 4th, 2018, read more at Boka news

December 4, 2018 - In Antwerp, a consulate of Montenegro led by the Honorary Consul Enisa Jarović was opened. At the opening of the Consulate, Foreign Minister Srdjan Darmanovic said that Montenegro and the Kingdom of Belgium have traditionally friendly relations and that the opening of the consulate headed by the Honorary Consul will give additional impetus to a stronger, especially economic and cultural connection of the two countries.

"Belgium is our true friend. As one of the first countries to officially recognize Montenegro, it has given us full support in the process of joining NATO and is a strong supporter and partner in our integration into the European Union," said Darmanovic. During the opening ceremony, the head of Montenegrin diplomacy pointed to positive trends in the development of bilateral relations and commitment to continuously consolidating Montenegro's relations with Belgium through intense political dialogue and meaningful cooperation. He considered it important that there is now, beside the embassy in Brussels, another address, in the historically, administratively and economically important region of this country. 

Ambassador of Montenegro in Belgium, Vladimir Radulovic emphasized that by opening a consulate led by Honorary Consul in Flanders, the two countries, two regions, are additionally connected, creating new opportunities for cooperation in various domains. The opening, as announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was attended by the Belgian officials, representatives of local authorities and diplomatic corps.

Text by Vijesti online, on December 4th, 2018, read more at Vijesti

03 December 2018 - By putting the knowledge and technological innovation in the service of sustainable development, we want to transform the overall development of Montenegro, as ecological country, according to the requests of the agenda 2030, said the President of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović, at the Summit of Leaders of 24th Conference of the Contracting States of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change that is taking place in Katowice, Poland.

This conference represents one of the most important assemblies of the representatives of the states, science institutions, and organizations of civil society, three years after the adoption of history agreement in Paris.

Đukanović pointed out the dedication Montenegro shows in searching for optimal responses to climate change, as one of the most complex challenges today, while especially pointing out Paris Agreement.

Montenegro has defined a very ambitious objective of reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. By 2030, Đukanović expects considerable investments with the aim of achieving 33% share of renewable energy resources.

During the Summit, as usual, Đukanović had several informal encounters during which he made his interlocutors familiar with the current situation in Montenegro, which is dynamically moving forward, towards the EU. He also presented the results of economic growth that Montenegro achieved aiming to reach the European life standard.

He discussed about the current situation in the WB region, emphasizing the need for cooperation with the aim of overcoming the challenges that overwhelm the region.

Prime Minister of the Netherlands pointed out an important role of Montenegro in the region, presenting it as a bright spot, stable country with a great European perspective.

Source: Cafe del Montenegro

03 December 2018 - Twinning project "Support for Human Resources Management in Public Administration" to be implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro, Human Resources Management Authority, HAUS Finnish Institute of Public Management and the Ministry of Administration of Croatia, was launched in Podgorica on December 3. 

"We are launching this project at the moment when the Government of Montenegro is fully committed to public administration reform and when conditions for the reorganisation of public administration are created to create a modern, service-oriented administration. Our key goal is a satisfied citizen and services provided by professional and efficient civil servants," Minister of Public Administration Suzana Pribilović underlined at the launching of the project.

03 December 2018 - In cooperation with private accommodation providers and some of the caterers in Herceg Novi, local Tourist Organisations have created “Accommodation and Meal Special Offers” for 3, 5 or 7 days, during the New Year, the Mimosa Festival and the preseason period.

So far, arrangements have been made with the accommodation providers in Topla, Igalo, Đenovići, and Baošići.

“We categorized the accommodations; formed more favourable prices for the pre-season, and now we are working on forming unique offers that we will send to the agencies. It is innovation. Restaurant owners have offered a half-board service while staying in an accommodation arrangement. Practically, a guest who comes to some of the offered apartments and rooms will have a half-board meal in one of five or ten restaurants. They will not be "tied" to only one restaurant during their stay, but they can change their meal place every day,” explains the Director of TO Herceg Novi, Pavle Obradović.

