17 November 2018 - The European perspective of the Western Balkans now is much better than it used to be, said the Austrian Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz. Kurz also emphasized that Montenegro’s frontrunner status in the EU accession process has been unquestionable and if “it keeps progressing so fast”, 2025 might be a feasible accession date.

“From the beginning of this year, we have intensified our cooperation with the region. The EU-Western Balkans Summit held in Sofia, conclusions of the Council for enlargement of July as well as the London Berlin Process Summit in July sent a clear political message – the EU has been the commitment towards the enlargement. I am deeply convinced that the EU can not be complete unless the Western Balkan countries join it,” concluded Kurz, expressing the importance of Montenegro as a frontrunner in the Western Balkans region.

As for the possible delays of the EU enlargement, Kurz pointed out that it is very important for the countries of the region to focus on required reforms and good neighborly relations, that need to be further upgraded.

During the Europe-Forum Wachau which took place in June this year, Chancellor Kurz concluded that Austria will support integration plans of Montenegro, keeping in mind that the Western Balkans are among the priorities of the Austrian presidency. He also added that the Austrian government is encouraging Montenegro to open two new chapters during the following period because they think that such a step is well deserved.

Read more about Montenegro's involvement in Europe-Forum Wachau here.

16 November 2018 - Hotel Splendid Conference & SPA Resort 5* is the absolute winner in the Best Seaside Hotel category in the region, at the annual SEEbtm Awards 2018.

On November 15, in the organization of the Conference Tourism Platform SEEmice.com and the Specialized Magazine SEEbtm, the congress industry of the region gathered for the 7^th time on the SEEbtm Party, which profiled itself as a strong networking platform of key stakeholders in the congress industry and event management.

SEEbtm party is an exclusive event, organized by the portal “Kongresniturizam” (SEEmice.com) and SEEbtm magazine, which brings together congress industry of South East Europe region. The 2018 SEEbtm Party’s guests included representatives in the field of business tourism and congress industry (hotels, event venues and conference centres, agencies and companies who are the organizers of the events), as well as other stakeholders and influential people from the industry.

At this year’s gathering in Belgrade (Serbia), the SEEbtm Awards were given to the best regional hotels and venues related to the congress and business tourism. These prestigious awards were granted in 17 different categories based on the votes of the “buyers” in congress tourism - people from the congress industry regions, clients of nominated candidates and SEEbtm magazine team. During this event, Hotel "Splendid Conference & SPA Resort 5* received the "Best Seaside Hotel 2018" Award and, once again, confirmed its quality services.

Located in the small town of Bečići in Montenegro, Splendid Conference & SPA Resort was opened in 2006 as the first 5 stars hotel on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. The hotel has four bars and three restaurants of different cuisines, the largest SPA centre in Montenegro and the Casino Royal. Splendid Conference & SPA Resort has the largest conference venue in Montenegro. The venue can host up to 800 people. Hotel Splendid offers several modern halls and syndicate rooms with beautiful decoration and all the necessary technical equipment, suitable for business and private events.

"We are proud of the fact that we were awarded as the best coastal hotel in general because we were the first laureates of this regional award, established two years ago. At that time, we were declared the best Grand Hotel for Congress Tourism with over 200 rooms. Our overall impression is reinforced by the fact that the expert jury consists of 27 jury members and eight out of 8,700 corporate clients from the region, which is really convincing. It is nice to know that we enjoy their trust and that our very clients reward us for what we do for them because they know us best. It is the most beautiful satisfaction for the effort," said the PR manager of the Hotel Group Montenegro stars Maja Vukićević, at the award ceremony.

SEEbtm Awards are recognitions powered by SEEbtm magazine, to the best and most prominent hotels and venues in the meetings industry for the current year, based on the votes of the readers, event organizers and the jury of the SEEbtm magazine. SEEbtm magazine is a magazine specialized in business travel and events industry in the South East Europe region, supported by the leading regional portal Kongresniturizam.com, which this year celebrates 12 years of operation.

Read more information about Hotel Splendid Conference & SPA Resort here.

16 November 2018 - Prime Minister Duško Marković met with the delegation of the municipality of Pljevlja led by the President of the Municipality Mirko Đačić. At the meeting, it was noted that successful consolidation of public finances and establishment of financial stability in Pljevlja enables the Government of Montenegro and the local leadership to devote more to strengthening the road and energy infrastructure in the municipality. 

