Corruption has a strong and negative impact on economic development, contributes to stratification and inequality in society, which is why it is necessary to strengthen further the mechanisms established by local governments in terms of transparency and accountability of doing the business of immediate interest to citizens.

This was assessed in the panel "Corruption at the local level is not a local problem", within the second part of the annual national conference on corruption at the local level "Let's place corruption in the museum", organized by the Center for Civic Education (CCE). 

Assistant Secretary-General of the Communities of Municipalities, Sasa Scekic, said that the mechanisms, which all local governments had established, needed to be further strengthened in terms of transparency and accountability of doing the business of immediate interest to citizens.

"I do not agree that these mechanisms have not been established. I can agree that there is room for progress and change; however they are clearly established and exist in all local governments. Whether and to what extent we use them and whether we use them in the right way is a question for all of us,” said Scekic.

He believes that the continuous training of local officials and employees is essential.

"These are complex and responsible jobs, and we have a problem that people who do these jobs often change. We have a situation where people leave municipalities and start their private business. We have to pay attention to keep these people, to further train them to do their job," said Scekic.

He also said that "there is also an inertness of citizens when it comes to things that are of immediate interest for them."

Executive Director of the Institute for Business and Financial Literacy, Milos Vukovic, said corruption has a strong and negative impact on economic development and quality of life.

"Corruption contributes to stratification and inequality in every society, even in Montenegro, undermines trust in institutions and can lead to certain instabilities in society. It is difficult to measure systemic corruption, because of its hidden nature and its various manifestations in society. Corruption is very persistent and the results in the fight against corruption are very slow,” Vukovic said.

Vukovic recalled that, according to an IMF document, Fiscal Monitor, in April 2019, it was clearly established that government revenues were significantly lower in countries that were considered more corrupt.

"For the group of countries to which Montenegro belongs, only tax revenues can generate 4.25% more annual GDP than the least corrupt countries. As GDP stood at 4.6 billion euros in 2018, this means that Montenegro, based on better tax collection alone, could have collected more than 195 million euros or about 535,000 euros a day or 6.20 euros every second or some 50,000 euros in duration of today's panel," Vukovic specified.

According to him, corruption affects "all of us" and leads to weaker institutions, feelings of injustice, distrust, reduced quality of health services and education for all.

"If we calculate this percentage to annual GDP, from 2006 to 2018, we could collect almost €2 billion on tax alone. This also means that our debt could have been two-thirds lower than it is today, bearing in mind that as of June 30, 2019, it amounted to 3.13 billion," he explained.

"Corruption, in combination with other factors, is leading to a mass exodus of intellectual elites and young people. If we continue like this, in 10-15 years, we will have no one to exchange opinions with. That is why the fight against corruption must be placed at the number one position in the country," concluded Vukovic.

The State Prosecutor, a representative of the Supreme State Prosecutor's Office, Vukas Radonjic, said that the statistics do not reflect the dedicated work of state prosecutors in the fight against corruption.

"I will not speak about the statistics here, it is in the annual report on the work of the State Prosecutor's Office, and this is all available, including the number of complaints, on the prosecutor's website," Radonjic said.

He stated that it was acceptable for the public to doubt and criticize the work of any institution, including the State Prosecutor's Office, explaining in detail the legal competencies of the Prosecutor's Office.

“And the State Prosecution is striving to achieve better results. However, you must accept that the public interest is protected in the course of criminal proceedings. That is why criminal proceedings cannot be public during the whole duration, especially when it comes to crimes of high corruption. When the authorities conducting the proceedings consider that the public should be aware of a case, they will come forward with adequate information,” Radonjic explained when asked about individual cases.

He called on citizens, inspection, customs, tax and other authorities, those involved in anti-money laundering and terrorist financing, to report corruption offenses.

"Every application will be considered. We need to raise awareness in society that corruption is a serious social problem and that we cannot accept it as a daily occurrence," Radonjic said.

He said that the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SSP) initiated six criminal cases ex officio last year, and that the Police Directorate had filed 277 applications and non-governmental organizations 26.

"In any case, over 800 applications were received by SSP during 2018. These applications are active and in process," Radonjic said.

The head of the integrity, lobbying and regulatory analysis department at the Anti-Corruption Agency, Grozdana Lakovic, explained that Integrity Plans were conceived as a preventive instrument, which is primarily an assessment of institutions and employees.

