17 October 2019 - Montenegro is fast becoming a major world-known luxurious tourist destination, and being the Adriatic gem, it isn't difficult to understand why. Forbes Magazine has published a guide to picking the best destination to visit in 2020, with Montenegro in the top 20, highlighting the beauties of Kotor.

One of the most reliable and outstanding business magazines in the world, Forbes Magazine recently published an article on best places to visit in 2020, which is a destination guide by Ovation Travel Group's agents created to help the travellers pinpoint the best travel locations worldwide. “It confirms a few favorite places, but also has a surprise or two,” says the article. The top 20 destination list highlights Kotor, Montenegro, as one of the most unique natural attractions of the Mediterranean.

The Ovation Travel Group travel agency and Forbes have both recognized the beauty of Kotor, placing the gorgeous coastal city on the 13^th place on the list of “Top 20 Best Places To Visit In 2020”. Kotor is an excellent combination of natural, cultural and historical beauties, which makes the town worth visiting, and the article offers information on why travellers should visit Montenegro and Kotor, who is a “top candidate” to fall in love with the city and what they definitely shouldn’t miss.

“Montenegro, the Adriatic’s hidden treasure, is emerging as a desirable Mediterranean destination, state the OTG’s agents, adding that "it's the Adriatic’s hidden treasure".

“Today, Montenegro is emerging as a go-to luxury haven. Aman Sveti Stefan, Montenegro’s most luxurious hotel, raised the bar for hospitality in the country, and Marriott International just announced that it will bring the Ritz-Carlton brand to Montenegro in 2023,” highlights the article, introducing the readers to the continuously upgraded tourism offer of the country.

Forbes recommends the dreamy city of Kotor and Montenegro for all active travelers looking for hiking and adventure as well as for couples seeking relaxation and privacy. The OTG’s agents also highly recommend numerous landmarks in Kotor: Old Town Kotor, Perast, Our Lady of the Rocks, St. Ivan Fortress and more. “Kotor, another walled Dalmatian city, offers travelers an impressive and more natural experience. It's one of the best-preserved old towns on the Adriatic coast and is home to many churches and museums,” states the article.

The Secretariat for Public Utilities, Transport and Energy Efficiency of the Municipality of Tivat announces that an electronic waste collection action is underway, which will last until Tuesday 22 October.

"We invite the citizens of our municipality to take part in this action and bring their electronic waste to the communal workshop warehouse located in the Big City Park or the property Monte pranzo, where we also set up a metal box for this type of waste, from 8 am to 6 pm."

The utility company is implementing this action with the assistance of the Municipal Secretariat for Public Utilities, Transport and Energy Efficiency and the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism.

For more information please call +382 67 748 442.

Text by Boka News, on October 16th, 2019, read more at Boka News

The roundabout at the intersection of 4^th July and Vojislavljevic streets in the Podgorica's settlement Zabjelo has a new look.

According to the company "Zelenilo", cypresses, dwarf spruce and dasylirions were planted at the roundabout.

"Following all the principles of landscape architecture, we have begun the work of arranging a roundabout at the intersection of 4^th July and Vojislavljevic streets. After completing the preparation of the substrate, which involves removing the surface layer of barren and filling new humus soil, we started installing hydro systems and digging holes for planting the florae. "In the selection of species, we paid a lot of attention to the aesthetic appearance, so cypresses, dwarf spruce and dasylirion have been planted at this roundabout," stated Zelenilo.

The role of the roundabouts, in addition to its function in traffic regulations, has a very important decorative feature, so arranging them requires a very aesthetic approach in design and equipment.

"Due to heavy traffic on roundabouts, great care is being taken in selecting the species to be planted, as they must be resilient to urban conditions," added Zelenilo.

They point out that work has begun on the roundabout on the Adriatic Highway to include the Southwest Bypass, and if weather conditions permit, work on this roundabout will be completed within the next two weeks.

Text by Vijesti online on October 16th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

Members of the Committee on Education, Science, Culture and Sports overwhelmingly supported the Bill amending the Law on the Protection of the Natural, Cultural and Historical Area of Kotor.

The General Director of the Directorate for Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Culture, Aleksandar Dajkovic, said that the proposal for amendments to the act is another step towards the preservation and valorization of the natural and cultural-historical area of Kotor.

In today's session of the Committee on Education, Science, Culture and Sports, he said that since 2016, the state had taken significant steps to preserve this area.