The Prime Minister congratulated the upcoming Municipal Day to citizens and local leadership and expressed satisfaction with the results achieved in Pljevlja. He pointed out that additional efforts in the area of public finances have to be made, and he announced new support which can be expected through the new Law on Financing of Local Self-government. 

Đačić praised the stable work of the economy in the municipality. He mentioned projects in the field of road infrastructure that will ensure a better life for citizens of Pljevlja and added that soon they can expect the wastewater treatment plant to be put into trial work.

Expressing personal interest in the city's toplification, Prime Minister Marković emphasized that problems are solved and that the project would go in the right direction. Đačić informed that contracted works for the first phase amounted to 3.56 million euros, while four million are needed for the second phase of toplification. 

Special attention was given to the sector of energy and wood processing through new development chains that will give a new impetus to the economy, where they see a good chance for small and medium enterprises. The area of agriculture is particularly praised, with a strong support from the Ministry of Agriculture. The Prime Minister also noted the fact that in the second quarter there was a growth of 8.8 percent in agricultural production in Montenegro. 

The meeting was also attended by Vice President of the Municipality Anela Krištostorac and the President of the Municipal Assembly Dragiša Sokić, who expressed the intention of the local parliament to adopt regulations that will reduce business barriers for small and medium enterprises.

16 November 2018 - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Montenegro Milutin Simović met with Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mirko Šarović. The two officials held a bilateral meeting on the margins of the Ministerial Conference on Agriculture and Rural Development in Struga. 

Minister Šarović stressed that Montenegro is a regional leader in the field of agriculture within the European integration process and its experience will be extremely important for Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the meeting, the Agreement on cooperation in the field of agriculture and rural development between Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina was signed. 

DPM Simović said that the Agreement is another step in the creation of an additional framework for deepening cooperation and good neighbourly and friendly relations between the two countries.

He said that the Agreement gives the opportunity to develop cooperation not only in the field of agriculture and rural development but also in the fields of forestry and water management.

"I am confident that our experience will be useful to our colleagues from Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially in the opening of negotiation chapters, meeting the initial and final benchmarks, as well as the use of pre-accession funds," DPM Simović said, stressing that Montenegro will offer institutional assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

The two officials also pointed to the importance of the fact that Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina do not have open issues. 

"We can encourage the businessmen of the two countries that Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina will continue to cherish the relationship of openness and respect of the signed free trade agreements," Deputy Prime Minister Simović stressed. 

DPM Simović also met with Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy of Macedonia Ljupco Nikolovski, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food of Slovenia Aleksandra Pivec, and Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry of Bulgaria Rumen Porodzanov.

16 November 2018 - On November 16, the Expert Conference “Days of Electrical Engineers”, whose main focus is the exploitation of potentials - hydropower, wind, sun, valorisation of these resources, as well as economic profitability and development of investment studies, was opened in Podgorica. This event gathered more than 300 electrical engineers, members of the Montenegro Chamber of Engineers, and guests from the country and abroad.

The meeting was organized by the Chamber of Electrical Engineers of Montenegro and the Montenegrin Engineers' Chamber. The aim of the event is the affirmation of electrical engineering, development of professional activity and the exchanging of ideas. In addition to the aforementioned, the goal of the event is to connect members in order to renew existing and establish new professional contacts.

President of Montenegrin Engineers Chamber, Boris Ostojić, and the President of Chamber of Electrical Engineers of Montenegro, Željko Maraš, had the honour of opening the grand event. Twelve lecturers spoke during the Conference, and they presented 12 quality papers.

President Ostojić said that the interest in the “Days of Electrical Engineers” Conference is increasing and that this year's conference is only one in a series of confirmations that the Chamber should be more developed in the future. "The Chamber, as a professional association, has an extremely high potential, visible in its ability to assemble a large number of engineers. Regardless of whether we’re talking about the profession itself, the public interest, the need of a state or an individual, members of our Engineers' Chamber have shown on numerous occasions that they have a sense of belonging to their association, and I hope that this will be the case in the future," Ostojić added.

