Press release from 148th Cabinet session

Podgorica, Montenegro (12 December 2019) -- At its 148th session, the Montenegrin Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Duško Marković, within the compliance with acquis communitarian, passed the Draft Law on Market Organisation in Fisheries and Aquaculture and the Draft Law on Structural Measures and State Aid in Fisheries and Aquaculture.

New laws create the basis for providing efficient market functioning by fishing products and aquaculture, regulate the conditions for labelling products placed on the market and strengthen the competitiveness of producers, through the establishment of the producers’ organisations, with adequate market control. The manner and conditions for the granting state aid, based on support of the national budget and the local self - governments are also legally defined.

The Cabinet passed the Draft Law on Life Partnership of Same - Sex Partners, which regulates: community of life of two persons of the same sex, conclusion and termination of the life partnership, keeping of the register on life partnership and procedures of the competent authorities in relation to the conclusion and termination of the life partnership. The affirmation of values protected by international standards in the human rights and freedoms and protection of the discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, are one of the priority aims of the Government of Montenegro policy in this area and the continuation of its previous activities in the field of improvement of the human rights and reduction of the discrimination and inequality of the LGBT persons.

The obligation of the passing such a Law, was highlighted in the Programme of Accession of Montenegro to the European Union.

The Cabinet passed the Draft Law amending the Law on Courts. Amending the Draft Law was approached, in order to compliance with the Law on Judicial Cooperation in Criminal with the EU member states, whose provisions also regulate the competence of minor offence courts to apply for a European investigative orders, indicating the need to amend the competence of the minor offences courts by the Law on Courts. Bearing in mind, that the Law on Alternative Dispute Resolution regulates that the basic courts and the Commercial Court confirm the settlements concluded before the mediator in disputes that did not initiate court proceedings, i.e. in disputes in which the court proceedings ended with the withdrawal of the lawsuit, it was necessary for the Law on Courts to prescribe the jurisdiction of the basic court, i.e. the Commercial Court in these matters.

The Cabinet also passed the Draft Law amending the Law on State Prosecution, in order to harmonise it with the Law on judicial cooperation in criminal matters with the EU member states. In order to provide full and effective implementation of the Law on Judicial cooperation in criminal matters with the EU member states, the provisions of which prescribe the competence of the State Prosecutor's Office to apply for a European arrest order and requests for a European investigative order, amending the provisions prescribing the competence of the State Prosecutor's Office was proposed.

The Cabinet passed the Draft Law amending the Law on Dangerous Substances Transport, which continues the normative regulation and enhance of these activities, as a part of a security system, which, as the discussion noted, boosts the responsibility of all entities in dangerous substances transport and creates prerequisites for its immediate involvement in all conditions.

The Cabinet also adopted the National Plan for Protection and Rescue from Floods and National Plan on Protection and Rescue from Technologically Technological Accidents. National plans that contain a set of measures and activities for planning, financing, implementation and organisation of rescue operations in order to protect and rescue from floods or technical or technological accidents, to reduce and mitigate floods and their consequences, to reduce and prevent the occurrence of technical and technological accidents, to strengthen the capacities of the society, state and other institution in response to the floods and the technical and technological accident and to protect and rescue peoples life’s , physical integrity, material goods and the environment as well as to raise the society awareness of the protection and rescue significance.

In the line with the Law on Energy, Cabinet adopted the Decision on the Energy Balance of Montenegro for 2020. The energy balance contains of electricity balance, coal balance, oil and biofuels balance, natural gas balance and heat balance for district heating or cooling and the industrial use.

The Cabinet also adopted the Information on the implementation of the Project of electro distributive network revitalisation. The discussion assessed the Implementation of the revitalisation project of seven transmission lines was one of the significant activities of CEDIS in 2019.

The Cabinet adopted the Decision on Annual Plan of Official Statistics for 2020. The Plan foresees the implementation of the 211 statistical activities. Out of the total number of planned statistical activities, the Statistical Office will implement 168 (80%) as a main driver and disseminator of statistics data, while the other producers of the official statistics will implement 43 statistical activities (20%).

The Cabinet approved the Decision amending the Detailed Urban Plan and Urban Project "Historical Core" of Cetinje. The aim of amending these DUP and UP is quality improvement of the room in the ambient, functional and architectural sense and to create the spatial assumptions for the implementation of foreseen contents.

