News
06 May 2020, 17:15 PM
May 6, 2020 - All competitions organized by the Football Association of Montenegro (FSCG) will continue on June 1, the Association said.
According to the decisions of the National Coordination Body (NKT) for infectious diseases and the dynamics of normalization of sports activities, the Football Association will start competitions in Telecom First, Second, Youth, Cadet, Women, and Futsal League.
"Taking into account the decisions of the NKT and the guidelines of the European Football Association (UEFA), the Football Association of Montenegro has prepared a competition calendar for the remainder of the competition season in Telekom 1. CFL and the Second League of Montenegro," it said.
According to the proposed calendar, the continuation of the season is scheduled for June 1. The end of the regular season (round 36) in Telekom 1. CFL and the Second League would be July 19.
"In this way, the FSCG would provide UEFA participants with qualifications for the Champions League and the Europa League on time. If UEFA extends the deadline for submitting qualifiers for European club competitions, the Football Association will revise the competition calendar to allow for a more extended break between the two championship rounds, "it said.
"The competitions will be resumed unless there is a change in the dynamics of the normalization of sports activities and following the decisions and measures of the National Coordination Body," it said.
It is said that clubs will be required to organize junior category matches on natural grass courts in the afternoon/evening, preferably under spotlights.
"Exceptionally, matches with competitions of the younger categories can be played on courts in the evenings and if the terrain is adequately lit," it said.
Club representatives were presented with the Association's financial aid plan aimed at normalizing the functioning of clubs competing at the national level due to the new situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
It has been announced that the Football Association will provide financial assistance to all clubs to complete the current season and additional funds to help in the next two competitive seasons.
"The Association will keep the public informed in due time of the dates of the remaining matches in Telecom 1. CFL and the Second League, all decisions of the competent authorities and commissions, as well as all recommendations and guidelines issued by FIFA and UEFA," the Football Association said in a statement.
06 May 2020, 16:51 PM
May 6, 2020 - Montenegro and Serbia, for the first time since 2003, are not democratic states, the report of the "Transition Countries" report by the non-governmental organization Freedom House, a document that explores and describes the governance of 29 countries of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, reports Voice of America.
In the 2020 report, Montenegro and Serbia are categorized as transition governments or hybrid regimes - in which power is grounded in authoritarianism as a result of incomplete democratic change.
Such a government, in one state, can simultaneously carry out political repression and call elections.
"Albania, Serbia, and Montenegro have seen the most significant decline – considering all Balkan countries, while Serbia and Montenegro have regressed in the fight against corruption. There is no effective action in response to high-level corruption cases, and there are instances of dissolution of institutions and reluctance to act to counteract corruption effectively, "Michael Smeltzer from Freedom House told the Voice of America.
The report covers 29 countries in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and the former Communist bloc, classifying them into five categories: consolidated democracies, semi-consolidated democracies, transitional or hybrid regimes, semi-consolidated authoritarian regimes, and consolidated authoritarian regimes.
When it comes to Montenegro, Michael Smeltzer, a Freedom House researcher, tells Voice of America that the problems are most evident in the judiciary.
"Negative trends and shortcomings in independent work have been reported in this area. In this regard, researchers have noted the worrying cases of scandal in the judiciary and the prosecution. The concern is further intensified by the fact that the mandate of members of the Judicial Council expires, "Smeltzer said.
Also, the report analyzes problems in the Montenegrin parliamentary practice.
"In 2016, members of the opposition refused to participate in the work of the Assembly, since - after the elections, which they labeled as unfair - for the tenth time, the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) took power. The ruling DPS-dominated Assembly has slowed down electoral reforms - making it difficult to boycott opposition lawmakers. The DPS-dominated parliament has slowly led electoral reforms, though they have also been hampered by difficulties in collecting quorums during the boycott. However, there were no major problems in gaining votes to adopt the controversial Freedom of Religion Act," it said, among other things, in a report on Montenegro.
Smeltzer, an expert at Freedom House, a Washington-based NGO, points out that many Central and Eastern European leaders no longer pretend to dream of democracy and the rule of law.