“There is stagnation, and this is demonstrated by the last two reports of the European Commission where the recommendations for local government are identical. An integrity plan is a preventative anti-corruption mechanism that you cannot expect to produce a miracle. The integrity plan depends on the integrity of the individual who writes it and on the integrity of the head of the authority who signs and releases it," said Lakovic.

She assessed that the integrity plan depends on the general, overall social milieu "in which we are placed."

"I'm not happy with the milieu that we are in," Lakovic said.

She pointed out that the main recommendation in the EC report is merit-based employment, in order to realize the principle of professionalism and responsibility of local government employees, regardless of the ruling party.

"A systematic year-round training plan is a very important tool for generating staff, which will remain independent of the political structure in that municipality," Lakovic said.

Director-General of the Directorate for local government and state-owned companies in the Ministry of Finance, Snezana Mugosa, said it was crucial to place emphasis on transparency of local governments when planning and implementing the budget.

"When it comes to the budget planning process, transparency is very important. Municipalities are obliged to hold a public discussion. However, it is evident that the low level of citizen participation seems to be primarily due to a poor understanding of the municipality's budget and because it is not presented in an understandable way. The recommendation through our activities is for everyone to prepare a Citizens Budget Guide that will show in an understandable way how to collect, finance and spend budget funds,” explained Mugosa.

As for the debt, she said, according to the latest data, the total debt of local governments is around 151 million euros on loans, and when it comes to arrears, they amount to 69 million euros at the end of the second quarter of this year. "But it is important that these obligations are being reduced," she stressed.

The project “Let's Put Corruption in a Museum” is implemented by the Center for Civic Education (CCE) in partnership with the Monitoring and Research Center (CEMI), NGO Bonum from Pljevlja, NGO UL-Info from Ulcinj and NGO Zadruga from Petrovac, in cooperation with the Anti-Corruption Agency and with the support of the Delegation Of the European Union in Montenegro and the Ministry of Public Administration.

Text by Vijesti online, on September 9th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

Seventeen-year-old Katarina Crnogorac from Pljevlja traveled to the United States, where she will continue her education at a private music school in the town of Fargo.

That this is the case of a very talented pianist is confirmed by the scholarship, which, according to Katarina, is the only one received from all students from abroad studying in that school.

In the multitude of offers she received from Italy, Austria, Russia and other countries, Katarina says she chose to finish third and fourth grades at a renowned music school, founded in 1906 in North Dakota's largest city.

"After being offered the conditions that fit me perfectly, I decided to continue my education in America. My parents, my hometown and the school supported me in that decision. They gave me full support and instilled in me a trust that means a lot to me. All this gave me the strength to go there and to try to represent myself and my city Pljevlja in the best way possible, because there I represent our country. It was a very difficult moment to leave my parents, but I am aware that I am on the right track to realize all my dreams," Katarina told “Vijesti”.

After completing the elementary music school in Pljevlja, she finished the first and second grade of the secondary music school in Lazarevac.

She represents Montenegro (Photo: Private archive)

She has won numerous awards and won first places in international competitions.

Katarina's departure for America is the merit of the music professor from Slovenia who recorded her appearance at one of the international competitions.

“I was fortunate that at an international competition in Belgrade, my performance was recorded by a professor at a music school in Slovenia, who showed this recording on numerous music websites. After a few days, calls from all sides began to arrive. They offered me schooling and scholarships. The school I attend has existed since 1906 and is very famous. It offers a wide range of education, so any college can be enrolled after it, since we have general subjects besides music. If someone changes their mind about music, they can enroll in something else, which in my case will not happen, because my life is music,” points out the young pianist who lives with a family in the United States, where she was welcomed well.

She says she's in the piano class with one of the best pianists in the US.

"The class lasts four hours, with seven more hours for practice. At the moment, my obligation at school is to give my maximum in everything I do."

After graduating from high school, Katarina says she intends to enroll in some of the best music colleges in America.

"It is an honor to meet some of the most respected people and professors at this college for a short time in the United States, who have been pleased with my playing and singing and especially appreciate my love for music."

Katarina points out that she has set the goal of one day becoming a famous pianist and music producer.

"Of course, I want to improve my education further and pass on this love of music to other people and the knowledge I will gain."

She told young people who intend to follow her footsteps that music is very difficult, but never let someone discourage you, but to encourage you instead and give you strength.

