The University of Montenegro (UMN) will redevelop the parcel in front of the Rectorate building into a green area after the contract with the Parking Service has expired.

UMN said that cultivating a university campus or expanding and enriching “green oases” in urban areas, promotes socially responsible behavior for future generations.

"As the contract with the Parking Service has expired, UCG will bring the parcel of about four thousand square meters in front of the Rectorate building to its original purpose in accordance with the decision of the Board of Directors," the statement said.

By doing this, they raise the level of environmental awareness and culture and invest in a more beautiful and healthier future for Podgorica and Montenegro.

Text by Damira Kalac, on September 5th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

The company Franca Markets continues to expand its retail network in Podgorica with three more Supermarkets, bringing the number of Franca Markets in Montenegro to 58.

The expansion of the retail network continues at three new locations in Podgorica: City kvart, Gornja Gorica and Zabjelo.

"We certainly could not do this without the trust shown to us by consumers in all cities in which we operate in Montenegro. We continue to expand to offer as many citizens as possible a unique shopping experience based on the product offering with the best value for money.

We are ready and excited to open the first Premium Franca Supermarket in City Kvart tomorrow. Premium Supermarket standardized and decorated according to a newer concept, which includes modern design, larger sales space and attractive appearance. On this occasion, we have prepared numerous surprises and discounts for our consumers. On the day of opening the first 200 customers expect gift packages, Friday and Saturday days for a discount of 10% on each purchase, while on Sunday every 100th purchase is free.

On September 9^th, we are waiting for you at the new location in Gornja Gorica where on an opening day we have provided 500 gift packages for first customers, discounts, tastings and promotions.

While for the 16th of September, we announce the grand opening of the first Franca Supermarket in Zabjelo.

The highlights of our stores are limited-time specials that start on Thursdays at all Franca Supermarkets and change from week to week, so you can find a variety of items at super low prices. The daily delivery of always fresh meat is what makes us recognizable and unique. Here you will always find local and fresh chicken and beef from the farms Franca. We are persistent in freshness and quality, and this is the foundation of our successful business. It is important to note that our suppliers are present with hundreds of products, which makes our offer diverse.

We believe that we will gain the confidence of our customers at all three new locations in Podgorica, through a carefully selected range with the best price, supply, quality and service ratio in one place.

On this occasion, we invite everyone to visit us and see why buying with us is easy, faster and cheaper.

Welcome!" reads the company's statement.

Text by Promo, on September 4th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

At 08:55 this morning, a call was received by a Tivat Protection and Rescue Service dispatcher from Tivat Police Security Division regarding a fire onboard a vessel in the Bay of Tivat.

The local emergency crew, as well as a team from Porto Montenegro with fireboat “Jovana” and speedboats attended the scene. A full service of 7 vehicles responded to the incident.

Both fireboat “Jovana” and dinghies were involved in extinguishing the fire, and at the same time the vessel was brought safely to a predetermined location at the shore, where emergency vehicles from Tivat were waiting to localise the fire.

Yacht fire - Tivat fire crew after the incident. Photo: Boka News

The fire on the ten-metre yacht was brought under control around 10 am, and forty-five minutes later they were still at the scene, due to the possibility of hidden fires on board.

One crew member from the vessel received first-degree burns, and was immediately brought from the boat to the shore by an emergency team from Porto Montenegro, where he was further assisted by an ambulance crew from Tivat - states the Tivat Emergency Services.

04 September 2019 - Montenegro has done a good job and I congratulate you on the results achieved on the fiscal side and in the financial sector, Executive Director of the Belgian – Dutch Constituency in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Anthony De Lannoy stated at the meeting with Prime Minister Duško Marković.

“You've been successful and we hope you will continue to have success”, Executive Director De Lannoy said.

Prime Minister Duško Marković thanked the IMF for the continued support and partnership, noting some of the Government's successes in the last two and a half years, namely high rates of economic growth, deficit and public debt reduction, income growth, financing current spending from source revenues, as well as an increase in the number of employees and a significant decrease in unemployment.

"We are aware that the long – term sustainability of the economy is based on healthy finances. In the next period, we will continue with the activities in order to achieve this goal," PM Marković stated.

According to the report by the Government of Montenegro, the Prime Minister pointed to the strong commitment and activities of the Government in combating the grey economy in all areas and the close cooperation of the competent authorities and the Prosecutor's Office in the prosecution of criminal offences in the area of economic crime.

The Government has achieved good results in the areas of tourism, energy, agriculture, and it is committed to the overall infrastructure strengthening, particularly in the North, as a key precondition for the development and better life for citizens, Prime Minister Marković stressed.

Speaking about the challenges the Government has been tackling, the Prime Minister emphasised that the focus will be placed on overall reforms in the areas of public administration, social and pension policy, and that a set of laws and activities that are under preparation should contribute to achieving better results in these areas.

