Questions to Prime Minister Session: Excellent results in our economy are not result of circumstances, but hard work

Podgorica, Montenegro (25 October 2017) -- Prime Minister Duško Marković said today in the Parliament that big money is invested in the Northern Region in order to raise the competitiveness and standard of citizens in this area, that the excellent economic results of Montenegro are not the result of the circumstances, but the hard work of the Government, and for now, there are no conditions for the additional part of the tax to be given to municipalities.

“In addition to dynamic activities on the construction of the first section of the motorway worth over EUR 800 million, which opens new horizons for the development of the whole of Montenegro, in parallel, in the Northern region, a number of infrastructure projects of importance for the further development and perspective of that part of the country are being implemented,” the Prime Minister said today.

Miodrag Radunović, on behalf of the Caucus of the Democratic Party of Socialists, asked Prime Minister Marković about the current status of the project “Bjelasica and Komovi”. In response to this question, the Prime Minister specified that the construction of the road from Berane to Kolašin via Lubnica is in progress, adding that this road will connect the area, in which seven winter centres is being developed, with the motorway.

“Directorate of Public Works has made investment elaborates that define the projects that need to be implemented for the successful development of three ski centres, namely: Kolašin 1600, Cmiljača and Žarski. The plan is to spend about EUR 60 million for their development by 2020. During 2017, a total of about EUR 1.5 million was paid for these three resorts (ski-centre Kolašin 1600 – EUR 370,000; ski-centre Cmiljača, Bijelo Polje – EUR 500,000 and ski-centre Žarski, Mojkovac – EUR 630,000). Additionally, the works for which we are waiting for invoicing in the total amount of around EUR 5 million are carried out (For ski-centre Kolašin 1600 – EUR 4.7 million; for ski-centre Cmiljača, Bijelo Polje – EUR 100,000; and for ski-centre Žarski, Mojkovac – EUR 200,000),” the Prime Minister noted.

Prime Minister Duško Marković said that the contracts worth about EUR 16 million were concluded for the project “Kolašin 1600” since 2014.

Answer to the Democratic Front

Andrija Mandić, on behalf of the Caucus of the Democratic Front, asked the Prime Minister whether the “risk assessment for the overall security of the country“ was done “due to the state terror carried out by Montenegrin authorities over the Democratic Front.”

Prime Minister Duško Marković said that “the alleged state terror that the Montenegrin authorities are doing over the Democratic Front, as you have pointed out, could not have been a trigger for such a security assessment. Of course, there was no such risk, for the simple reason that the Montenegrin authorities do not commit any terror over anyone in this country, nor even over the Democratic Front. The only terror that we all together were witnesses and eyewitnesses to is the terror that the Democratic Front conducted for several months over the citizens of Montenegro and the Montenegrin public, and which culminated on the eve of parliamentary elections, just over a year ago. Then your terror seriously threatened to grow into terrorism. But Montenegro, the state of law, reacted then in an efficient way and prevented the chaos in our streets.”

The Prime Minister said in his answer that MP Andrija Mandić and his counterparts from the Democratic Frond and other opposition structures turn around for years in the same vicious circle of lump-sum and non-argued charges at the expense of the Democratic Party of Socialists, with no power, knowledge and ability to offer citizens better programme.

“And then you are permanently angry with the citizens, who in each election cycle choose the one they trust more and with whom they know where they are. No one reasonable and dedicated to the welfare of his family will not choose the uncertainty and chaos that you offer,” the Prime Mister emphasised, concluding that the trial process against Mandić is in progress and before the face of the entire public, so it is necessary to patiently wait for the epilogue.

“Whatever it is, I am convinced that it will show that Montenegro is a state of the rule of law and that everyone is equal before the law,” Prime Minister Marković concluded.

Answer to the Coalition of BP, Forca, DUA, AA and CCI

Genci Nimanbegu, on behalf of the Caucus of the Bosniak Party, coalition “Shqiptaret te vendosur – Albanians Decisively” – Forca, DUA, AA and Croatian Civil Initiative, asked the Prime Minister whether the tax system is sustainable and whether the Government is considering the possibility to transfer a part of tax revenues to the municipalities.

Answering to this question, the Prime Minister reiterated the details of the Plan for remediation of the budget deficit, saying that the Government aims to develop a system of financing local governments based on the principles of fairness, economy and efficiency, and depending on the functions of local self-government.

Prime Minister Marković noted that units of local self-government are financed from its own and assigned revenues, and partly from the Equalisation Fund, thus making equalisation in the realisation of revenues between municipalities.

“In the parliamentary question, you asked me if we are considering transferring to the municipalities of part of the income which the state derives from consumption tax that is, the value added tax and excise tax. The answer would be that this model is not applicable, because it would not be possible to establish fairness in the distribution of revenues between the local self-government units,” the Prime Minister stressed.

Answer to the SD-LP

Andrija Popović, on behalf of the Caucus of the Social Democrats’ Party of Montenegro – Liberal Party of Montenegro, asked the Prime Minister when will citizens feel better due to good economic indicators.

Prime Minister Marković said that the results of Government’s measures are very good; as is the assessment of the leading international financial institutions and organisations, and that no fiscal consolidation measures are envisaged.

He concluded that the results of the Government’s economic policy are not the results of the acquisition of different objective circumstances, but the hard work in the country and creation of assumptions that our resources are used in a completely and sustainable manner.

PUBLIC RELATIONS SERVICE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF MONTENEGRO