DPM Simović and Minister Sekulić meet with EBRD Vice President Pierre Heilbronn

London, United Kingdom (26 October 2017) -- Deputy Prime Minister for Economic policy and Financial System Milutin Simović and Minister of Economy Dragica Sekulić met in London with Vice President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Pierre Heilbronn.

DPM Simović thanked Mr. Heilbronn for participating in the UK-Montenegro Trade and Investment Forum, which is being held in London, and the support he gave to Montenegro in his speech, when it comes to promoting its economic and investment potentials. During the talks, he expressed satisfaction with the previous cooperation with the EBRD, which proved to be positive and stimulating for Montenegrin development and progress. When considering the Western Balkan region, the total EBRD per capita investment is the largest in Montenegro, according to Simović, who emphasised the satisfaction with the announced willingness of the EBRD to assist in improving the investment climate. So far, the Bank invested a total of EUR 550 million in 55 projects in Montenegro.

DPM Simović particularly thanked the EBRD for supporting the Montenegrin economy and improving the business environment and projects aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises, promoting regional cohesion, the development of renewable energy sources and sustainable tourism, and improving regional trade and commodity exchange.

He also expressed satisfaction with the appointment of Jaap Sprey as the new permanent head of the EBRD office in Montenegro, as well as the cooperation that was achieved during the term of office of former head of the EBRD office in Montenegro Giulio Moreno, whose term expired on 1 June 2017.

DPM Simović reiterated the full support of the Government of Montenegro for the EBRD's latest four-year Montenegro strategy, aiming the focus of activities at strengthening the competitiveness of the private sector, supporting sustainable practices in the sectors of tourism and agriculture, and their interconnections, as well as promotion of energy security and efficiency at the regional level. The Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro highlighted the consistency of the goals of the strategy with Montenegro's development goals, and their coincidence with the goals of the Berlin Process which foresees infrastructural and traffic connections of the countries of the region as preconditions for their full integration into the European Union, pointing out the importance of improving the traffic accessibility for further improvement of the business environment in Montenegro.

In this regard, DPM Simović emphasised the expectation that the EBRD will continue to play a more prominent role in the Western Balkan region, especially in terms of implementation of infrastructure projects of regional importance, but also supporting the strengthening of the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises as a generator of economic growth and employment.

Mr. Heilbronn confirmed the satisfaction with the results achieved by the EBRD in cooperation with Montenegro. He pointed out that the perspective of further cooperation is even more positive, as there are many opportunities for creating and promoting new projects, especially in the field of regional integration. According to Mr. Heilbronn, Montenegro can count on the EBRD's assistance in all fields that DPM Simović ran for further cooperation, particularly in the area of finding innovative models for financing projects. 

PUBLIC RELATIONS SERVICE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF MONTENEGRO