"Most of the problems we see in Kotor are due to certain deficiencies in the planning documentation. I believe that after the adoption of the zoning plan, a significant number of these challenges will be prevented in practice," said Dajkovic.

As for the infrastructure projects whose implementation is necessary in Kotor in order to preserve the area and enable its sustainable development, the Ministry of Culture will intensively speak with UNESCO and will absolutely support the local government and the state government.

A delegate from the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) Bogdan Fatic said the changes to the law relate to refining the procedure for carrying out the project documentation, or how an investor can get permission to execute works in a protected area.

"This is a buffer zone that covers an area of about 48,000 hectares," Fatic said.

He explained that the amendments to the Act made it clear that before issuing the urban-technical conditions, the chief city architect must submit an initiative to the Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Property, and the Board would form a committee that would consider these requests within 15 days.

"The Management Board makes an individual assessment at the request of the investor, and for its preparation, the Management Board establishes an expert team within 15 days from the day the law is being adopted," said Fatic.

The expert team then elaborates and submits an individual assessment proposal based on specific guidelines.

"It is good that these amendments to the Law clearly define what these guidelines are and what guidelines are necessary for such a project to be fulfilled," Fatic added.

He said that the National Commission for UNESCO submits the report to the Directorate and later submits it to the UNESCO for further opinion.

According to Fatic, only after a positive opinion from UNESCO is received, does the investor have the right to build in a protected zone.

"In this way, all the deficiencies that were present during the previous implementation of the Law were eliminated and I believe that by adopting these amendments we will improve this act, and thus have a positive impact on the protection of the natural and cultural-historical area of Kotor and its surroundings," said Fatic.

Liberal Party MP Andrija Popovic said Kotor is a unique area because of its status.

He stated that he supports the amendments to the Law on the Protection of the Natural and Cultural-Historical Area of Kotor concerning individual Heritage Impact Assessment, where each project would be subject to an individual Heritage Impact Assessment.

"Of course, I support this, and I think this is a step forward in the whole Law on the Protection of the Natural and Cultural-Historical Area of Kotor," Popovic said.

He called on the Government and the Ministry of Culture to take Kotor more seriously, as the city is in a complicated and challenging situation.

"Every year, there is a growth of ten to 15 percent of tourists, and the infrastructure in Kotor cannot handle it," Popovic said.

Bosnjak Party MP Ervin Ibrahimovic said he was convinced that the protected zones would finally be clearly identified.

DPS MP Branka Tanasijevic said Kotor is a city that needs a lot of attention, not just because it is on the UNESCO list.

She stated that she supported the Bill on the Protection of the Natural and Cultural-Historical Area of Kotor, as it is a great contribution to the protection of that city.

Text by MINA News, on October 16th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

As part of the traditional masquerade "Carnival of Autumn Masks", 140 toddlers have taken part in a parade on the streets of Kolasin. The children from the kindergarten “Sisters Radovic”, aged two to five, designed and made the costumes, together with their parents and educators.

The associations to the fall were diverse, and the imagination of the children was lavish. In addition to the masks inspired by this season, the streets of Kolasin were filled with characters from fairy tales, fables, animated movies, and some costumes were inspired by the favorite animals, clowns, and fruits.

In pre-school, children are often encouraged by this kind of creativity, and their presentation to their fellow citizens is usually the most attended event.

"Similar city parades are a tradition for us. They represent the fruit of creativity and toddlers’ skills, as well as our cooperation with their parents. It always gives good results. We encourage children to be creative, to show their acquired skills, but also to spark their imagination. These events are a way to show our fellow citizens the way we are doing it," said the kindergarten.

Text by Dragana Scepanovic, on October 16th 2019, read more at Vijesti

16 October 2019 - A consortium of the German company WPD AG and the company Vjetroelektrana Budva (Budva Wind Power Plant) is the only bidder for the construction of the Wind Farm Brajići, reports Vijesti daily.

Tender documentation for the construction of wind farms on state-owned land in the municipalities of Budva and Bar was purchased by five companies, including a consortium that applied for the public call, which closed on Friday, two companies from Finland and one each from Belgium and China.

According to the data gathered by Vijesti daily, the German-Montenegrin consortium has offered an investment of 100 million EUR for the construction of wind a farm with the potential of producing 100.8 megawatts (MW). For the lease of 220.77 thousand square meters of state land, the company offered 2.5 EUR per square meter.

The tender required a minimum price of an annual lease of five cents per square meter. The government issues the state land for 30 years. Data on planned electricity production are expected. The offer also envisages the participation of domestic companies with 21.6 million EUR.