September 4, 2019 - In the gallery of the Maritime Museum of Montenegro in Kotor, the exhibition "Il pittore del mare" (Painter of the Sea) by Fabio Colussi opened. This exhibition is significant because it is a piece of culture and literature that connects the Adriatic cities, said the Director-General of the University of Trieste Fabio Soma. The exhibition is part of the program of the Italian Cultural Event that is being held these days in Kotor, Herceg Novi, and Cetinje. Soma specifically outlined the significance of numerous activities of the organizers - the Italian Community of Montenegro, supporting centuries-old cultural connections between Boka Bay and Italy.

The Perast 2019 Boka Sprint Triathlon will be taking place for the eighth time this Sunday. The sprint distance (750m swim, 20km cycle, 5km run) triathlon is both of an international nature, and a Montenegrin Sprint championship event.

In the breathtaking surroundings of Perast and Boka Kotorska, the organisers from Kotor Triathlon Club announce a gathering of around 120 participants, with all the right conditions in place for such a high-ranking event, which they say is important for Kotor, important for raising youth awareness, to enliven people and distract from everyday mundane issues... 

Due to the event, the main road between Orahovac and Perast will be temporarily closed to traffic on 8th September, between 9 am and 1030am, as well as on the route between Perast coast road and the Risan exit, between 9 am and 12noon.

Kotor Triathlon Club requests drivers who wish to travel inland via these routes, to either travel outside of these times, or to use the alternative routes via the Lipci junction or the Lepetani ferry crossing. The Police Directorate, Montenegro Automobile Association, CrnaGoraPut, and the Highways Inspectorate have all been notified of the event.

Source: Radiojadran.com

The NGO “Multimedia Montenegro” in Bijelo Polje begins the realization of the project "Young, Innovative, Productive", in which eight participants, aged 18-24, will be trained in multimedia production, web development, internet marketing and use of free internet and the complete equipment will eventually remain to the trainees.

This type of project, said the president of the NGO Zeljko Djukic, is being implemented in Montenegro for the first time, and young people will then be more competitive in the labor market.

Djukic (Photo: Multimedija Montenegro)

 “One month is envisaged for theoretical and three practical training, after which mentors will be available. The project provided equipment that, when completed, will remain to the trainees. We will provide eight digital cameras, racks, lighting systems, lease of eight domains for the website, and web site hosting servers. In the competition for NGOs, we received the most funds from the Municipality of Bijelo Polje, but this is not enough, considering how much the equipment costs, so we will strive to provide more money through the project to make the equipment better," Djukic said at the press conference.

"We came up with the idea because a large number of young people are leaving Bijelo Polje, many cannot be employed, so we hope that this will at least somewhat prevent them from leaving," Djukic said.

Applications will be open until September 25, and candidates will be selected by a committee comprising representatives of that NGO, a project lecturer, a representative of the Office for Allocation of Funds from the Municipality of Bijelo Polje, and one independent member.

Lecturer on the project in the field of web development, e-commerce and video production, Adis Softic, said that this training is intended for those who want to pursue the most demanding job of today and are not able to study specific faculties.

“Web development today is a very attractive business that combines multiple skills - design and marketing skills. In the world of the web, many companies today use CMS solutions (content management system) and in the sea of ​​CMS solutions, word press stands apart. This web development training for beginners can be a springboard for many for future jobs. As there is a growing interest in starting a business, we decided to help and resolve any concerns in this area. In recent years, drop shipping or virtual intermediations in sales, has been current. As with online shopping, the goods are sent directly to the home addresses of the customers. So, a new way of selling and making money, with the chain appearing intermediaries who can make significant profits, and sellers have no advertising, promotion, or warehousing and shipping costs. One of the problems we face in Montenegro is that we are not incorporated into the Pay Pal system. It is the foremost leader in the world as far as billing is concerned, so we appeal to those charged with speeding up the process as it opens the door to anyone involved in online business," said Softic.

Lecturer for Graphic Design, Internet Technologies and Internet Marketing, Vojislav Djukic, said he would seek to train the trainees from the basics of design onwards.

"Design is all around us. We will pass on to the students the knowledge of the rules of composing photography, and the project should achieve the goal - from the branding of the design itself to YouTube monetization. We will train the students to put the theory into action - from the very design of the website, through the creation of the logo, branding, and everything else, ”Djukic said.

The mediator was Arnela Sahman, the project assistant.

Text by Dejan Perunicic, on September 3rd 2019, read more at Vijesti

Certified halal companies from Montenegro will participate in the International Halal Industry Fair in Sarajevo at the end of the month.

In Montenegro, halal certificates are held by two companies, while several restaurants, hotels and companies are in the process of obtaining the certificate.

 “The Montenegrin market is slowly opening up to halal, which is very interesting to us. Our agency is interested in holding a presentation of Halal companies in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce and the Islamic Community, which are interested in doing business according to this standard," said Nermin Hadzic from the Halal Certification Agency at “Sarajevo Halal Fair” presentation.

Sarajevo Halal Fair is the largest specialized halal industry fair organized for the second time by Bosnia Bank International in cooperation with the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB) and the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro said that halal tourism is increasingly developing and occupies an important place in the overall tourism industry.

"The development of halal tourism is also present in our region, which, by improving tourism infrastructure, strong promotion and coordinated activities of employees of this industry, can be more significantly integrated into the flows of this market," said the Vice President Ljiljana Filipovic.

