30 December 2018 - "The Western Balkans need to become part of the European Union (EU) as soon as possible, and we will remain committed to providing support to our partners in the region," said Romanian foreign affairs minister Teodor Melescanu.

This is especially important due to the fact Romania is to take over presidency over the Council of the EU as of 1 January, and Melescanu stressed that it would be essential for Montenegro to open all negotiation chapters to come closer to the European community.

“Romania will continue with encouraging the enlargement process by using all the forthcoming key moments for further promotion of the EU involvement in the region, as well as commitment of our partners to reforms and demographic transformations. We will keep stressing the importance of joint support to the Western Balkans in order to be able to respond to the requirements of the accession process,” concluded Melescanu.

They have been, Melescanu said, fully aware of the fact Montenegro needs to open all negotiation chapters while at the same time being focused on the internal preps, which enable closing of some chapters.

Back in July 2018, representatives of the Government of Montenegro hosted the Prime Minister of Romania, Vasilica Viorica Dăncilă, who paid an official visit to Montenegro.

"We particularly appreciate the visit of Prime Minister Dăncilă ahead of Romania's first presidency of the EU Council next year, in the first half of 2019. At the same time, we want to congratulate you in advance and wish Romania success during the presidency and thank you for the fact that Montenegro and the Western Balkans are already high on their agenda," the Prime Minister of Montenegro said during this occasion.

Dăncilă said that she had very constructive discussions with Prime Minister Marković and emphasised that in the future, the two countries will pay more attention to sectoral cooperation and cooperation in the field of energy, education, culture, and tourism, as well as cooperation in the field of investments.

"We decided to organise an economic forum together to present one of the first steps in promoting cooperation between the two countries," Romanian Prime Minister Vasilica Viorica Dăncilă concluded.

28 December 2018 - The Government of Montenegro adopted the Proposal Amendments to the Law on the Use of the Units of the Armed Forces of Montenegro in the international forces and the participation of the members of the civil protection, police and state administration authorities in the peacekeeping missions and other activities abroad. The proposed amendments stipulate that the involvement of the members of Armed Forces of Montenegro in the missions, responses to crisis and missions within the humanitarian operations be mandatory.

Up until now, the principle of volunteerism has been applied in the participation in missions.

The first step for a specific Armed Forces member to be sent to an international mission is an application in relations to the announcement of the Ministry of Defence, as explained by the representatives of the Ministry. If a person does not apply for the announcement, they cannot be assigned to a task, regardless of the need to send the unit to the task. “The reason why the Army cannot send a certain unit to the NATO mission can be that the unit lacks a couple of members, which can bring its occupancy into question and, consequently, the ability to fulfil the deferred task”.

This is the reason why the procedure for the amendment to the existing law has been initiated. “The amendments will create the possibility that a whole unit can be sent into a mission, provided that all the members had previously been trained for the joint fulfilment of the task,” said the representatives of the Ministry.

The Proposal Law on the Amendments to this law also defines that a member of the Armed Forces, operation protection unit, or any member of the unit in charge, will have right to seek compensation of the damage caused in case they get injured or wounded during the participation in the mission or training session.

If Montenegro sends two officers in Iraq in the second half of 2019, that will be the fourth participation of Montenegro into the NATO peacekeeping missions, aside from those where the country participates under the auspices of the EU. Montenegro sent its first troupes to the international peacekeeping mission ISAF in Afghanistan in 2010.

Source: CDM

27 December 2018 - Prime Minister Duško Marković called on business people to work together with the Government to suppress the grey economy he considers the key deficit of Montenegro's economy.

"The grey economy is devastating not only for the economic environment and business operations of your companies, but also for the consciousness of our people. We need to show that the moonlighting is unethical, unreasonable and punishable by the law," said the Prime Minister.

"We need to introduce a state of emergency in the administration to tackle weaknesses," the Prime Minister noted, adding that he does not allow excuses for shared competences and that in 2019 the Government will be focused on addressing this kind of challenge.

The Prime Minister said that each of Government's policies must take into account the people who work for the country, that is, an individual, an employee, a worker. Given the fact that many data have been presented at the meeting, the Prime Minister added that such a political situation, such a course of reforms and this result contributed to the growth of company's profit. "I would like part of that profit to be redirected to the standard of employees in companies. If we managed to register this in the six months of the following year as a new approach, I tell you this would become a real story ... to finally begin to reduce the tax burden on labour. There is no justification that it is now at the level of 67%. No business plan can justify such high burden rates. This Government speaks openly; we are the people who recognise weaknesses. But we are also the people who are obligated before the Constitution and before the law to respond to these weaknesses," Prime Minister Duško Marković pointed out.

Speaking about projections for the next year, the Prime Minister said he appreciates the conservative projections of the Ministry of Finance for 2019 of 2.8%, but that he expects much more.

