The Government of Montenegro held a session during which it adopted the Plan for Preparing the Summer Tourist Season for this year.
According to the government’s statement, the plan outlines activities that institutions and municipalities, both directly and indirectly involved in the season’s preparation, will carry out before and during the tourist season. It also includes ongoing efforts aimed at improving conditions for better preparation and the smooth operation of the season.
The activities are focused on improving traffic and public infrastructure, enhancing the tourism and hospitality offer by opening new hotels and accommodation facilities, improving the quality of services in tourism and related sectors, and implementing measures to diversify the tourism products.
Special emphasis is placed on promoting Montenegro in key outbound markets from which tourist demand is expected. In order to reduce seasonality and position Montenegro as a year-round destination, a series of events and festivals are planned, especially in the pre- and post-season periods.
Additionally, the plan includes measures to reduce the grey economy, encourage employment of local workers and youth, improve air accessibility by introducing new flight routes, and increase the number of low-cost carriers operating between European cities and Montenegro, as well as the number of regular flights.
The government also adopted the Draft Law on the Credit Guarantee Fund of Montenegro, which will create the legal basis for establishing and launching the fund as an independent institution. Its goal is to improve access to financing, primarily for entrepreneurs, micro, small and medium enterprises, women business owners, and individuals engaged in registered economic activities, such as farmers, who face significant barriers to funding.
The initial capital of 10.6 million euros will be provided by the government. The fund is intended to stimulate and accelerate economic development, support local business activity, and assist those enterprises that currently face limited or difficult access to credit.
The mechanism will also activate a segment of the market with high-quality projects that are unable to secure external financing due to a lack of collateral, absence of credit history, or other reasons unrelated to the nature of the project itself.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development played an important role in establishing the fund by providing technical support. This support will enable the fund to start functioning more quickly and ensure it operates efficiently and effectively under strong governance and oversight.
The fund will provide a long-term platform for cooperation with other international financial institutions, potentially securing additional resources for economic recovery and growth. These goals align with the EBRD’s strategy and its ongoing engagement in Montenegro, particularly in boosting the competitiveness and resilience of the economy. Establishing the fund as an independent and non-profit institution will also improve its ability to attract additional capital through grants from international partners.
The government also adopted information related to the implementation of the concession agreement for the exploitation of red bauxite ore from the Zagrad, Đurakov Do, Štitovo II, and Biočki Stan deposits in the municipality of Nikšić, originally signed on September 30, 2015. It approved Annex 6 of the contract.
The concession holder, Onico from Warsaw, as the assignor, and the Nikšić-based companies Uniprom and Uniprom-Metali, as the recipients, along with the Ministry of Economy as the grantor, signed an agreement transferring the concession for red bauxite ore exploitation. Since the ore reserves at Zagrad are depleted, but there are remaining associated mineral resources (specifically, construction stone), Uniprom-Metali last year submitted a request for a concession to exploit the construction stone within the same site and timeframe defined in the original concession.
Granting this concession would retain existing jobs, allow the use of associated mineral resources, and ensure payment of concession fees and taxes. A commission evaluated the initiative and recommended it for approval, which was subsequently accepted by the Commission for Concessions of Montenegro. The concession for construction stone exploitation within the existing area was approved without a public bidding process.
The government also reviewed a report on the work of the Coordinating Body for Harmonizing and Monitoring Inspections. During the reporting period, in January and February, the inspections monitored by this body conducted a total of 11,710 inspections.
Of these, 8,360 were regular inspections, 957 were based on specific initiatives, and 1,250 were follow-up inspections to verify compliance with previous corrective orders.
There was an increase in inspection activities in February compared to January, including all types of inspections.
The total value of fines issued via misdemeanor orders during the reporting period was 930,130 euros. It is important to note that there was an increase in the number of fines in February, amounting to 128,290 euros more than in January.
A total of 108 requests for initiating misdemeanor proceedings were submitted to the competent courts.
Regarding the Action Plan for intensified inspections during the summer tourist season, implementation is planned in six municipalities — Ulcinj, Bar, Budva, Kotor, Tivat, and Herceg Novi — in four shifts of 15 days each, starting from June 29 to August 31.
