03 April 2019 -Montenegro is due to sign the regional roaming agreement with the countries of the Western Balkans in Belgrade, on April 4, which stipulates that the roaming charges in the region will be considerably reduced. By July 1, 2021, the price of a call in the area should cost as much as the price of a local call.

Montenegrin Minister of Economy, Dragica Sekulić, which will sign this agreement on behalf of the country, explains that the agreement, concluded under the auspices of the Western Balkans Digital Agenda, makes it mandatory for the signees not to exceed the upper limit of retail and wholesale prices of roaming services.

As explained within the agreement on roaming charges, mobile telephony operators in the region should reduce the prices of roaming to enable consumers to use electronic communications services outside the reach of their network, without paying steep fees.

The Ministry of Economy announced that the agreement would be signed by the representatives of the Republic of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, the Republic of Kosovo, the Republic of Northern Macedonia and the Republic of Serbia.

The Second Digital Summit will be opened by Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, Mariya Gabriel, and Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union, Houlin Zhao.

During the Digital Summit, Government of Montenegro and the Government of the Republic of Serbia will also sign an Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Electronic Identification and Authentication provided in Montenegro and Mutual Recognition of Qualified Trust Services provided in the Republic of Serbia.

This year’s summit will gather about 3,000 participants from 30 countries from Western Balkans, Europe, and the world.

03 April 2019 - The conclusion of the Panel discussion “Employ Local” is that recruiting domestic labour is beneficial to everyone - workers, employers and the state. This public campaign launched just before the tourist season, was organized by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and the Employment Service of Montenegro. The assembly, whose aim is to hire unemployed people from Montenegro during the summer, was opened by the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Kemal Purišić.

During the panel discussion, it was estimated that all individuals should be socially responsible and give their contribution to the community and the country they live in. Labour and Social Welfare Minister Kemal Purišić said that one of the key priorities in the work of the Government of Montenegro was to achieve more dynamic economic growth and development as a prerequisite for raising the standard of living of citizens.

“In the previous period, the Government has worked hard in order to create the conditions for job creation and efficient functioning of the labour market, with the increase of the workforce and overall employment, especially in the private sector. Reduction of unemployment was one of the main priorities, with the aim of achieving better economic growth and strengthening the competitiveness of domestic economy,” Purišić said.

The Minister highlighted that workforce should be made more competitive before Montenegro joins the European Union, because later on, by the liberalization of the labour market, human resources will try to go to EU countries, where income and working conditions are at a higher level.

According to the conclusions of the panel discussion, Montenegro reduces the number of unemployed persons year after year. To meet the summer tourist season, the demand for seasonal workers has already begun.

Director of Employment Service, Suljo Mustafić, said that according to estimates of the Employment Bureau, this summer will require about 20,000 seasonal workers on the coast.

“That's an opportunity for appeal to both the unemployed and employers. We appeal to the unemployed to take this chance and apply for seasonal work and we ask the employers to have faith in domestic workers, because there are really many reasons for that. Greater job engagement of the domestic labour force in the season contributes to the inflow of funds into the budget, which we all consider to be very important, "Mustafić said.

Through the Bureau, until now, nearly 10,000 people have been employed during the summer. The ambition of this institution is that this number gets to about 11,000 this year.

"I believe that we will respond to this challenge despite the scarcity of offerings of tourism and hospitality services professionals. In order to be more successful in dealing with this problem, Montenegro should introduce the category of permanent seas, following the practice of developed countries. That kind of support for seasonal workers would make it possible for them to be tied to employers throughout the year, which would be a powerful stimulus to remain in Montenegro,” the director of the Bureau said.

State Secretary at the Ministry of Internal Affairs Dragan Pejanović, who also spoke during the panel discussion, believes that it is important to raise the level of employers' confidence in the skills and knowledge of the domestic workforce and that interest in seasonal work will also be increased.