She points out that her late grandmother is meritorious that she is fond of music, but she is also grateful to her parents who support her in school.

The young pianist is also grateful to the professors in Pljevlja, from whom she acquired basic music knowledge.

“Professor Gavro Terzic introduced me to the world of music, and Tanja Bezarevic is responsible for making a big step in my music education. I graduated from elementary music school in Pljevlja with Professor Branka Miric. In Lazarevac, I was fortunate to be taught by Professor Aleksandar Stankovic, which made me a perfectionist in music.”

At the school in Lazarevac, Katarina had five hours of piano daily and practiced for seven hours every day.

"It is necessary to give up everything in order to succeed in what you love."

Text by Goran Malidzan, on September 8th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

The Montenegrin Cultural Network (MCN) has sent an initiative to Prime Minister Dusko Markovic for the establishment of a professional folklore ensemble within the Music Center, which will perform the choreographies of all nations living in Montenegro.

"Folklore is an indispensable part of our country's cultural heritage, which, unfortunately, loses significance year after year because it is based on our volunteerism. Many cultural and artistic societies in our country do not have the basic means of work, which include halls for exercise, representative costumes as well as the finances needed for the costs of traveling to festivals. The Ministry of Culture, which should work to create quality conditions for dealing with folklore and its affirmation among young people, supports commercial festivals and electronic music parties instead of folklore. Minister of Culture Aleksandar Bogdanovic supports our initiative, only in the working team it lacks creative people who would recognize the poor position of folklore ensembles," MCN said in a statement.

They added that it would be important to introduce folklore classes as a compulsory extracurricular activity in primary schools.

"What is worrying is that there is no quality school to learn how to play “gusle” in Montenegro where children would be introduced to this ancient instrument, which is an indispensable part of Montenegrin cultural heritage."

"The music center for which the Government is allocating significant financial resources certainly has room for establishing a professional folklore ensemble that would present the cultural heritage of Montenegro in a quality way. And given that this institution is seriously organized, we are sure that quality folk ensemble could be organized throughout Montenegro. There are many quality folklorists and choreographers around Montenegro who could be members of a national folklore ensemble and present the cultural heritage of Montenegro worldwide."

Text by Vijesti online, on September 9th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

09 September 2019 - President of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović met with Matthew Palmer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs and the newly appointed Western Balkans Representative for the United States State Department, who is on an official visit to Montenegro, on September 9th.

During the meeting, President Đukanović congratulated Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Palmer on his appointment to this responsible mission, which represents a confirmation of the continued US presence in the region. He emphasized the importance of being such a good connoisseur of the Balkans. “You can count on the absolute partnership of Montenegro and mine personally so that we can all do what is best for the region”, Đukanović said on this occasion.

The President also stressed that both sides share initial assessments of the problems in the region: insufficient peace and stability and a lack of clear vision of the prosperity of the region. “The path to overcoming the aforementioned problems is integration, and the Western Balkans does not have a desirable perspective without integration, which is why we strongly advocate enlargement policy”, Đukanović said. The President reminded that by its example, Montenegro shows that such a policy is delivering results, which is reflected by the country's membership in NATO and what makes this country the aspirant who has moved the farthest in the EU accession process.

“In addition to a clear vision, we also have a growing capacity to adopt reforms and overcome challenges, seeking to affirm regional cooperation as a good path to integration. It is very important for Europe to recognize its responsibility and strategic interest in integrating the Balkans”, the President said, noting that everyone in the region, together with partners like the US, should encourage Europe to begin a more active policy towards the WB as soon as possible.

According to the official statement by the PR office of The President, Đukanović took the opportunity to once again thank Washington for its support to Montenegro, especially in the area of ​​defence and security, and said that the priorities for the coming period were to strengthen the cybercrime and hybrid threats defence network. The President expressed interest in enhancing economic relations and attracting more US investment in Montenegro.

Palmer also expressed his satisfaction with the meeting, pointing out that it is no coincidence that Montenegro is the first destination he visited at the beginning of his term as our country is a leader and an example for others in the region. He briefed the President on the priorities of his mission: encouraging the opening of EU accession negotiations for Skopje and Tirana, returning to the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and seeking solutions for the functionality of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Palmer emphasized that he sees Montenegro as a partner in these processes, especially given the good relations it has with the countries of the region.

