04 November 2018 - The National Tourism Organization of Montenegro, in cooperation with the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, local tourism organizations and the country’s tourism industry, will present the Montenegrin tourist offer at the 39th World Travel Market, which is held in London from 5-7 November.

The delegation of Montenegro is led by the Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism, Pavle Radulović, State Secretary for Tourism, Damir Davidović and Director of the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro, Željka Radak Kukavičić.

World Travel Market is the world's most significant tourism markets, which gathers more than 51,000 travel professionals from 38 sectors of the world's tourism industry, including government representatives, tourism organizations, airlines, hotels and hotel groups, tour operators and travel agencies, PR and media houses and others.

One of the features of this market is the Ministerial Summit, organized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), which will take place on Tuesday, November 6, on the topic "Investment in innovation and smart management for tourism". Minister Pavle Radulović will participate at this summit, which represents an opportunity for leaders in the field of tourism from the public and private sectors, to share knowledge and explore opportunities for investment in tourism technology.

With 5,000 exhibitors from 182 countries around the world, World Travel Market is a key meeting point for global tourism industry participants and a unique platform for establishing new and strengthening existing business links, establishing cooperation with key decision makers in the field of travel and getting acquainted with current trends and news in the tourism industry.

By participating in this fair, the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro aims to present the destination to potential partners, contribute to the strengthening of the image of Montenegro as a tourist destination and better positioning, both in the UK market and in the global travel industry in general.

Read more about World Travel Market in London here.

The transformation of Tivat from a dormant seaside town, based on seafaring, shipbuilding and military, in the "elite nautical-touristic destination of the high class" for the last ten years, resulted in dramatic economic and demographic changes, but it did not give the expected results in improving the standards of the domicile population.

This, among other things, can be concluded from the analytical part of the Tivat Strategic Development Plan for 2019-2022, which will soon be found in front of the councilors in the parliament. According to the latest 2011 Census, Tivat had 14,031 inhabitants, with an average age of 38 years. In the last decade, the town recorded a continuous increase in the number of inhabitants who were 12,812 in 2000, five years later 13,404, and reaching 14,744 people last year. The natural increase in Tivat is 6.7 percent, which is drastically higher than the Montenegrin average of 1.9 percent.

"The data show a steady increase, as well as a higher percentage of population growth than at the state level. The population growth is due to the positive natural increase and positive migration trends of the population within Montenegro," the Strategic Plan says, with the note that Tivat has 4,862 households and two times as many condos - 9,675.

The smallest municipality in Boka since the closure of the military shipyard Arsenal, the eviction of military assets with which Tivat has been living with as a base for more than 120 years, according to the local and state DPS officials, has been transformed into the "Montenegrin Monte Carlo" thanks to the development of yachting and elite tourist complexes Porto Montenegro and Lustica Bay.

Construction is continuously ongoing PHOTO: Siniša Luković

However, these projects are basically primarily real estate because they are dominantly reduced to the construction of apartments, villas and business premises for sale or rent, while the construction of new classical hotel capacities is considerably smaller in the development of these complexes, especially in the case of Porto Montenegro. This luxurious complex, built on the site of the former Arsenal, "pulled the trigger" to a new development trend in Tivat, which with the construction of apartments under the mask of "development of tourist villas and condo hotels" becomes an overbuilt “elite Budva”. At the same time, the population is more and more "convicted on a cloth and a broom", that is, relatively poorly paid and hard jobs in the service industry for rich clients of elite complexes, or wealthy people who can afford expensive houses built on the unexpected coast or its green hinterland.

The development and arrangement of the town are at the same time concentrated mainly on the center and the closest contact zone of the elite Porto Montenegro, while the surrounding, and especially peripheral settlements, are literally neglected, and some of them today look like a Brazilian favela.

Center of the town PHOTO: Siniša Luković

"Arsenal's privatization in 2006 also caused significant economic and demographic changes in our municipality. This, among other things, led to a faster development of the specific town’s center, while at the same time we can freely say there is slower, or not so rapid, development of peripheral areas. Also, significant disruption to the whole coastal region is also reflected in the discharges of the population from the northern region to the primal coastal region. As a result of this, we have, inter alia, coastal areas that take urban features and become areas of concentration of population with a predominantly tourist function," said the Strategic Plan. On several occasions, the document mentions the growing migration of the population from the north and the arrival of an increasing number of people to Tivat in search of a better life. The economic branch that is experiencing the boom in Tivat, as well as on the whole coast, is the construction of apartments in the last decade. From 2003 to 2011, the number of apartments increased by as much as 2,549 (from 7,167 to 9,626). Of the newly built apartments, 1,382 are empty and uninhabited, and only 509 apartments are officially seasonally used. This shows that the criticisms of those who at the beginning of the Porto Montenegro project warned that this could be turned into raising "settlements with closed blinds" - were justified. And in the middle of summer, most of the apartments in Porto Montenegro, Lustica Bay, and similar complexes are with closed window blinds and in the dark, testifying that they are rarely used.