"The conclusions we have come to are incredibly discouraging. We have found that leaders and politicians in the area are no longer hiding behind democratic facades. Their masks have fallen, and they are no longer hiding behind respect for nominal values and are openly attacking democratic institutions, "Smeltzer emphasizes.
06 May 2020, 16:35 PM
May 6, 2020 - No new cases of Covid-19 have been registered today. The total number of registered coronavirus infected stands at 324. Of these, 55 are active infections. Active cases by the city are as follows: Podgorica (29), Ulcinj (10), Bar (6), Gusinje (3), Plav (3), Tuzi (1), Niksic (1), Herceg Novi (1), Bijelo Polje (1).
No more coronavirus patients at Clinical Centre of Montenegro
There are currently no more COVID-19 patients at Clinical Centre of Montenegro (KCCG), 49 days since the first COVID-19 hospitalization, announced the KCCG director, Dr. Jevto Erakovic. Erakovic said this was an indication of the good epidemiological situation in the country, but warned that it was still no reason to relax fully.
One patient is still receiving treatment in Berane General Hospital. The deputy director of the Institute of Public Health, Dr. Senad Begic, said that almost 8,500 coronavirus tests had been carried out, putting Montenegro’s testing rate well above 10,000 per one million inhabitants.
Begic reiterated that opening the borders would be among the last restrictions to be lifted. For kindergartens, he believes authorities will be cautious about opening them because this could be hazardous not only for children but for parents and other family members as well. He repeated the importance of everyone adhering to the mandatory wearing of masks or scarves across the mouth and nose.
To date, 6,230 businesses and business owners have applied for state wage subsidies. 91% of these applications have been approved, tweets the Ministry of Economy.
Unemployment rises: 40,380 registered unemployed
The number of unemployed has risen 4,916 since the coronavirus outbreak, announces the Employment Bureau of Montenegro. During this same period, 611 people lost their jobs. As of 4 May, unemployment stands at 17.41%, reports the deputy director of the Bureau, Goran Bubanj. The majority of people who lost jobs worked in the wholesale and retail trade sector.
Total of €60m for Montenegro to mitigate economic consequences of COVID-19 pandemic
The EU will help Montenegro mitigate the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic with €60m. It is part of the macro-financial assistance package, worth up to €3bn, intended for ten partner countries currently covered by the EU enlargement process. The financial assistance will be provided through loans with favorable conditions.
SNP proposed its own set of recovery measures, invited the opposition to unite
SNP proposed its own set of measures for the recovery after the coronavirus epidemic. Among other things, SNP asked for salary limits to be instituted in all state-owned and public enterprises. It also called on opposition parties to unite and form the Alliance for the Salvation of Montenegro and asked the authorities to allow religious gatherings in churches. SNP leader Vladimir Jokovic said that all retirees receiving less than €222 a month should receive one-time €50 cash assistance, not only those earning less than €120, as was the government’s practice previously. Jokovic also said that salaries should be increased for medical workers and teachers to the extent that it doesn’t jeopardize state budget sustainability. SNP also proposed a25% state budget allocation for the health system, which the ruling coalition rejected as unrealistic and unsustainable.
Union of Seafarers: Things moving from a standstill, testing procedure for seafarers must be defined
Nedjeljko Radulovic of the Union of Seafarers of Montenegro says Montenegrin sailors are unable to get jobs on ships as many companies require coronavirus test results and no procedure for testing Montenegrin sailors has yet been defined. He notes that in Croatia, such testing has been arranged.
The government must curb the import lobby
If it wishes Montenegrin agriculture well, the government urgently needs to introduce better controls on imports of basic foodstuffs. So that Montenegrin producers do not get into the situation of not being able to market their products in the country where they live and pay taxes.
It is the opinion of the renowned farmer from Pljevlja, Milko Zivkovic, who is also the president of the Union of Livestock Breeders of North Montenegro. Zivkovic points out that the crisis caused by the COVID-19 epidemic has shown that agriculture is the best factory in Montenegro, which does not lay off workers, and that the state should take this into account.
“The import lobby is slowly but surely stifling domestic agriculture, which is already becoming a concern. We will see how much in these epidemic conditions the government and the chain store owners who are major importers will pay attention to domestic production”, he says.
