Montenegro’s Appellate Court upheld on 16 September an earlier Commercial Court judgment requiring Kolašin municipality to pay planning company Montplan approximately 152,022 euros, with statutory interest continuing to accrue. The ruling leaves the municipality facing a liability that may grow, while its eventual financial exposure depends on the outcome of its proposed Supreme Court challenge and the final calculation of amounts payable.
The courts awarded Montplan approximately 65,789 euros in principal debt, 53,673 euros in calculated interest and 32,560 euros in legal costs. The interest and legal costs together exceed the principal amount. The judgment also provides for additional statutory interest, which continues to accrue and may increase the final sum due.
The dispute concerns urban-planning and related services performed almost two decades ago for Kolašin’s general urban plan and detailed planning documents. Initial contractual arrangements were concluded in 2007, and the scope of the services changed after those arrangements were made.
Kolašin municipality argued that it had already settled its agreed obligations and disputed whether certain additional services had been properly commissioned. The courts found that Montplan had performed the services for the municipality and that the local authority had used the resulting planning documentation. The existing judgment has not been overturned by the municipality’s stated intention to seek review.
Municipal secretary Vuk Vuković said the municipality intends to ask Montenegro’s Supreme Court to review the case. The proposed action does not itself alter the Appellate Court ruling; the municipality’s ultimate financial exposure will depend on the challenge and the final calculation of the amounts payable.
The case concerns planning work carried out under contracts whose scope later changed, and unresolved claims that have remained in litigation. The calculated interest and legal costs have already exceeded the principal debt, showing how such disputes can add costs beyond the original obligation. Kolašin has experienced significant tourism-related construction activity, making transparent planning contracts and reliable municipal payment procedures relevant to investor confidence. The judgment’s continuing interest and the pending Supreme Court review remain the key factors affecting the final liability.