Porto Montenegro PHOTO: Siniša Luković

Around these complexes, there are more and more newly built residential buildings with striking inscriptions - "For sale" and contact info of the sellers - investors. In spite of this, the construction boom does not stop and, according to the current data of the Urban Planning Department in Tivat, more than 80 construction sites are now active. The authors of the Strategic Plan say that from 2012 to 2017 in Tivat, the number of available permanent jobs has increased by about 1,000, given the very pronounced seasonal fluctuations in the number of jobs available only during the summer. 

"In addition to the fact that the season lasts for three months and does not represent a long-term source of income for employees, the most frequent jobs in the field of tourism and catering, construction and trade do not provide high incomes. Also, the workforce from the neighboring countries (Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina) is most often engaged in the above mentioned jobs. Economic growth and employment from 2012-2017 had a limited impact on the number of unemployed... In the mentioned period, oscillations in the number of unemployed at the end of the year were recorded. The smallest number of unemployed persons were recorded in 2015 (740 unemployed), after which in the next two years there was an increase in the number of unemployed persons," the Strategic Plan reads.

That the new concept of economic development of Tivat does not give the expected economic effects on the domicile population, shows that at the Bureau of work in 2014 there were 807 citizens of Tivat, and last year only slightly less - 784. The unemployment rate is constantly one of the highest on the coast and it is moving between 13 and 14 percent.

"In the period up to 2014, the number of employees has grown steadily, so that in the coming years there will be a reduced number of employment. These movements are caused by the mere reduction of the absorption power of the market, that is, employment opportunities."

It is noted that in some economic areas, such as tourism and trade, there is the possibility of additional employment, but that "conditions offered are not accepted by the local workers".

Apart from the fact that it does not represent a long-term source of income for employees, these jobs do not usually provide high revenues. In order to create better jobs, it is necessary to devise measures for the development of a sector that provides employment throughout the year and measures for the development of year-round tourism that would require the engagement of the workforce out of season."

Three times higher incomes per capita than the average in Montenegro 

The authors of the Strategic Plan praised the achievement, claiming that "the permanent improvement of the business environment contributed to the Municipality of Tivat attracting large investors who started the realization of investments such as Porto Montenegro, Lustica Bay, and Blue Horizons.

Luštica PHOTO: Siniša Luković

"The launch of these investments, especially the opening of Porto Montenegro in 2009 as one of the largest marinas in Europe, has contributed to increasing the attractiveness of the Municipality of Tivat and Montenegro as a whole as investment and tourist destinations. The investment boom in the Tivat Municipality is one of the most important drivers of socio-economic development. Investments in Tivat and real sector growth have contributed to improving the fiscal sustainability of the municipality in the last five years. Viewed per capita, current budget revenues increased by a third, so from 540 euros in 2009 they increased to around 730 euros in 2014, which is three times more than the average in all the municipalities in Montenegro in 2014, which are amounted to 260 euros per capita, according to the data by the Government of Montenegro.

There are no big companies, service activities are in boost

Tivta's economy, meanwhile, has lost all of its former large companies, such as Arsenal, and today it consists of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises with the dominant share of the two least categories of as many as 99.25 percent of all economic entities. The number of active enterprises rose from 715 in 2012 to 1,166 in 2016, but more than three-quarters of them deal only with the tertiary, i.e. service activities (trade, accommodation and food services, real estate brokerage, agency activities).

The number of four star category hotels has been increased, the number of the lowest categories has been reduced - two stars, and four new five-star hotels have been opened with a total of 380 beds. Tourist traffic, measured by the number of guests and realized overnight stays, increased more than doubled in the period 2014-18.

Text by Sinisa Lukovic, on November 4th, 2018, read more at Vijesti

November 4, 2018 - Last year, at the level of 35 kV (kilovolt), 1,637 unplanned interruptions in power supply were recorded, and the largest number of electricity shortages were caused by bad weather conditions. On the other hand, 425 planned interruptions at the 35 kV level were announced and realized, said the Montenegrin Electricity Distribution System (CEDIS).