Moratorium will adversely affect banks’ liquidity
A moratorium on loan repayment and a decline in overall economic activity will harm banks’ liquidity and will affect their net profits, says the Central Bank (CBCG).
Bearing in mind the decrease in economic activity, the increase in unemployment and the drop in the average wage, the level of non-performing loans is expected to increase in the future, which will result in a higher level of provisions, i.e., lower net profit of banks, the CBCG adds.
The strong liquidity position of banks in the pre-crisis period, expressed through a high level of liquid assets of almost €1bn (over 20% of total assets), will enable banks to cope with reduced liquidity inflows during the moratorium successfully. It should be emphasized that banks are rightly expected to continue lending during and after the halt, with extensive restructuring, including grace periods, which will result in additional pressure on their liquidity position, the CBCG explains.ž
This brief is kindly prepared for you by Arhimed & Represent Communications.
05 May 2020, 19:50 PM
May 5, 2020 - The National Coordinating Body for Infectious Diseases (NKT) has further relaxed measures relating to the controlled entry of foreign yachts into Montenegrin ports and marinas, thus reducing the mandatory quarantine for crew and other persons on board the ship, from today to 28 days.
NKT's total ban on the arrival of foreign yachts in Montenegro, introduced in mid-March to prevent the spread of coronavirus, eased on April 21. It has allowed yachts to come under the condition that, upon arrival of the ship in one of our marinas, a strict quarantine lasts 28 days, during which none of them shall leave the boat ashore. As expected, such a very restrictive measure did not cause foreign yachts to come to us again. So, on the suggestions of the maritime industry and some of the maritime authorities themselves, the NKT decided to mitigate the measures to make them acceptable to the owners, captains and yacht crews.
Besides reducing the mandatory quarantine period from 28 to 14 days, the NKT made it possible to calculate at the time of the quarantine the time spent by the yacht and its persons in sailing from the last port to the moment of arrival in Montenegro. It, in the case of ships arriving here from more distant destinations, allows for a significant reduction in the time during which the crew, guests, and possibly the owner of the yacht would have to spend "closed" on their ship upon arrival in Montenegro.
At the marine tourist center Porto Montenegro in Tivat, they were pleased to welcome a new relaxation of measures related to the arrival of foreign yachts. So they informed all their clients that have expressed interest in coming to Montenegro about the new rules. The marina by the requirements of the NKT and the protocol adopted by the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs has already a specific and adequately equipped particular part for quarantine stay of yachts. During the time of quarantine, crews will receive all necessary services safely from a human health point of view.
Porto Montenegro informed their clients, especially those with large mega and superyachts, that it is also possible to shift crews on their ships in Montenegro, whereby a new team arriving to take over the vessel must undergo a 14-day quarantine before boarding a yacht. For this purpose, Porto Montenegro has made available the Regent Hotel, so foreigners arriving to take up duties on one of the ships in that marina can spend a two-week quarantine in the extremely luxurious conditions of that five-star hotel.
05 May 2020, 19:25 PM
May 5, 2020 - The government proposed yesterday the adoption of amendments to the Law on the Protection of People from Infectious Diseases, which provided fines ranging from 100 to 20,000 euros for non-compliance with measures of physical distance between two persons and not wearing masks.
“An entrepreneur will be fined 100 Euros to 2,000 euros for a misdemeanor for failure to observe physical distance measures between two persons and not wearing masks. A fine of EUR 2,000 to EUR 20,000 will be imposed on a legal person for failing to ensure compliance with the mandatory measure of physical distance between persons during their stay and failing to provide personal protective equipment to employees of facilities providing trade services, catering services, hairdressing services, beauty salons," reads the proposed changes to the Law.
After mitigating the measures, taxi drivers, hairdressers and beauty salons, bookmakers, consumer goods stores, fitness centers, car schools, services, etc. started working yesterday.
05 May 2020, 19:13 PM
May 5, 2020 - Montenegro International Guitar Competition (Tivat 2020) will be held from May 30 to June 1 in an online format, under the slogan Safe Port of Music. This year's 14th edition will be realized by the Music Center of Montenegro and NGO Anagastum, with the support of the Tivat Center for Culture and the sponsorship of Euro Strings - European Guitar Festival Collaborative Platform.