The Cabinet approved the Report on the implementation of the Programme of vocational training of high educated persons for 2019/2020, which stated that the number of job applications in the eight cycle of the Programme was higher compared to the previous seven cycles and represent the record demand of 11, 613 jobs by employers.

The Cabinet passed the Amended Information on the conclusion of the Agreement on Amendments to the Framework Loan Agreement with the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) for the implementation of the continuation of the fourth phase of the Affordable Housing Programme 1000+ and the proposed text of the Agreement was accepted. The implementation of the third phase of the Project is currently ongoing, with 376 households, or about 910 citizens, resolving the housing issue so far. Bearing in mind that the 2019 Law on the Budget of Montenegro foresees a loan of EUR 10 million for the implementation of the 1000+ Project, the possibility of continuation of the Project through Phase IV was discussed with the Council of Europe Development Bank. The CEB Administrative Council approved the submitted application and gave its consent to the Agreement on amendments to the Framework Loan Agreement. The total value of the continuation of the Project is estimated at EUR 20 million, of which, as in the case of the previous phases, 50 percent would be financed by the State through a credit arrangement with CEB, 50 percent by commercial banks and citizen participation up to 5 percent of the real estate. During the implementation of the third phase of the Project, loans in the amount of EUR 18,530,967.38 have been approved so far, of which funds from the loan arrangement amounted to EUR 9,778,657.59, while commercial banks financed the Project in the amount of EUR 8,752,309.79.

The Cabinet adopted the Information on the conclusion of the Loan Agreement and the Grant Agreement between the German Development Bank (KfW) and the Government of Montenegro for the Energy Efficiency Programme in Public Buildings - Phase III. A KfW Bank loan of EUR 45 million was provided for the implementation of the third phase of the Programme. A grant from the European Commission, through the Regional Energy Efficiency Fund, through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) of EUR 4.79 million was also provided.

The Information on the conclusion of the Framework Loan Agreement with the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) for the implementation of the Project "Preschool Infrastructure in Montenegro - 2" was also adopted. The total value of the Project is around EUR 15 million, of which EUR 10 million is provided by CEB through loans, while the remaining amount is provided by the Government of Montenegro. This loan arrangement envisages construction of 6 new facilities, as well as complete reconstruction and expansion of capacity of one facility. These are 4 facilities in the capital and three facilities in the northern region, with a capacity of 1,675 children.

The Cabinet passed the Information on activities for the implementation of priority projects in the field of agriculture for the period July - December 2019, as well as the Information on activities in the field of concessions for the use of water and forests.

The Information on providing conditions for continued work on the right arm of the Bojana River was adopted. Material removal work to increase riverbed flow began in June 2018 and by the end of 2018 approximately 170,000 m³ of material has been extracted and a riverbed about 2 km long has been cleared. In 2019, works are being carried out at the mouth of the right arm and so far about 120,000 m³ of material has been removed from the mouth and about 500 m of riverbed has been cleared. Considering the consequences of the natural erosion process of the beaches, some of the extracted material was used to refresh the beach at Ada Bojana. So far, the 600-meter-long beach has been revitalised and expanded, yielding about 30,000 m² of beach that has eroded over the last 20 years. Considering the need to clean additional 1,000 m of the right arm, a conclusion was reached which provided an additional EUR 300,000 to continue this work.

The Cabinet passed the Information on Montenegro's position regarding the initiative to adopt a Joint Declaration and an Action Plan to accelerate the implementation of the four EU freedoms in the Western Balkans. Good neighbourly relations are said to be at the heart of Montenegrin politics, and in line with this commitment, our country strongly supports the Berlin Process and all other regional initiatives to complement European integration. Our country is successfully participating in many other regional initiatives with the same or similar goals and fulfilling the commitments made in Trieste by signing the Regional Integration Agenda.

Montenegro will continue to pursue this initiative in accordance with its European agenda and the commitments it has made in this regard. The European Agenda has no alternative, and all other initiatives are welcome if they further advance this goal.

Božidar Božović and Savo Parača, acting directors of the Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Property and the Directorate for Transport, were appointed as directors of these directorates.


PHOTO AND VIDEO: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmJY7s97

PUBLIC RELATIONS SERVICE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF MONTENEGRO