The company explained that CEDIS consists of over 4,800 substations and 19,000 km of kilometers of various power supply lines, which distribute electricity to 390,000 users. The characteristics of the network are largely conditioned by the configuration of the ground that is rather unfavorable, especially in the rural area in the north of the country. Dispersion of the network, the large length of the lines, and the inaccessible terrain are just some of the consequences of the configuration of the terrain, due to which the maintenance of the network and facilities is complex and costly, as explained by CEDIS. The specificity of the network in Montenegro, based on the explanation from CEDIS, is also dictated by the illegal construction in certain areas, which results in power supply exceeding the permitted levels for which the network and facilities have been designed.

"Despite the aforementioned, with the regular maintenance and multimillion-dollar investments realized by CEDIS, the number of unplanned interruptions is declining year after year. Since the beginning of the year, over two million and 200 thousand euros have been invested in maintenance, and multi-million investment projects have been completed and launched," they explained.

They added that the Regulator approved a three-year plan for the revitalization of the medium and low-voltage network, worth around 32 million euros.

Despite the aforementioned investment activities, there are circumstances that cannot be influenced, and they are related to weather disruptions, which is the dominant cause of interruptions in power supply, explained CEDIS. The Rules on the Minimum Quality of Supply and Supply of Electricity, which has been applied since August 2017, have established two indicators. SAIDI has been established indicating the average duration of delivery interruption in minutes at the electricity metering point and SAIFI, which represents the average frequency of delivery interruption at the electric power location at annual level. These two indicators are calculated on an annual basis, and, according to the company, public data will be available in January 2019 for the year 2018.

Text by Dan, on November 4th, 2018, read more at CdM

Green House, a non-governmental organization, urged the government to suspend preparatory operations for the arrival of a 3D seismic survey vessel and introduce a moratorium on oil and gas exploration, classifying it as a high-risk project that brings serious devastation effects to the living world of the sea, seismic risks, health risks and the life of citizens, as well as serious degradation for tourism, as the most important Montenegrin economic activity.

In that NGO, the affected local communities still do not have information about what the consequences they are expected to have regarding the risks of sea pollution and induced earthquakes.

Planned research signs a death sentence to fisheries

"Poorly organized public hearings so far have been attended by only a few citizens, while there is no information in the public media giving explanations on the consequences by the Hydrocarbon Agency and the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism. Planned research in Bar and Ulcinj, announced in early November 2018, also includes a death sentence for fisheries whose proportions can only be guessed through the fees in several hundred thousand euros offered to fish societies at extremely non-transparent meetings," the Green Home reported.

They explain that during the seismic exploration at sea, the ship slowly moves and pulls a sound pulse transmitter (a series of air guns) behind it.

"3D ships have multiple emitters (usually 4 to 20), three to six kilometers in length, which they are pulling at a distance of 120 meters between each other, which speaks of a vast zone influenced by the aquatic world and marine ecosystems. These sound explosions caused by sound cannons are up to 240 decibels, causing severe damage to marine organisms and leading to drastic migrations or fish kill. Only one sound wave reaches a width of 60 km, so that plankton, marine mammals, fish and other species within this belt, closest to the source, will die from damage to vision and orientation sensors, their organs will crack and the like, while the younger species will be permanently destroyed," the NGO warned.

Fishermen and citizens are blindfolded

As they add, instead of the consequences from oil exploration and construction of oil plants be scientifically examined, and especially their impact on the sustainability and development of the supporting economic structure of society, and in relation to current development strategies and international obligations, fishermen and citizens are blindfolded by examples from Greece's Kavala, no mention is made of the example of Delta Niger, the Gulf of Mexico and other areas that have been forever devastated by the oil and gas pipelines, whose quality of life is below every level. 

"No examples of the consequences of oil accidents on exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons, especially in earthquake susceptible areas, could not be heard during public hearings. The awareness of citizens is continuously being brain-washed through some kind of random example of oil exploitation from Greece, and the fact that the length of the Greek coast of more than 13.600 kilometers of open sea is missing, comparing them to our 297 kilometers, in which all our fish farms are concentrated, natural assets, mariculture, archaeological underwater sites, waterways," the Green Home reports.

Citizens, as emphasized in this organization, do not have any guarantees that there will be no oil spills and the destruction of marine biodiversity and the coast. "Montenegro has no equipment and personnel and is not in a position to monitor oil tankers, oil pipelines, converter plants, platforms, raw oil treatment plants, and others. How will it control the operation of international oil corporations such as the ENI that has more than 400 oil spills annually in the coastal area that is highly susceptible to earthquakes?" asked Green Home. 