"What makes a destination on the world travel map special - is the service. In that sense, our goal is to hire high quality workforce each year. However, our vision is to increase the number of domestic workers in this area from year to year,” said Brajović, Director General of the Directorate for Development of Tourism Competitiveness.

During the panel conference, a constructive dialogue was attended by representatives of the Montenegrin Chamber of Economy, the Union of Employers, the Tax Administration, the Inspection Directorate, the Centre for Professional Education, the Montenegrin Tourist Association, the Association of Tourism and Hospitality Board, UCG Student Union and representatives of employers from coastal municipalities in Montenegro.

02 April 2019 - Montenegrin Finance Minister Darko Radunović and analysts from Moody's Credit Agency, Heiko Peters and Hannah J.V. Dimpker, who currently reside in Podgorica for the regular annual visit of the Agency, held a formal meeting on April 2 to discuss economic, fiscal and financial conditions in Montenegro.

Minister Radunović informed the Moody’s analysts about the results in 2018 and emphasized that the beginning of 2019 already looks promising, considering that the figures for January and February show that budget revenues were 18.5% higher than in the same period last year and 6.3% higher when compared to the planned revenues for this period.

Also, the Finance Minister reminded the present parties that Montenegro is currently in its third year of fiscal consolidation and that the measures have already given significant results.

"2019 is an important year for Montenegro because of the work on structural reforms, but also because this year will show a downturn concerning public debt, "the Minister said and added that a healthy investment cycle in energy, tourism, transport, and infrastructure was launched in Montenegro.

Representatives of Moody's Credit Agency have met with representatives of the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of Montenegro, the banking sector and international organizations in a two-day visit to Montenegro to collect data based on which they will assess the credit rating of the state.

According to the assessment of the Agency, Montenegrin credit rating would likely be upgraded if there would be full or close to full implementation of the government's consolidations measures showing up in improving government's debt metrics placing the government's debt trajectory on a sustainable downward path in combination with Moody's heightened confidence that the highway-related fiscal risks are contained.

Also, a credit positive would be the completion of a majority of the EU's acquis communautaire, which would support progress towards EU accession. Equally, a reduction in contingent liabilities, stemming from a combination of materially lower government guarantees and lower risks posed by banks and SOEs, would also be credit positive.

02 April 2019 - Montenegro is significantly ahead of other countries that aspire to become EU member states, it was estimated during the visit of Montenegrin delegation to Berlin, and noted that the continuation of high-quality implementation of reforms, with the support of European partners, especially Germany, would lead to further progress in the field rule of law. 

Montenegrin delegation, led by Chief Negotiator Aleksandar Drljević, was consisted of Negotiator for chapters 23 and 24 Marijana Laković, Chief Prosecutor Milivoje Katnić, Assistant Director of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption Savo Milašinović, and Assistant Director of the Police Directorate for Criminal Police Sector Enis Baković. During their visit to Berlin, they presented the latest results in the fight against corruption and organized crime, which show that Montenegro is ready for the new phase of the negotiation process. 

Delegation members held meetings with Head of the Division for Foreign Policy, Security Policy and Global Issues in the Office of the Federal Chancellor, Head of the Division for Serious and Organized Crime at the Federal Ministry of the Interior Joachim Bertele, Advisor of Chancellor on European Affairs Franz Neueder, Head of the Division on Serious and Organized Crime at the Federal Ministry of the Interior Sven Berger, as well as Special Representative for Southeastern Europe, Turkey and the EFTA countries at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs Christian Helbach. They also spoke with Head of the Division for Human Rights, International Law, and Principles of the EU Almut Wittling-Vogel and Deputy Head of the Division for Europe at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs Thomas Osowski. 

State authorities show determination to direct all available resources to achieve convincing results in areas of importance. We expect all EU members to recognise the latest results of the Special State Prosecutor's Office, the Police Directorate and the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption in the field of combating corruption and organized crime, and that we will soon receive a Report on the fulfillment of interim benchmarks in chapters 23 and 24 and then the final benchmarks, representatives of Montenegrin delegation said. 