Competitors can apply for participation until May 25 in two categories - with and without age restrictions. Registration is done by filling in the application form, which, with all the information and rules of this year's edition, is available at guitarmontenegro.com. Numerous and valuable prizes were provided for the first-place winners, including a handmade Andreas Marvi guitar worth € 8,000 and a Slavko Mrdalj guitar worth € 5,000. Also, the best will have the opportunity to perform at the Guitar Forum in Vienna, hold a series of concerts in Europe, in the EuroStrings platform countries, play with the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra.
Due to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and a globally conducted campaign aimed at all of us staying in our homes, the organizers decided to implement the competition part of the event by broadcasting performances by all participants via the EuroStrings platform and the official MIGC Facebook page. In this way, all fans of the acoustic guitar will be able to perform a series of concerts as part of the most prominent guitar event in Montenegro.
At the end of 2017, the International Guitar Competition (MIGC) became part of the Euro Strings - European Guitar Festival Collaborative platform, which is partly funded by the EU Creative Europe budget. This project is a partnership of seventeen guitar festivals from Europe focused on supporting the flow of young talent at festivals and providing opportunities for new classical guitarists to reach wider international audiences, enabling them to transnational work and gain access to new markets.
Euro Strings includes similar festivals from Austria, Belgium, Portugal, the Netherlands, Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Germany, Croatia, Hungary, BiH, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Romania, and the United Kingdom. The principal objective of the project is to contribute to the development of a dynamic and diverse European classical guitar scene, reflecting the shared values, preoccupations, and challenges of the 21st century.
05 May 2020, 18:59 PM
May 5, 2020 - Upon the initiative of the Casa del Mare Hotel Group, 16 hotels from all over Montenegro gifted a total of 295 holiday vouchers to the medical staffs in designated coronavirus hospitals, which they will be able to use during the upcoming tourist season.
The vouchers cover three overnights in 4 and 5-star hotels anywhere in Montenegro. Apart from the Casa del Mare group also taking part in the initiative were: Budvanska Rivijera, Montenegro Stars, The Chedi Hotel, Falkensteiner Hotel, Adrija Hotel, Kalamper Hotel, HEC Residence Milocer Hotel, Pine Hotel, Regent Porto Montenegro Hotel, Soa Hotels and Villas, HUMA Hotel, Rakocevic Property, Light House Hotel, Perla Hotel Group, in Herceg Novi, and Sun Village.
Portals CdM, Analitika, RTCG, AntenaM
05 May 2020, 18:45 PM
May 5, 2020 - Since this morning’s final count until 4.45 pm, the Institute of Public Health (IJZ) analyzed 97 samples of which none came back positive to COVID-19. The number of infected persons, since the beginning of the epidemic, is 324.
The director of the Clinical Centre of Montenegro (KCCG), Dr. Jevto Eraković said that as of today, 49 days since the first COVID-19 patient was hospitalized in the KCCG, there were no more such patients in that medical center.
Erakovic said that 74 hospitalized patients had been cured so far, of whom 50 in the KCCG. He mentioned a positive example of a patient who spent 33 days in the KCCG, hooked to a ventilator for most of that time, but recovered in the end. Also, one patient who met all criteria to be categorized as critical is now in Graz for treatment. It was jointly assessed with the Graz clinic that there was no need for any other patients to be sent there. He also stressed that over the past 49 days, other patients weren’t neglected, as shown by the following data: The KCCG admitted 1,633 patients, more than 152,000 samples were tested, 271 surgeries carried out, 292 babies delivered, 5,775 patients examined in the emergency room, etc.
The deputy director of the Institute of Public Health, Dr. Senad Begić, said that the total number of COVID-19 patients in Montenegro was still 324. Podgorica had the highest number of registered cases, 164. Since the beginning of the epidemic until yesterday, almost 8,500 lab analyses for coronavirus were carried out, which places the testing rate in Montenegro well above 10,000 per one million inhabitants.
He also said it was important that there were no epidemiological indicators that the latest coronavirus infection case in Bijelo Polje had any secondary positive contacts. The patient is in isolation and represents no hazard for others. Begić said that more than 1,500 samples were tested in the last week, with only a couple coming back positive.