"If I knew it would be 2.8% in 2019, I would resign today. I respect the projection, but I am not interested in it! I want higher growth! The growth could be at the level of 4.1%, not 2.8%. That should be our task. We respect estimates, but we need to achieve more. Because of you, your employees, we have to do this because of the citizens of Montenegro, because of our future and our economy. There is no overall progress unless we have a developed economy and long-term sustainable growth," Prime Minister Duško Marković highlighted.

He thanked the business people for their partnership, understanding and solidarity in working together with the Government to overcome the challenges, limitations and deficits, and said that in the next year, the Government will remains a partner of the Chamber of Commerce.

December 23, 2018 - Kotor Mayor Vladimir Jokić called on the Constitutional Court to urgently make a decision on the proposal to review the constitutionality and legality of the Detailed Urban Plan (DUP) of Kostanjica, whose implementation in Kotor and Montenegro would inflict irreparable damage. He announced it on Friday at the press conference he convened on this occasion.

On Monday, he submitted to the Constitutional Court a proposal to review the constitutionality and legality of DUP Kostanjica, explaining that this proposal was the result of the work of the legal team of the Municipality of Kotor.

"Kostanjica area is one of the most sensitive parts of the protected area of Kotor and has so far been recognized as a part of the area that is over constructed. This space was mentioned for the first time In its decisions, the UNESCO Committee mentioned this area for the first time in 2014. In 2016 UNESCO treated Kostanjica as a part of the entire protected area, and in 2018, at the last UNESCO Committee Session, it was underlined that every construction on the site which is under the protection of UNESCO should be prevented," explained Jokić.

He said that since the establishment of the new administration in Kotor there is a request for the issuance of eight building permits based on the DUP Kostanjica.

"These eight building permits refer to over 30 residential and auxiliary facilities, totalling over ten thousand square meters," Jokić said.

According to him, such construction would lead to Kotor losing status on the UNESCO list.

"Such construction would have caused the Kostanjica space to be permanently and irretrievably devastated. Such construction would lead to Montenegro and Montenegrin society knowingly and deliberately screening themselves out of the line of civilized peoples," said Jokić.

He reminded that the government, in April last year, introduced a moratorium on construction in a protected area of Kotor.

"However, since the requests for these permits are submitted before this Decision was passed in accordance with the law, all legal provisions have been argued in support of the need to comply with these requirements, that building permits must be issued," Jokić said .

Jokic, from April until today, addressed the Montenegrin Government, the Montenegrin President, ministries, citing that, in addition to the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, which on several occasions replied that Kotor must act in accordance with the law, and the responses of the Secretary General of the National Commission for UNESCO, "we have received no response from any institution we have addressed."

"Representatives of the Kotor Municipality, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism met on several occasions in July, and this resulted in an agreement to form an interest group of these three institutions, where lawyers engaged by the three institutions will try to find a way that the issue of eight building permits is overcome. This team met once in August and until today did not manage to have any results," said Jokić.

He pointed out that the Municipality of Kotor, for the time being, tried to find a way to deal with this problem, "regardless all kind of pressure we are facing to issue these building permits."

He said that the three reasons why he believed DUP Kostanjica was illegal and unconstitutional.

"The first reason is that in 2009, when deciding on the amendments to the DUP Kostanjica, the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning, headed by Minister Branimir Gvozdenović, was obliged to consent to the local authority that the plan is adopted in accordance with the plan of the higher order, "said Jokić. He said that Gvozdenović did not give such consent on that occasion, but consent to the procedure being conducted in accordance with the law.

"He avoided that kind of consent, which was a legally binding element for adopting such a plan document," Jokić pointed out.

Jokić also pointed to the adoption of the Decision on the adoption of the DUP in 2009, which was passed as a modification of the 1991 decision, clarifying that by this same 2009 decision the decision from 1991 was taken out of force.

"So we have a paradoxical situation - the amendments to the basic act cease to apply this act. This means that no new act could have been valid either, "Jokić said.

He said that in 2013, the Assembly of the Municipality of Kotor, at its meeting in December, adopted the Decision on Changes of the Decision on the DUP in Kostanjica.

"These changes adopted by the Assembly extend the validity of the DUP Kostanjica to the adoption of a new planning document. On that occasion, the legal procedure for amending the law was strictly formalized," says Jokić.

He pointed out that the previous practice of the Constitutional Court, in the same cases, on the same occasion "resulted in such decisions being declared unlawful and unconstitutional."

"By acting in our opinion on the unconstitutional and unlawful detailed urban plan of Kostanjica, we would inflict irreparable damage to Kotor. Ultimately, it would inflict irreparable damage to the reputation of Montenegro in the international scene and the status of Montenegro in UNESCO and other United Nations agencies, "said Jokić.

He said that preserving Kotor on UNESCO lists issues of public interest. "It is not Kotor as a member of UNESCO, but Montenegro is a member of UNESCO," Jokić said.

He called on the Constitutional Court, noting that he did not intend to interfere in any way with its final decision, to take a proposal to review the constitutionality and legality of the DUP Kostanjica in the priority considerations.