It was noted that Montenegro had made significant progress in the fight against organized crime, especially highlighting the results achieved in cooperation with the EU and regional countries, as well as the international cooperation of Montenegrin police with EUROPOL and INTERPOL. 

Both sides assessed that significant progress was made in the area of the rule of law, and that additional efforts should be invested in areas where progress has not been sufficiently achieved, to achieve EU standards and a better quality of life.

30 March 2019 - The winter tourist season 2018/2019 in Montenegro officially ends March 31, and the Director of the Ski Resorts of Montenegro Miloš Popović assessed that the season was successful, even slightly better than last year's.

"The winter season began in mid-December, and it ends today. There are six ski resorts in Montenegro: Kolašin, Savin Kuk, Javorovača, Vučje, Štuoc, and Hajla. According to the management of the Ski Centre Kolašin 1600, which was opened later than planned because of the installation of the cable car, 4.000 ski passes were sold during 45 days of the season, while 13,000 ski passes were sold in Durmitor during 109 days of the season. In regards to the amount of snow on the trails, this season was very successful, one of the best in the last six years. Actually, this season is even a couple of per cent better than the previous one that was ruled the most successful in the last few years," the Director of the Ski Resort of Montenegro emphasized.

Popović announced additional works during the summer and new contents in the following winter tourist season in Kolašin and other ski centres.

"This is just the beginning of the development of this ski centre. The progress is evidenced by the fact that a tender procedure has already been launched for the new six-seater cable car, which will connect the ski centres Kolašin 1600 and Kolašin 1450. Furthermore, we will prepare about 9 km of ski trails alongside. In addition to the existing cable car, another 6 km of ski trails will be prepared, and when everything is linked, in the next year, we will have 45 km of ski trails," Popović said.

The Director of the Ski Resort of Montenegro explained that a contract has already been signed for the construction of a new cable car at Bjelasica – ski resort Žarski. The value of the contract is 9 million EUR. The contract for the construction of a base station in Mojkovac worth 1.5 million EUR has also been concluded in the previous period.

"A contract for the construction of a six-seater cable car worth 9 million EUR was signed. The plans will include 3.5 km of ski trails at the ski resort Cmiljača in Bijelo Polje. In the coming period, we will make a public call for the base station at that location worth 1.8 million EUR," Popović stressed. He added that the tender procedure for the six-seater cable car at the ski centre Štedim and Hajla in Rožaje has also been launched. "We will also create a tender for the construction of a base station worth 1.5 million EUR. The contract for the construction of a six-seater cable car in Žabljak worth 9 million EUR with 4.5 km of ski trails was concluded. In Žabljak, we will prepare an additional 1.8 km of ski trails. We will soon launch tender procedure for the first phase of snowmaking worth 1.3 million EUR," the Director of the Ski Resort of Montenegro noted, adding that at least 7 million EUR will be invested in each ski centre.

Director of the Public Works Directorate Rešad Nuhodžić said that the Government of Montenegro will allocate 100 million EUR through the capital budget for the projects that are yet to be implemented.

March 31, 2019 - The Social Democratic Party initiated the dismissal of the President of the Kotor Municipality, Vladimir Jokić, supported by the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), the Social Democrats (SD) and the Croatian Civic Initiative (HGI). SDP, among other things, claims that the Municipal President abused his authority and usurped the ingeniousness of the Kotor Municipal Assembly. About the political crisis in Kotor and the initiative for his dismissal, and about the Port of Kotor, the status of Kotor on the UNESCO list and the issuance of the key document for the area – Spatial Urban Plan of Kotor municipality, we spoke with Mayor Vladimir Jokić.

• Your dismissal petitioners claim that you are abusing your powers and usurping the inherencies of the Municipality Assembly.  They accuse you of partitioning and making decisions that will cause long-term damage to Kotor. How do you comment?