Begić said that the number of calls to the 1616 phone line dropped, in comparison to the 10,000 calls at the very beginning of the epidemic. There were between 340 and 350 calls a day, on average, during the height of the epidemic. The call center will soon start doing shorter working hours to take the pressure of the employees, he said.
The measure of opening borders will be among the last to be terminated, Begic emphasized. As it were, a negative PCR test doesn’t imply that a person is not in the incubation stage, which is why it is necessary to gradually develop a plan of destinations to be opened and the conditions that have to be met to be granted entrance to Montenegro. Begic said that the unstable epidemiological situation in the countries of the region and Europe was still an obstacle in terms of opening borders but that the possibility of allowing necessary journeys would be considered.
Begić thinks that the authorities will be cautious with opening kindergartens because they can be hazardous not only for children but parents and other members of children’s families as well. Begic said that the assessment of the incubation period is based on patients’ memory, which is an unreliable method, with the most prolonged incubation period recorded in literature being 28-29 days. When it comes to cases for which the source of infection wasn’t accurately established, there were 34 such patients. That is a little over 10% of all cases. Begic said that we should all start getting accustomed to new circumstances and make adjustments for the new reality, which the COVID-19 global crisis brought. He said that this was precisely why the decision to make wearing masks mandatory was made.
This brief is kindly prepared for you by Arhimed & Represent Communications.
04 May 2020, 18:24 PM
May 4, 2020 - After three competitive weeks, the finale of the Creative Challenge of the Meštar o' konopa 2020 began today in Boka. With over ten kilometers of rope so far, more than 100 different decorative and usable objects have been created in the workshops of ambassadors and competitors of the game. The winners of the three cycles continue competition in the finals, so in the week ahead, ten of them will do their best to show skill and creativeness. Following a given macramé technique, the second week was about knitting the rope around glass bottles- "demižana," and the last to make a bag from the rope. The finalists now have a different task- to make something unique with delivered material.
UNA Montenegro company from Tivat, which has been operating a rope factory for 25 years, has been implementing "Meštar o' konopa 2020" in cooperation with Radio Tivat and several local companies over the past month. During the corona distance, UNA has designed an opportunity for socializing, creativity, and competition. The craftsman has also received a humanitarian dimension in recent days, as the organizing committee of the game has launched an auction of works made of rope in the campaign Jelena # Be Optimistic for helping Tivat sailor Jelena Prekajski, who is facing a severe illness.
The artists responded to the call of the Organizing Committee and donated their works for the auction Jelena #BudiOptimist, in which the artworks of our valuable masters have already provided a sea of love and almost 4,000 euros to help Jelena Prekajski. The Meštar o' konopa has decided that auctions in their organization will continue until the end of the competition. From tonight until Friday, another 50 works by the craftsmen and friends will be auctioned. After that, the action continues within the same vibe group: Jelena#BudiOptimist, where tonight's auction will be held, starting at 8 pm.
In the final week of the competition for the title and prize of the Meštar o' konopa 2020, the best of the previous three cycles will compete- Aleksandar Milivojević, Gordana Mehović, Stefani Račić, Dragana Dojkić, Ivka Čelanović, Sanja Vuković, Staša Ćeranić, Boris Radović, Anja Andrić, and Dijana Pavićević.
Participants will be provided with packs of the material of the same content, which will include, in addition to the rope, additional accessories from the UNA Montenegro product range that sponsors the game. This time, the topic is free, and the task for the participants is to use the submitted material to the maximum by presenting their skills and creativity.
The Meštar o' konopa 2020 will be elected on Sunday, May 10, at 8 pm. All the work done during the final week will be on the last Viber Auction of Meštar o' konopa, which will be held on Monday, May 11, from 8 pm.
Jelena#BudiOptimist action will continue. lot of partners have shown an interest in supporting the action. Instead of the traditional Fun Run charity race, which they organize each year in May, the Knightsbridge School International called on the parents of their students and corporate partners to donate funds to help Jelena.
UNA Montenegro announces that this is only the first issue of The Rope Master. They plan to turn the event into a tradition, continuing their CSR practices, and are recognized in the local community and throughout Montenegro.