President Đukanović agreed on the choice of priorities, saying that the interests of Montenegro are identical and added that the forces in the region that are aspiring to Europe should be more strongly supported in order to encourage the WB to further integration.

In order to better promote the so-called green economy and thus reduce environmental risk, the non-governmental organization (NGO) "Zupa u srcu" from Niksic has started the implementation of the project "Green Road". As part of the project, a mini solar dryer room from recycled materials will be constructed and ten households from Zupa will receive composting training, after which they will receive composting equipment.

"We will announce a tender to select ten households from Zupa. The project also envisages numerous other activities such as workshops and lectures in various areas of green economy, competitions for elementary students, analysis of the possibility of establishing a composting system in Zupa, and examples of good practice from the EU countries in the field of green economy will be presented, as said by Jovo Radulovic from "Zupa u srcu".

The project, funded by the European Union and co-financed by the Ministry of Public Administration under the FORS Montenegrin project "Green Economy for the Development of the Region", lasts for seven months and Radulovic hopes that they will succeed in contributing to increasing the application of green economy principles in rural areas in Montenegro. The value of the project is about six thousand euros.

“We aim to increase knowledge and awareness of the green economy and the use of household waste to develop green businesses and increase the use of green economy in households and the community. The results of a green economy in Europe and the world are leading to improvements in human well-being and social equality, significantly reducing environmental risks," said Radulovic.

The green economy is increasingly popular, despite its environmental and economic component, it has a social one - respect for workers' rights, the principles of gender equality and social inclusion. Research has shown that “green” jobs are one of the few that survived the transition and progressed during the global economic crisis.

Text by Svetlana Mandic, on September 6th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

In Niksic's Zupa, in the village of Liverovici, work began on the construction of a sports training ground for the students of the district department of the school "Dusan Bojovic". This is an area of 160 square meters.

According to Dragoljub Radulovic, the president of the local community of Zupa, who also initiated the construction of the training grounds, there are many activities in Zupa these days related to sports.

According to him, the sports field in the village of Zagrad will be completed in the next days, and the funds were provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Municipality of Niksic.

Work is expected to begin on the construction of the football field this month. All these activities will contribute to our youngest in getting better conditions for school activities, as well. It is certain that in our town there will be a period of even greater activities that will contribute to strengthening it to the satisfaction of all citizens," said Radulovic.

Text by Svetlana Mandic, on September 8th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

The new kindergarten in Tuzi, worth 1.7 million euros, has been granted a use permit, the Public Works Directorate said.

The Administration said that the construction works were completed in early July, within the agreed period of 12 months, after which the technical acceptance procedure was carried out as a prerequisite for obtaining the operational permit.

"There are more than 200 toddlers in the kindergarten. It contains six kindergarten rooms, five for a day nursery, a multifunctional space, a kitchen, staff rooms and other facilities,” the statement said.

The facility covers an area of approximately 1.4 thousand square meters and was contracted by the company “Eurozoks” in Danilovgrad.

The project in Tuzi was financed by a loan from the Council of Europe Development Bank, thanks to which the Public Works Administration has already implemented projects for the construction of kindergartens in the settlements Stari aerodrom and Zagoric in Podgorica.

Text by MINA News, on September 8th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

Academy painter Ratko Šoć’s exhibition of paintings and drawings entitled “Fantasy - Paintings and Drawings,” celebrating 60 years of the artist’s work, will open on Tuesday, 10th September, at 8 pm at the Gallery of Solidarity in Kotor Old Town. The exhibition is organised by Municipal Public Institution “Museums” (OJU Museums) and will be opened by journalist Slavko Mandić, Director of Skala Radio.

Of Šoć, art critic Dejan Đorić said, “Šoć is one of the Montenegrin “barbarogen” artists who conquered Belgrade and indeed Europe with his volcanic imagination and sense of artistry. Born in Cetinje in 1938, he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Novi Sad, but has never associated himself with urban trivialities.”

Ratko Šoć has had over 50 solo and group exhibitions at home and abroad, is the recipient of numerous awards, and currently lives and works in Vrbas. His many decades of work include numerous pieces in the area of painting, graphic design, caricature, illustration, scenography, and he is also known as an aphorist.

The exhibition “Fantasy - Paintings and Drawings,” by Ratko Šoć will be open until 5th October at the Gallery of Solidarity.