• The SDP calls that you, embezzling the ingeniousness of the Assembly, made up to 14 illegal decisions.

• The SDP argues that decisions are affecting the city's long-term damage. In a statement from 25 March, asking for your dismissal, the municipal committee of the party stressed that "it must stop self-determination in making vital decisions for the city that is damaging the durable goods of citizens and introducing the city into lawlessness." What are the decisions?

• The fact is that one of the issues raised by the Kotor crisis is the question of the Port of Kotor. The first stumbling block was the election of the board of directors of this company in May last year.

• On the occasion of the Concession Agreement, the Government of Montenegro concluded with the Port of Kotor, and they are discussing the investment plans for port infrastructure publicly, which critics claim will further jeopardise the natural and cultural heritage of Boka Bay. The business plan is an integral part of the concession agreement, which you have supported at the extraordinary assembly of shareholders of the Port of Kotor, convened on this occasion for performing a single act without consultation with coalition partners.

• Political disagreements over the concession over the Operational Coast of Kotor in the public space have opened discussions on topics such as the carrying capacity of the destination, the ecological effects of capacity building of the Port of Kotor, but also the orientation of tourism development of the city, today the primary target for excursions. Are citizens scared because the development plan of Port of Kotor will further increase the pressure on the city and the way of life of citizens?

• Kotor is on the move to finally get the Urban Spatial Plan, whose overturning backdrop for years has been an argument for numerous devastations of the cultural landscape of the protected area of Kotor. The Urban Spatial Plan is undoubtedly a primary development document, but it should also be a guarantee of preserving the natural and cultural values of the space that has been significantly compromised in recent decades. Will this document incorporate in detail the requirements set out in the UNESCO / ICOMOS Joint Reactive Mission Report?

26 March 2019 - Minister of Defence Predrag Bošković paid an official visit to the State of Maine, where he met with Governor Janet Millsand National Guard Commander Major General Douglas Farnham. 

At the meeting with Governor Mills, Minister Bošković emphasised the importance of Montenegro's full membership in the Alliance, and outlined the role that Montenegro has in ensuring lasting peace and stability in the Western Balkans.

He pointed to the importance of comprehensive bilateral relations between Montenegro and the United States, with the view that one of the crowns of these relations is precisely the State Partnership Program – SPP between Montenegro and the State of Maine, which is based on many compatibilities of Montenegro with this US federal state.

Boškovic also stressed that the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces of Montenegro are particularly satisfied with the intensity of defence cooperation that should be strengthened alongside the development of relations in other areas of the state partnership. 

Governor Mills praised the overall progress of Montenegro that resulted in NATO membership and expressed satisfaction with the high-quality the State Partnership Program. She pointed out that the State of Maine is open to establishing more significant cooperation with Montenegro, especially in areas such as tourism, economy and education.

At the meeting with Commander Farnham, Minister Bošković stressed the high-quality bilateral defence cooperation, emphasizing that the United States represents the main ally and strategic partner to Montenegro in the area of development of defence capabilities. 

He said that the long-standing partnership between the Armed Forces of Montenegro and the National Guard of Maine within the mentioned State Partnership Program not only actively links these two structures but also gives particularly evident results in terms of improving the existing capacities of the Montenegrin armed forces.

The Minister expressed the gratitude for the support of the National Guard of Maine in strengthening the interoperability and readiness of the Armed Forces of Montenegro for participation in international peacekeeping missions, as well as helping to fulfill the conditions for full membership in NATO. Furthermore, Bošković pointed to the continuous improvement of bilateral defence cooperation, especially in the areas of cyber defense, human resources development, and joint exercises and training. 

General Farnem pointed out that the National Guard of the State of Maine will continue to strongly support the Armed Forces of Montenegro in fulfilling capability goals, and expressed the expectation that the defence cooperation of the two countries will be continued for mutual benefit. He said he was pleased that the SPP has directly influenced the development of the armed forces of both countries.