The Constitution of the ecological state of Montenegro is being violated

The government, according to the signing of ecocidal contracts with oil magnates and future research, violates the Constitution of the ecological state of Montenegro, which guarantees that everyone has the right to a healthy environment and timely and complete notification of the state of the environment, the possibility for influencing the decision making on issues of importance for the environment and the legal protection of these rights. "Everybody, and especially the state, is obliged to preserve and improve the environment. The government's future research violates numerous international treaties, including the Paris Agreement, through which we have committed to gradually abandon the use of fossil fuels," concluded Green Home.

Text by CdM, on November 2nd 2018, read more at CdM

03 November 2018 - The application deadline for rewards within the Fund for quality and talents expired on 1 November, and 1,000 applications have been submitted, the Ministry of Education told Dnevne Novine daily. As the said, this project proves people strongly believe in the education reform.

"Such a great interest exceeded our expectations. The Fund will provide 400 remunerations for students and teachers, and a certain number of them will be awarded by default. So far, we have received over 1,000 applications, which exceeded our expectations,” Milica Lekić, the Montenegrin Education Ministry spokeswoman.

“Such a strong interest in the Fund is extremely significant to us because we are now sure we are going to select the best ones,” said Lekić.

As for the Commission in charge of evaluating received applications, she said: “We are sure they are going to do their job professionally and objectively.”

The final decision on remunerations will be made by 30 November 2018 at the latest, and rewards will vary from EUR 500 to 2,000 (EUR 1,000 on average).

Read more about Fund for quality and talents here.

03 November 2018 - Montenegro is a source of stability, in the region and beyond its borders, said Alison Kemp, the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Montenegro.

The UK welcomes sMontenegro’s role and contribution in the Balkans amid political turmoil in the region, which happens in Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Montenegro is a source of stability, in the region and beyond its borders: as the NATO member state and the leader in the process of EU integration, as the participant in NATO-EU-UN missions and as an example of patient and consistent settlement of bilateral disputes. However, this does not mean Montenegro is not facing challenges such as the need for further strengthening of the rule of law and sustainable economic development. The process of EU integration represents an effort to overcome these challenges so that the country’s position shouldn’t be questioned in the next wave of the EU enlargement,” noted Kemp.

As for the UK, she added, Montenegro is perceived as a NATO ally and the two nations have been forging close ties. The UK will be fully involved in the EU activities while being its member state.

“Also, we will continue providing support to Montenegro, especially in the context of your aspirations towards the EU. The EU accession process is intensive and quite challenging, created with the aim to ensure harmonization of Montenegrin standards with the EU practice and ideals. As for the rule of law, this year Montenegro will have concrete obligations denoted on several hundreds of pages with given detailed steps for the strengthening of the Montenegrin legal system,” concluded Kemp.

Kemp also said the two countries are not just allies but partners and friends, and that Montenegro is gradually getting rid of stereotypes while simultaneously being utterly intriguing to the Brits.

Source: Cafe del Montenegro

03 November 2018 - A Montenegrin language Manual for Turkish speakers, titled "Türkler Için Karadağça El Kitabı", authored by Aylin Galip and Samir Adžovic, was promoted on November 2 in Podgorica. The Montenegrin-language Manual in Turkish will make it easier for individuals from the Turkish speaking area who live in Montenegro to learn about Montenegrin language, said Montenegrin Culture Minister Aleksandar Bogdanović at the promotion.

While introducing the Manual, Minister Bogdanović said: "In some of the most important theoretical and philosophical works that have been elicited over the past hundred years, the issue of language has become a central place, thanks to which language has become one of the more important phenomena in the new breakthroughs of culture. Today it is clear that language represents much more than a means of communication and that its creation and development hide the specialties that bear witness to the cultural and spiritual ripening of one nation. That is why it can be said that in each process of learning a language, the characteristics and mentality of the people to whom the language “belongs” are revealed.” During his speech, the Minister also focused on the aspect that the dynamics of language development have led to changes in cultures throughout history, which is precisely why language is one of the crucial segments of cultural cooperation.

By creating the Manual, authors Samir Adžović and Aylin Galip have given their contribution to cultural cooperation between Montenegro and Turkey. While speaking about the work on the Manual, Ms. Galip stated that although she was somewhat familiar with the Balkan languages because she had spent some time on the peninsula, that knowledge was insufficient for such a project. To overcome this situation, when Galip decided to learn the Montenegrin language, she found Samir Adžović, who helped her in the learning process. She had many difficulties in understanding the “logic” behind Montenegrin language, which is very different from the Turkish language, and Adžović was a huge help in overcoming the obstacles. Because of the growing number of Turkish citizens who are staying in Montenegro, an idea was born to write a book that would contain basic grammatical information, daily dialogues and words. “It was envisaged that Samir writes the explanations of Montenegrin grammar, and the adjustment and explanation in the Turkish language came to me," Ms. Galip explained.