This year's “Days of Electrical Engineers” included topics related to reactive energy, networked lighting, mobile communications, the future of data centres, digitization of substations etc. The members of the Electrical Engineers’ Chamber and eminent experts from Montenegro and abroad presented their expert papers on topics from the field of electrical engineering. At the end of the event, a gala dinner was organized for all participants, guests and lecturers.

Based on the composition of the participants and the overall atmosphere during the event, the organisers hope that this Conference will become traditional and recognizable both in the country and in the region.

November 16, 2018 - Aleksandar Dzikic, the Buducnost coach, did not celebrate the ABA League title, so he calmly awaited the first Euro league celebration.

Buducnost Voli defeated Baskonia 99:84 in the seventh round of this prestigious competition.

"Baskonia is a big team that made us hit our borders. We won, that's the most important thing," Dzikic said.

Buducnost broke the Euro league record by the number of three shots - 21 shots from the line 6.75 were scored.

“We were scattered all around. We hit some goals in last second, and I am a better coach when we hit these shots," said Džikić.

Edwin Jackson was the most effective. 

"Edwin is a player who is a beast when he is confident. What I liked most was that the teammates saw he was ready to receive balls, and that's progress," said Dzikic.

"Every player needs self-confidence, and we had some tough moments and matches, this was our best game so far. When we do not lose the ball, when we have only a few mistakes, we can do good things," said Dzikic.

The energy was high during the entire match. 

"I think the team deserved the applause for fighting and for their energy. The fact that some disagree with that, that's fine, everyone has the right to their own opinion," Dzikic said.

Buducnost had many problems in preparing for the match, as Omić and Danilo Nikolic entered the game without training. The pressure, after six defeats, was great.

"We create the greatest pressure for ourselves because we are not here 'just for fun'. If we were here 'just for fun', nothing would hurt us," he said.

Text by Vijesti sport, on November 15th 2018, read more at Vijesti 

November 16, 2018 - In Montenegro, it has never been a more favorable business environment. Current credit lines enable young people to realize their business ideas more easily and successfully and become successful entrepreneurs, it was announced in Bijelo Polje from the forum "Encouraging young people to start their own business".

Dževad Mekić from the Investment and Development Fund, Bijelo Polje office, pointed out that the youth recognized the activities of the IRF and use these services to a greater extent.

"Since 1999, the Employment Agency of Montenegro has given loans for self-employment, offering more favorable credit resources than the market. Through the Draft Law on Employment, the introduction of mentoring is proposed," said Sanja Nedović, counselor for professional orientation.

She reminded that the Employment Service also conducts three-day education in the field of entrepreneurship.

"At this seminar, people from the Bureau’s records are informed and prepared to go to the labor market more readily. For loan users, we organize special training, with the intention to learn how to dispose of funds and to strengthen their business skills," Nedovic explained.

The Employment Service, a consultant added, promotes entrepreneurship as a desirable and quality form of inclusion in the labor market, which can lead to higher incomes and enable the individual to demonstrate his creativity and opportunities. The development of entrepreneurship among young people in the focus is the work of the Municipal Youth Office. According to Mirha Kasumovic, many activities from the Office are encouraging young people to start a business. The Youth Incentives for Youth was organized by the Youth Office - the Secretariat for Local Self-Government of the Municipality of Bijelo Polje, in cooperation with the Employment Bureau - Bureau of Labor Bijelo Polje and the Investment Development Fund - Bijelo Polje Office. The panel was held in the assembly hall of the Municipality of Bijelo Polje with the aim of motivating and encouraging young people to engage in the world of business by utilizing their potentials of creativity and innovation. Jovana Rondović, a successful young entrepreneur, a beneficiary of IRF loans, also presented her experiences to the young people in Bijelo Polje.

Text by CdM, on November 15th, 2018, read more CdM

November 16, 2018 - Regardless of the political processes or the socio-economic situation of women, the Capital will seek to pursue what your initiatives are and we will have a reliable partner for all your ideas and projects, announced Mayor Ivan Vuković at a meeting with representatives of the Women's Political Network - Snežana Jonica and Marija Ćatović coordinators of the Program for Political Participation and Marija Đuričković Gojčević and Jelena Radenović, coordinators of the Program for Economic Empowerment, which this year has a focus on women entrepreneurship.