She also added that the projection is that by 2020, the value of the halal tourism market will be $200 billion. Bosnia Bank International said that the total value of the world halal market is $ 6.5 trillion, out of which 4.5 belongs to the financial sector.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development supports the introduction of halal standards, covering 50 percent of consultancy costs, with a maximum value of €8,000.

The fair will be held from 26 to 28 September at “Skenderija” and will bring together representatives of the halal industry from almost every continent, as well as multinational companies that are present in the global market with this type of products. Last year, the fair featured more than 10,000 visitors, 600 business participants, companies, public and private institutions, orgnizations, associations from more than 30 countries, as well as 91 exhibitors from 13 countries.

Text by Damira Kalac, on September 2nd, 2019, read more at Vijesti

The new owner of the hotel “Piva” in Pluzine, located on the shore of Piva Lake and the only facility of its kind in the municipality, Dragan Bogdanovic, said that if everything goes according to plan, the doors of the facility, which closed on August 1, 2011, will be reopened within two years.

Born in Piva, Bogdanovic lives and works in Belgrade and became the owner of the hotel in July.

"I bought the hotel, primarily for emotional reasons, because I grew up with it. I plan to renovate the facility as much as possible, to meet all the required standards and to be at an appropriate level," Bogdanovic told “Vijesti”.

He bought the hotel at a public auction for 200 thousand euros. The starting price of the sale was 152,000 euros, and, according to the government's Auction Commission, in addition to Bogdanovic, Veselin Ivanovic from Belgrade and Zeljko Bakrac from Pluzine also submitted applications.

 “I plan to expand the range of offerings, but first we should prepare everything and do it right. I have the support of the local government and I hope that in a year and a half or two, the hotel will be put into operation," Bogdanovic said.

Both the local government and the Nature Park Piva (NP) are pleased that the hotel has acquired a new owner.

 “I am sure that putting the hotel in operation will contribute to even faster and better development of tourism and tourist offer in the municipality of Pluzine. In addition to the importance of tourism development, it is not negligible to mention the job vacancies that this facility will generate. In any case, a critical moment for tourism in Piva”, said the director of NP "Piva”, Slobodan Delic.

The 550-square-meter hotel, with associated land totaling 1,451 square meters, was built in 1976. The property has a basement, ground floor, two floors and attic, restaurant and 44 accommodation units.

The Riviera Budva bought the hotel in 2012 for 300,000 euros and leased the property for one year.

Text by Svetlana Mandic, on September 4th 2019, read more at Vijesti

Guardians of Bukovica have been facing new problems in recent days - an attempt to persuade the public that someone is paying them to fight for their river.

This was told to “Vijesti” by Mihailo Bulatović, who told them that the goal of the river keepers is stronger than all the primitive attempts of those who want to destroy it.

"After our many years of legitimate fighting, guarding in front of machines, protests, sending complaints, we have come up with a new form of obstruction - they are trying to deceive us, so that at least someone relents and signs a capitulation. That will never happen, because the river is tied us to each other even more and we are determined to persist. It is ugly and primitive what has been going on in Savnik in recent days - the local authority is spreading the story that we have a secret financier who paid us to watch in front of the machines, 20 euros for those who stay by day and ten more for those who stayed by night. It is a disgusting lie that is being marketed by those who do nothing but out of their own interest, and therefore do not even realize that we are defending what represents a life for us," said Bulatovic.

He added that they had discovered where the story began:

"They allegedly did not pay the guard who was monitoring the machines and then when he complained, the story turned to fit them. Certainly, they have accomplished nothing except to remind us of who we are fighting against. Our patience is at an end and they have to take the machines away to know that the problem is resolved as we wish. Considering that they have violated all possible rules and procedures, from the issue of concessions to the start of preparatory works, we expect the Minister of Economy Dragica Sekulic to be with citizens, not individuals, because more than 90 percent of the local population is against construction. If they do not believe it, let them come and we will visit every household together, from house to house. However, whatever the solution may be, we will not give them the river," Bulatovic said.

For a month, until mid-June, the guards of Bukovica stayed in front of the machines of the consortium “Hydra MNE”, which, after the concession was awarded, began the construction of two small hydropower plants (SHPP).

The day watch was cancelled after being visited by the ministerial economies, which ordered all activities on the construction of the small hydroelectric power plant in Bukovica to be suspended until the Government's final decision and asked the citizens of Bukovica to stop the protests.

She came to Savnik only after Bukovica's guards announced the radicalization of the protests.

Prior to that, the municipality's first man, Mijomir Vujacic, refused to visit the river guardians, claiming that he is not going where the politics is.

Last weekend, citizens of Bukovica have been visited by Brussels-based parliamentarian and senior European Green official Thomas Waitz, who said from the river that it must be preserved and supported protests to save it.

The consortium “Hydra MNE”, which received concessions on Bukovica waters for 27 years, is owned by Jovan Gordijan and Milovan Maksimovic, cousin of Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic.

Text by Jelena Jovanovic, on September 4th, 2019, read more at Vijesti