He also stresses that they created cheaper transportation arrangements to the nearest regional destinations, such as Dubrovnik, with local agencies, because they were told that they wanted to offer lower prices to both locals and guests. A consolidated offer will be sent first to agencies from cities that are “connected” to Montenegro via low-cost flights (London, Rome, etc.).

The price for “New Year's Package” of 3 overnight stays is 45 EUR per person, for five overnights the rate is 70 EUR, and seven overnights require 90 EUR per person.

These price arrangements will also apply to the Mimosa Festival.

All categories of private accommodation (rooms and apartments) can be rented out during the pre-season and post-season period, ie from 1 to 30 April, from May 1 to June 14, from June 15 to June 30, from 1 to 14 September, from September 15 to September 30, and from October 1 to November 1, 2019.

Tourist Organization Herceg Novi is inviting all private accommodation providers within the Municipality to contact them via tel. 031 350 820 and email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to offer accommodation services to tourist agencies and tour operators in the region and abroad.

03 December 2018 - Cybersecurity has become an essential component of modern society. Critical societal infrastructure, the financial sector, governmental services, the security sector, schools, and hospitals are increasingly and irreversibly dependent on interconnectivity and the global network. Risks accompany the merits of the open Internet.

Cyberspace is an intrinsic part of the development of any country. Strong information and cyber capacity are crucial for the region to progress and develop in the economic, political and social spheres. Montenegro has advanced fast in the cybersecurity area since 2010 when the umbrella piece of legislation – Law on Information Security - was adopted, along with the Regulation on Information Security Measures. The country has an official university master-level program on cybersecurity policy, developed and delivered by the Donja Gorica University in Podgorica, which gives a unique mix of technical and policy-based knowledge on a variety of cybersecurity issues. The Donja Gorica University is also a partner in the above mentioned EU-funded TEMPUS project.

On December 3, Minister of Public Administration of Montenegro, Suzana Pribilović and UK Ambassador to Montenegro Alison Camp opened a roundtable dedicated to cybersecurity in Podgorica, sponsored by the Ministry of Public Administration and the UK Embassy, in cooperation with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF).

Minister Pribilović thanked the UK Government for the support provided, hopeful that the project of support in the field of cybersecurity will continue in the time to come. She said that one of the objectives of the Cyber Security Strategy for 2018-2020 is to carry out as many cyber exercises, training and simulations as possible, with the aim of strengthening the capacities for cyber defence. She recalled that the National CIRT (Computer Incident Response Team) successfully participated in resolving numerous incidents in the past period, which in many cases demanded cooperation, information exchange and coordination of activities with other relevant organisations, institutions and CIRT teams. Resolving such incidents resulted in developing contacts and collaboration with partners at regional and international levels, creating CIRT team at the local level and establishing cooperation with the private sector.

The national CIRT is also very active in promoting the culture of being safe in cyberspace. In 2015, it developed the document titled “Guidelines for Security and Protection of Information in Cyberspace”. In cooperation with the ITU, CIRT.me organised a cyber-drill in September 2015 for CIRT/CERTs from Europe. The drill was attended by more than 50 participants from Montenegro and other countries. Also, CIRT.me actively participates in the overarching TEMPUS project related to cybersecurity education in Montenegro.

During the roundtable meeting, Ambassador Camp said that the United Kingdom and its partners share concerns about the scale and complexity of cyber-attacks.

Camp explained that the only effective way to deal with these common threats is joint action. She added that the ability to deliver successful cybersecurity relies on the strength of the partnerships we create: partnerships between the government and its agencies, and between the public and private sectors, including academia and civil society. According to her words, Britain will continue to strengthen the shared vision of an open, peaceful and secure digital world based on the rule of law. Camp also pointed out that cybersecurity is a priority of bilateral relations between Great Britain and Montenegro, as it concerns the security and prosperity of the two countries.

The roundtable aims to increase the awareness of decision-makers and other relevant subjects on the growing threat of cyber-attacks. The national roundtable organized by DCAF is the first of the three annual roundtables where representatives and experts for cybersecurity are participating in the project "Cybersecurity in the Western Balkans."