"As a citizen, above all, and then as a mayor, I am very much looking forward to every initiative that goes towards the affirmation and improvement of the position of women in our society, in a way that it is also a kind of civilization feature, because there are more women in politics, therefore the Montenegrin society will be more emancipated and better, " said Vukovic. 

Snežana Jonica introduced the mayor with a model of support to women entrepreneurship - a system of support for business plans, which would mean more specific benefits – reduce the unemployment rate, because it opens the possibility of engaging women, both those applying and those they employ for the project, but also the return of money to the municipality both through the reduction of unemployment, and through the initiation of interesting businesses, through good defining priorities, then through taxes and contributions through income taxes. As she pointed out, this program would dominantly relate to the establishment of new businesses, and to a lesser extent to the expansion of the existing ones.

Representatives of the Women's Political Network informed the Mayor that in the process of public debate on the budget for the next year they will submit a request for planning funds intended for supporting women's entrepreneurship, and the Mayor expressed willingness to introduce a special budget line for women entrepreneurship as a budget proposer, which amount would be subsequently defined. He also pointed out that in the City Parliament he would initiate the adoption of the Decision regulating the distribution of these funds

Interlocutors agreed that, when it comes to the realization of this project, the Capital is in a better position than other Montenegrin municipalities, since through the functioning of the Bureau for Economic Cooperation and support to the business community it has experience in the preparation of business plans, projects, business incubators.

It is necessary to build a strong foundation for the realization of this project, and in the coming years it will be upgraded. Apart from the offered model, Mayor Vuković left the possibility of allocating funds through interest-free loans, while the third segment of cooperation would be, apart from the already established women's counseling center, by equipping another business space that will turn into a business incubator and this could be a new opportunity for women beginners in business, and the Women's Political Network, as a partner, should work on animating international organizations to conduct continuous training, because it is in the common interest that this area is present. Also, these experts would identify through research what is missng in business, implement continuous programs, exhibit comparative experiences, do market analysis, etc.

Text by CdM, on November 15th, 2018, read more at CdM

November 16, 2018 - Within the celebration of the Kotor Municipality Day, the promotion of the book "History of Montenegrin Maritime in the context of Adriatic, Mediterranean and World Maritime Affairs" by Dr. Antun Sbutega will be held on Tuesday 20 November at 6 pm in Grgurina Palace.

The director of the Maritime Museum of Montenegro Kotor, Andro Radulović, Mr. Sc. Jovan J. Martinović and author of the book prof. Dr. Antun Sbutega will present this capital publication, giving for the first time an overall view to the complex and rich trade and naval past of Boka Bay region and the rest of Montenegrin coast. 

“The Boka Navy could be proud of the fact that for the first time ever, the whole history of the organization and the maritime tradition of Boka Bay will be published, a long 2,5 millenniums. The book is published by the Boka Navy and Maritime Museum of Montenegro. This is a comprehensive book with a huge bibliography, which tries to cover everything that is most important in our maritime history in the course of 2,5 millenniums, from the Old Ages, from Illyrians and Romans to today," said the Doctor of Economics, a longtime professor at the Faculty of Maritime Studies in Kotor, later Ambassador of Montenegro to the Vatican and Rome, today the Admiral of Boka Navy, Antun Sbutega. 

November 16, 2018 - The Montenegrin Seamen's Union (UPCG) has announced that, due to the inadequate support of the Montenegrin administration, the seafarers are faced with continuous obstructions affecting their employment in foreign companies.

"This is best confirmed by the fact that our administration needed a number of years to implement EU Directive 2008/106 / EC and after unnecessary exemption, to return Montenegro to the White List of Maritime Countries," states the letter sent to the Minister of Transport and Maritime Affairs Osman Nurković.

Montenegrin Seamen's Union, which gathers the seafarers of all professional profiles and duties on ships, sent a letter to Nurkovic, warning him of the seriousness of the situation that could lead to replacing our naval powers on blacklists and the great problems in the employment of seafarers with foreign companies. Seamen from Nurkovic are seeking to finally begin "in a proper way to deal with his work when it comes to maritime affairs" and also point to a lack of harmonization of domestic legislation with European legislation.