22 December2018 - Montenegro is a source of peace and stability in the region, and partnership and friendship with the United States is permanent and value-based, Prime Minister Duško Marković's meeting with newly-appointed United States ambassador Judy Rising Reinke stressed.

"Our extraordinary bilateral relations, confirmed many times so far through significant events for both countries, can now be enriched by strong economic cooperation," said PM Marković, highlighting that Montenegro is now a free, democratic state, a NATO member and a stable country progressing on the path of EU accession.

The Prime Minister said that Montenegro has been implementing a strong economic agenda, experiencing intensive development and achieving economic growth, which is among the highest in Europe.

Noting that he sees a commitment to building and strengthening institutions, Ambassador Reinke said that she wants to dedicate her mandate to strengthening partnership within NATO, but also to enhancing economic cooperation, especially in the area of entrepreneurship and SMEs.

"Montenegro is a destination in which it is safe to invest and which can provide profit to the investor, but also better living standards for our citizens," Prime Minister Marković stated. 

Both sides agreed that it is important to further improve the environment for entrepreneurship and investment, including the legislative system, to ensure full competitiveness and equal opportunities for all.

The Prime Minister pointed out that Montenegro is finalising the development of the Smart Specialisation Strategy to best recognise and exploit its potentials, and that in the coming period, strong incentives will be given to medium and small enterprises, entrepreneurs and startup companies.

Pointing out the Government's commitment to the balanced development of the country, the Prime Minister praised the United States Embassy's "Peace Corps" programme, which envisages the arrival of a group of American volunteers who will teach English to children from primary and secondary schools, mainly in the north of the country.

19 December 2018 - The NATO Council held its third session, chaired by the President of the Council, Prime Minister Duško Marković. The NATO Council reviewed several documents and noted that Montenegro, by its approach and quality and timely fulfillment of obligations within the Alliance, confirmed that it is a credible and reliable ally which is recognized by all NATO Member States. 

In the context of the consideration of the implementation of Montenegro's Political Priorities in NATO in 2018, the Council noted that the successful profiling of Montenegro in the Alliance is important for the process of Montenegro's accession to the European Union. 

The NATO Council considered the Report on the Annual Chairmanship of Montenegro by the US-Adriatic Charter (A5). It was concluded that through the organization of 17 meetings at the high and working level, Montenegro, in this way, proved to be a responsible ally that is ready to contribute to NATO policies, the stability of the region and promotion of Euro-Atlantic values in the Western Balkans. 

The Report on the Implementation of the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Communication Strategy "Montenegro NATO member 2018-2020", as well as the 2019 Draft Action Plan, were reviewed and noted that Strategy is successfully implemented and that the activities envisaged for the next year corresponds entirely with the basic objectives of the document. 

The NATO Council also considered the Report on the Implementation of the Action Plan for strengthening the national system of crisis response. It was pointed out the need for an improved normative framework with the aim of defining and positioning a particular national crisis management center.

Back in October, it was noted by the NATO representatives that NATO membership sends a clear message to the world that a member state is safe and is heading towards progress. As the NATO’s latest member state, Montenegro proves this as it has managed to double the foreign direct investments (FDI) after joining the Alliance.

18 December 2018 - The representatives of the United Kingdom and Montenegro have announced that the two countries have signed bilateral agreements that will allow uninterrupted air traffic after Brexit.

UK Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said the open skies deal would ensure the country remained a leading global aviation hub once it has left the European Union. "These agreements will ensure Britain continues to prosper as we leave the EU and I’m confident the UK will reach a mutually beneficial deal, while we continue to prepare for all eventualities," Grayling said in a statement.

The Government in London pointed out that the goal was to replace the current framework under EU regulations.

The United Kingdom has also reached agreements in this area with Kosovo, Albania, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Morocco, Switzerland, and the United States, but deals with other countries from the former Yugoslavia have yet to be concluded.

The European Regions Airline Association (ERA) said December 4 that it had written to the European Commission, urging it to “reach a solution as soon as possible that will allow airlines to continue operating as they do today” after Brexit. The ERA warned of “disastrous consequences for the aviation industry” if the UK and EU are unable to finalize a withdrawal agreement ahead of the UK’s planned departure from the bloc.

Separately, the European Commission has confirmed that UK citizens will have to pay to secure pre-travel authorization to visit EU countries after Brexit. Whereas now UK passport-holders can travel freely within the EU, in a post-Brexit world they will have to pay for approval under the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS).

The UK is due to formally leave the European Union on March 30, 2019.

Source: Air Transport World Online

17 December 2018 - Prime Minister Marković stressed that the ambition of Montenegro is to open soon the remaining negotiating chapter, Chapter 8 - Competition, and that the country worked diligently and provided the internal readiness to close several chapters.

PM Marković informed Commissioner Hahn about the political situation in Montenegro. The two officials also exchanged opinions on developments in the region.