The Tender Commission has a deadline of 45 days, i.e., until the end of November, to verify whether the bidder meets all the requirements.

The representatives of the Montenegrin Ministry of Economy recently explained that this project would be implemented according to market principles, which means that there are no financial incentives for the state for the guaranteed purchase price.

German WPD AG has experience in the implementation of projects of this type in many countries, with a portfolio of installed capacity of 4.4 thousand MW.

WPD AG is a developer and operator of wind farms both onshore and offshore, acting worldwide. Since 1996, WPD has installed 2,200 wind turbines with a total of 4,450 MW. Currently, more than 1,500 MW are held as assets. Internationally, WPD is planning projects in the scope of 8,725 MW onshore and 7,250 MW offshore. For years, WPD has been awarded the first-class “A” rating by the Euler Hermes agency (Allianz Group).

16 October 2019 - The European Institute of Innovation and Technology as a networked institute is an excellent example of how entrepreneurship and academic community can work together and spread the culture of innovation and business. The establishment of EIT centres is necessary for the Western Balkans and Montenegro, highlighted Montenegrin Minister of Science Sanja Damjanović, at a recent INNOVEIT conference.

As reported by the Ministry of Science, Minister Damjanović took part in the main panel discussion of the INNOVEIT conference in Budapest, which the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) organises every year.

The EIT innovation model is designed to efficiently transform the European innovation environment in a way that solves market and system deficiencies by linking all the actors in the field of innovation, regardless of which disciplines and sectors they are related to, to work together. Through the next EU programme (Horizon Europe 2021 – 2027), this institute will have an increased budget and one of its focuses will be the expansion of the regional impact, including the Western Balkans countries.

In a panel discussion about the education and the regional dimension as the basic pillars of the future of this unique institute, Minister Damjanović stated that the EIT is a powerful driver of innovation in Europe.

"Our young people, representatives of the business sector and start-ups participated in EIT schools, competitions and manifestations, which significantly affected their way of thinking and working," Minister Damjanović pointed out, hopeful that the European Commission's Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) will find a way to support the development of innovation centres of this institute in the Western Balkan countries. Referring to the long experience of researches and outstanding cooperation with CERN, Minister Damjanović highlighted that the EIT as a networked institute, that is, CERN as the infrastructure, are examples of how entrepreneurship and academic community can work together and spread the culture of innovation and business.

"It is exciting to see how advances in robotics, chemistry and food science, energy and ICT, data science and artificial intelligence, mechanical engineering contribute to the significant innovations the nominated innovators have developed in the EIT Venture Award category," Minister Damjanovic noted, emphasising that she comes from a small country in the Western Balkans, which has just started implementing innovation policies and developing and linking its innovation ecosystem, and that Montenegro finds great inspiration in seeing how society functions and changes for the better.

The EIT Venture award was given to the finalists whose team has been developing a unique technology that converts wave energy efficiently and sustainably. Minister Damjanović also congratulated the innovators in other categories and the EIT communities, who, by supporting such innovators, make Europe, a true innovation union.

Read more about lifestyle in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

The Employment Bureau (ZZZ) announced the first public call for grants, worth a total of 1.2 million euros, to start new businesses.

The money will be awarded to more than 400 beneficiaries of self-employment grants, or more than 400 new businesses, over three one-year cycles. The grant will range from three thousand euros to 7.5 thousand euros.

The Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, Kemal Purišić, said that they would allocate a total of 3.5 million euros in the three years of the self-employment project.

"These funds were provided from the pre-accession funds of the European Union (EU) through the EU-Montenegro Program for Employment, Education, and Social Welfare. The program is a continuation of successful cooperation between the European Commission (EC) and the Government in the field of social policy, employment and education policies," Purišić said at a conference organized by the Institute in cooperation with the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare.

Purišić said in a statement that the government is committed to implementing measures and programs of active employment policies aimed at increasing employment and reducing unemployment.

"As a result, we have seen a significant decrease in the unemployment rate over the past few years. According to the data from the Labor Force Survey, it was reduced from 17.7 percent in 2016 to 15.2 percent last year, or 14.3 percent in the second quarter of this year," Purišić added.

The self-employment measures that will be implemented through this call, he said, will enable participants to acquire the necessary knowledge to apply for similar calls, acquire the skills to start and run their businesses, make livings for themselves and their family, and ultimately, contribute to the community through newly established businesses.