Proud of their success in creating the Manual, Mr. Adžović stated: “We tried to encompass only what is significant and deprive the Manual of excessive content. Of course, this was a difficult undertaking, but I hope that we managed to write a useful book and make our contribution to linking the two cultures - Turkish and Montenegrin."

03 November 2018 - Although the application "My Tree" was officially launched only two weeks ago, the creators have already sold seedlings worth over 10,000 EUR, which means that Podgorica will receive more than 100 new seedlings in the next ten days, according to the official report by the Capital of Montenegro.

Ivan Vuković, the Mayor of Podgorica was present at the project in Kralja Nikole Street, which was funded by the donations of the Montenegrin Electricity Transmission System, within the application "My Tree". The application was created in cooperation with Podgorica Municipality and the Company "Amplitudo". The Mayor pointed out that this is the starting phase of the implementation of the “My Tree” project, which is currently one of the most important projects within the Capital.

"In this way, we form new park surfaces in different parts of the city and we are trying to mitigate what were the negative consequences of the accelerated development and urbanization of Podgorica in the past period," said Mayor Vuković. He pointed out that the Montenegrin Electricity Transmission System first responded to the “green call” and so far invested the largest amount as a socially responsible company that showed interest in helping the Capital plan the realization of this project. "Apart from METS, there is Telekom and Vezuv Company and many others that have invested, and I hope that there will be more companies and individuals who will show concern for this major project within the Capital", said Mayor Vuković.

Vuković also emphasized that as the Mayor, he has a special obligation to thank people from the Public company "Zelenilo" who have made significant efforts in the process of determining the locations where the planting will be carried out, as well as the specifications of plant species that are adapted to this climate.

"It's not a simple job at all, though it just seems that you just need to select locations and plant a tree. However, before that, the necessary conditions such as hydraulic installations should be provided, and the trees should be watered so that they do not dry out. I invite all people who have similar initiatives in mind with the same goal, to seek the expert help from people from our PC Zelenilo, because they are leaders with the great number of people with the necessary level of knowledge that can help individuals who want to do something nice for our city ", said Vuković.

02 November 2018 - Prime Minister Duško Marković recently hosted an inaugural visit of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland to Montenegro Artur Dmochowski. 

Welcoming the Ambassador, the Prime Minister congratulated the 100th anniversary of the independence restoration which Poland celebrates this year. 

Both sides noted that the two friendly countries have excellent political relations at all levels and that they see room for strengthening and deepening economic cooperation for mutual benefit. Prime Minister Marković expressed satisfaction with the last year's growth of the number of Polish tourists in Montenegro, while Ambassador Dmochowski pointed to the expected further growth after the Polish national airline LOT introduced the regular line Warsaw – Podgorica. 

The Prime Minister thanked the Ambassador for the support of Poland to Montenegro in the processes of the Euro-Atlantic and European integration. The Ambassador of Poland assessed that Montenegro's accession to NATO contributed to the stabilisation of the region and expressed the full support of its country to Montenegro in continuing the process of the country's accession to the European Union, including expert and technical assistance. 

Poland will, according to the Ambassador, try to use its participation in the Berlin process and the planned summit of the Prime Ministers in July next year in Poznan to contribute to the further economic progress of the countries of the region. 

02 November 2018 - The Commissionaire for European Neighborhood Policy, Johannes Hahn, said it clearly – the forum for political discussion in Montenegro is Montenegrin Parliament. The Commissionaire was asked to comment on the announcement of the Civic Movement URA and the Democrats that they were going to form a non-institutional forum that would deal with electoral legislation.

“The Commissionaire expects that all political parties that support Montenegro's EU journey participate actively in the work of temporary assembly committee that has just been established,” said the representatives of Hahn’s office.

The Montenegrin Parliament adopted the decision on the formation of the Committee for the reform of electoral and other legislation that was formed with the aim of optimizing the overall environment in which the next election cycles will be held.

Just a couple of hours later in his Twitter post, Hahn welcomed the formation of this Committee and said he expected everybody’s engagement.

Ten hours after Hahn’s post, URA and Democrats did completely the opposite of the expectations of Hahn. Leaders of these two parties, Dritan Abazović and Aleksa Bečić announced the participation in the work of their own forum, that would consist of their advocates and would act outside the Parliament.

This way, they clearly neglected the requirements of Brussels, although it was not long ago when they presented their reform plans to the Commissionaire Hahn right at the EU headquarters.

Source: Cafe del Montenegro