Montenegrin Seafarers Facing Possibility to be Listed on "Blacklist" Again

Analyzing the period of renewal of state autonomy, Montenegrin seafarers have come to face with continuous obstructions affecting their employment in foreign companies and the achievement of quality engagements due to inadequate support from the Montenegrin administration.

Seamen face the underlying problem with a shortage of skilled personnel who would continuously, professionally and consistently be able to keep up to date with the latest maritime regulations in the maritime sector and react on time at the national level. In their words, the incompatibility of Montenegrin regulations with international standards, which could be evidenced during the upcoming inspections, could result in the redistribution of Montenegro from the White List. Given the growing involvement of seafarers from Far-East countries, the UPCG notes that the re-excommunication of our seamen from the international maritime market would have far-reaching negative consequences.

If continued with the state administration's approach so far and inadequate personnel systematization within the competent institutions, Montenegrin seafaring will, from the international point of view, continue to be marginalized and Montenegrin seafarers are exposed to severe condemnation by foreign shipping companies or agencies mediating their employment.

"Due to the non-signing of the bilateral agreement on the recognition of Montenegrin seafarers' authority by the Italian administration (but only unilateral in favor of Italy), many Montenegrin seafarers were questioned for many years in Italy. Montenegrin powers have so far been certified by the Italian Embassy in a provisional mandate of three months. Such a system has been in place since 2002, only because of the demand for naval personnel on the international labor market and the unreserved commitment of our seafarers to fight for survival in such conditions. Unfortunately, since mid-September this year, the possibility of provisional verification of the powers is denied and they, because of the obstacles resulting from the inadequacy of our administration, will no longer be able to get a job at the company they built their careers for many years. Their places will most likely occupy colleagues from Ukraine, Russia and the Philippines who unquestionably receive Italian certification of the mandate for a term of 5 years, how many such authorizations should last," the UPCG says in a letter to the Minister of Transport and Maritime Affairs, Osman Nurkovic.

International Bilateral Agreements on Mutual Recognition of Seafarers' Enforcement Authorizations have so far been signed for a negligible number of countries, mainly at the initiative of individual entities that are not part of our state administration. The inadequate motivation of maritime administration employees is also reflected by the fact that Montenegro is, unfortunately, one of the two coastal countries in Europe, which is still not a full member of the Paris MOU PSC system. In this context, the non-transparency in the operations of the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs should be emphasized, where all maritime activities are being published selectively and with delays, according to UPCG. They call on the competent ministry for closer cooperation and emphasize that the constructive cooperation of interest groups in the field of maritime affairs has lately been realized most thanks to the engagement of Montenegrin business alliance representatives, within which a Naval Board was formed.

Seafarers Facing Problems in the Areas of Social and Medical Care  

UPCG warns of complex issues in the area of work and social care and, in the case of seafarers, inadequately defined compatibility with the medical protection system. The UPCG notes that the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs, as a ministry, currently has insufficient willingness or capacity to be a coordinator in systematic observation and solving the needs of seafarers.

UPCG warned Minister Nurković of several other essential issues that have a negative impact on the development of Montenegrin maritime affairs and further aggravates the status of seafarers, including the lack of a National Maritime Development Strategy, the need for a new Rulebook on vocations and the conditions for acquiring and empowering crew members, the impossibility of obtaining visas for certain maritime countries with which Montenegro does not have the best defined diplomatic relations, bureaucratic control of educational institutions and seafaring training centers by certain Classification Societies, and contradictions expressed through the fact that controls are paid by these same institutions, as well as the complicated bureaucratic procedure in issuing and replacing the powers of port captains and the inability to electronically apply them for renewal.

On the international maritime market, about 6500 Montenegrin seafarers are currently engaged in the free assessment. Their earnings are brought to Montenegro on a regular basis, and the amount of remittances on the basis of personal seafarers' salaries abroad almost reaches the net inflow of foreign investment in Montenegro over the last few years, they emphasized from UPCG in addressing Minister Nurkovic. 

"We hope that our remarks will enhance the efforts of the representatives of the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs and the other national bodies in order to promote Montenegrin maritime affairs and that the importance of needs of seafarers, who are already generators of the development of our regions, will be seriously understood and adequately treated."