04 May 2020, 17:35 PM
May 4, 2020 - The hotel and tourism company Mimoza from Tivat has not yet canceled reservations for the summer months. But, the season will depend on the epidemiological situation in the country, as well as the region and worldwide. The director of Hotel Pine and Hotel Kamelija, Dragan Bućin said in an interview for the local Radio Tivat.
Mimoza had first announcements for both the preseason and the season. The interest in offering both hotels was high. However, due to travel suspension, the preseason failed.
"The canceled arrangements are mainly for May and the first half of June, but I have not had any cancellations for July, August, and September. How the situation will unfold and how well the COVID-19 pandemic will affect the summer months will depend on the epidemiological situation. However, as soon as the conditions are created, and the measures are eased, we will put the Pine Hotel in operation," said Bućin.
Pine is a small business hotel popular for business guests and has excellent occupancy throughout the year. It is a hotel that could very soon be put into operation with certain cost-effectiveness capacities, Bućin said.
It is currently uncertain whether the Kamelija Hotel will open at all this summer. It is a hotel of seasonal character, which exists on organized guest groups - organizing a school in nature and school excursions, the arrival of organized tourist groups, and the stay of sports teams.
Bućin emphasized that the company Mimoza retained all employees, but that at the moment, they were unable to hire seasonal workers working in their hotels during the summer months.
Wages for the past month have been paid, and the April bill is in the works. They do not know yet whether they will be forced to cut their earnings. They are hoping for assistance from the Government of Montenegro, which has announced financial support for tourism and hospitality companies, which will help pay the wages.
Bućin said that Mimoza expects the support of the Municipality of Tivat, both hoteliers and caterers, and anyone whose core business is catering and tourism, working together to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.
He also stressed the importance of borrowing under favorable conditions of the Investment Development Fund. Mimosa will do its best to find the best solutions and select the best options to ensure the best possible continuation of the business.
The Government of Montenegro has announced that the operation of hotels and catering facilities will be possible from 18 May with strict compliance with the prescribed health and sanitation measures.
Source: Radio Tivat
04 May 2020, 17:01 PM
May 4, 2020 - The Institute for Public Health confirmed this morning one new COVID-19 case. The patient is from Bijelo Polje. The origin of the infection is being investigated.
So far, 323 coronavirus cases have been registered in Montenegro. There are currently 66 active cases and 249 recovered cases. Eight persons have died. The second phase of easing restrictions began today.
The second phase of loosening anti-COVID-19 measures has entered into force today
After more than 50 days of the blockade due to the coronavirus epidemic, most of the Montenegrin economy is opening today.
Boutiques, crafts, gyms, dental clinics are just some of the businesses that have opened their doors to anyone interested. Boutiques, industrial goods stores, construction materials, and services are also open today.
Starting today, citizens can go to hairdressers, beauticians, and open their doors to gyms and fitness centers. Dental surgeries, car schools, bookstores, museums, and galleries also work again.
Everyone who is indoors is required to wear protective masks, and gym and fitness center staff are also required to do so. However, service users are not required to wear masks during exercise.
The prescribed distance between people in all enclosures must be at least two meters, and only ten people can reside in 10 square meters.
As of today, taxi services are allowed to operate within the cities with the permission to transport a maximum of two people in the back seat. Public transport will also start in non-infected municipalities, and citizens will also be able to move into their homes and cottages in other towns, as well as farm properties.
A COVID-19 test certificate is required to enter Croatia
All persons wishing to enter Croatia will now have to have a certificate that they have been tested for coronavirus, said the Director of the Infectious Diseases Clinic "Dr. Fran Mihaljevic" Alemka Markotic. She added that the test should not be older than 24 hours.
"Those who want to enter Croatia will have to do a PSR test in their country, which should not be older than 24 hours. Only with this confirmation will they be able to enter the country. It's insurance. The test is highly reliable, but it is not 100 percent certain, so we have to be careful," Markotic told HRT.
Source: Vijesti Online
Remax Property of the Week
Editorial
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07 Mar 2018, 08:08 AMWelcome to Total Montenegro News!
Interview of the week
- 09 Nov 2020, 20:21 PM
Ranka Vukasovic Botica on Montenegro as a Maritime Country