"Experience has shown that participants in preparatory self-employment measures have a greater opportunity for employment and the sustainability of that employment. The new jobs that will be created through this program are of particular importance for our citizens in the municipalities with the highest unemployment rate," said Purišić.

The director of the Institute, Suljo Mustafić, said that long-term unemployment remains one of the key challenges in the labor market, especially among young people.

"The Bureau announced the first public call for grants of between three thousand and 7.5 thousand euros. The money will be allocated to a minimum of 400 beneficiaries of self-employment grants, or 400 new businesses, a minimum of 140 per call, over three one-year cycles," said Mustafic.

According to him, all unemployed persons who have been registered for at least six months with the Bureau have the opportunity to apply on the day of the announcement of the call, with emphasis on young people, women, and long-term unemployed.

"That is why I urge all those who are willing to try to start their own business, to inform themselves in the Labor Offices across Montenegro as well as on the Institute's website," Mustafic said, adding that he believes that the grant will certainly be stimulating.

He said the money offered by the Employment Service is not a gift, but a grant to start a new business.

"It is support that carries a great deal of responsibility in implementation, reporting, and sustainability," Mustafic added.

In addition to the financial support, the Bureau will, as he said, as a service close to citizens, provide candidates with training and counseling when applying and during implementation.

"The published public invitation contains all the information, the number of funds, the length of the call and the conditions for participation. It also contains information on the documentation accompanying the application for participating in the program, the rights and obligations of the beneficiaries, as well as the deadlines for submitting the application," Mustafić explained.

As he said, all acceptable project proposals will be forwarded for further consideration and quality assessment.

"Due to the regional backwardness and higher unemployment rate in the north, through this project, we will strive to encourage employment in less developed areas," Mustafić said.

He said that he believes that the Self-Employment Grants Program would be an important factor in economic activity and in improving the overall environment for small business development, and thus the overall situation in the Montenegrin economy.

Text by MINA Business, on October 14th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

Fifteen-year-old Andrija Djukic, a student of School of Secondary and Higher Education “Sergije Stanic”, in the humanitarian action "one million steps", raised €2,500 for six toddlers from Montenegro. This was announced at a presentation of his action, and as it has been clarified, the money will be distributed from to the six toddlers who are on the list of the Foundation "Be Humane".

Andrija said that his journey, which lasted 34 days and traveled 880 kilometers, was difficult, arduous, exhausting, but he did not want to give up.

"Because I was thinking of children who need help. Although there were times when it was difficult, the thought of them gave me strength," Andrija pointed out.

On his pilgrimage to France and Spain, the Pyrenees and Galician regions, Andrija was accompanied by his mother, Jelena.

"I was only there to support him. To encourage him not to give up," said Jelena Djukic.

She pointed out that she had supported Andrija from the beginning in his idea and was very proud of him.

The journey of St. Jakov that Andrija went with his mother began in the French city of Saint Jean Pied de Port and led to the Spanish Santiago de Compostela.

He later found out everything on the internet, asked for information, and the turning point for Andrija happened after watching the movie "The Way".

He chose the path of St. Jakov because he wanted to test himself and, as he says, strengthen physically and mentally.

"We traveled 20 to 30 kilometers a day. I met a lot of people, and new friendships took place every day."

Text by Borko Zdero, on October 15th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

For October 15th, International Day for Rural Women and World Hiking Day, the Cycling Club “Perun” and NGA "Ancestral Roads" from Niksic organized a walking tour this year from Trebjesa to the town market, where they donated flowers to the women who have stands there.

Pupils from the elementary school "Mileva Lajovic Lalatovic" and children from kindergarten "Kosovka djevojka" handed the women presents, along with flowers, while the children from kindergarten prepared greeting cards for them.

They were rewarded with healthy organic food, hugs and warm smiles.

"The aim of the action is to highlight the importance of rural women and their great contribution to society, because while rural women around the world play an important role in rural development, agricultural production and the survival of their families, their role is not sufficiently promoted. We are sending the message to the youngest population that consuming healthy homemade food with outdoor recreation is one of the essential things in every person's life. Combining hiking, visiting organic food producers and consuming the same, we promote healthy lifestyles, which should be everyone's priority," said Ana Petrovic from BC “Perun”.

They were supported by the ministries of agriculture and rural development for both human and minority rights.

The idea of celebrating World Women's Day was launched in 1995, during the 4^th UN Conference on Women in Beijing, and is celebrated every year on October 15th.

Text by Svetlana Mandic, on October 15th, 2019, read more at Vijesti