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PM Marković proposes to management of Budva that Government provides money from Current Budget Reserve for salaries to employees in municipal services

Published on: Aug 12, 2020 • 12:22 AM Author: PR Service
At the end of his working visit to Budva, Prime Minister Duško Marković said that he had proposed to the municipal management that the Government provides money from the Current Budget Reserve for salaries to employees in the Municipality of Budva whose account was blocked during the mandate of the previous local government.

"Today's talks in Budva and the information I heard about the current situation in the municipality, concerned me, but also encouraged me at the same time that we will overcome the current problems. I was concerned - because the evident problems have accumulated in the previous almost four-year period, many of which require urgent resolution. But, I was also encouraged - because I see that the new municipal government has both the strength and the vision to solve these problems, and at the same time open new perspectives for Budva. Let me say right away that today we proposed that we solve the currently burning issue of unpaid salaries in the municipal administration by providing money from the Current Budget Reserve, as soon as possible. And later we will define the relations between the state and the municipality of Budva regarding the blockade of the municipal account. I must also say that I was really unpleasantly surprised by the fact that the previous local government almost doubled the number of employees in the municipal administration in a little over three years, and that it now has almost five hundred employees," said the Prime Minister.

President of the Municipality of Budva Nikola Divanović thanked the Prime Minister for the support.

"I inherited a great challenge with a special emphasis on caring for employees and their endangered existence. Employees in the municipality of Budva are hostages of a past irresponsible and idealess policy whose irresponsibility and ignorance resulted in the blockade of the municipal account, and we have seen that employees are owed several monthly salaries. However, the fact that we came after the damage happened does not diminish our sense of responsibility or our enthusiasm to deal with this burning issue. We looked for a solution and we found it! As a result of such communication with the Government of Montenegro, employees in the municipality of Budva will receive their salaries in the next few days, and we will transparently resolve the issue of account blockade and all other open issues in the next four years," said the President of the Municipality of Budva.

At the meeting with the municipal management, the Prime Minister announced the wider support of the Government to the Municipality of Budva in order for this city to overcome the consequences of the previous local government and return to the position of the capital of Montenegrin tourism.

Entrepreneurs: Full support for Government measures

The Prime Minister also talked with entrepreneurs in the field of tourism and hospitality sector. Hoteliers, caterers and representatives of associations of private lessors strongly welcomed the measures adopted by the Government. Entrepreneurs especially welcomed the reprogramming of loans with commercial banks and the Investment and Development Fund with interest rate subsidies, and lowering the VAT rate to 7 percent.

"The tourist economy that has credit indebtedness has been saved by these Government measures," it was said at the meeting.

The Prime Minister said at the end of the visit that it is clear that many plans are now conditioned by the coronavirus crisis, and that this especially refers to a tourist destination such as Budva.

"The Government provided significant assistance through three packages of economic measures, the last of which was focused on the tourism industry: we provided short-term rehabilitation assistance of over EUR 83 million, as well as long-term measures of over EUR 131 million. Under the urgent procedure, the Government submitted to the Parliament the Law on Amendments to the Law on VAT, which reduced the rate to 7% in tourism and hospitality sector, which applies until the end of August next year. I believe that all these measures will mitigate the consequences of the bad tourist season and that we will, so to speak, welcome the next season 'on our feet' and the expected return to normal economic flows," said the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Duško Marković said that it is sad that these days we can hear meaningless criticism that the Government and the National Coordination Body "destroyed the tourist season" because the borders are not wide open.

"I will answer to these accusations: the health of our citizens has always been our priority, and the people of Budva remember who contributed to the spread of the coronavirus again before the start of the tourist season by illegal gatherings in front of the Municipality building," said PM Marković.

Reconstruction of the roads Tivat - Jaz and Kamenovo - Petrovac – Bar needs to be accelerated

The Prime Minister also talked with Budva residents about the General Regulation Plan on the territory of the municipality, whose development began several months ago.

"Strategic planning and organisation of space are essential for further management of the city, and I expect that in the next year and a half we can get that document, which will open new perspectives for the development of Budva. I also invite the citizens of Budva to participate in public debates on the new Plan," said Prime Minister Duško Marković.

The Prime Minister said that he insisted on accelerating the dynamics of realisation of two important infrastructure projects on the territory of the municipality of Budva: reconstruction of the road Tivat - Jaz with construction of a boulevard and regional water supply, as well as reconstruction of the highway Kamenovo - Petrovac - Bar. The value of these works is more than EUR 65 million. "That money must be spent without delay," said PM Marković.

The Prime Minister concluded that a lot of work awaits us in Budva, and expressed his belief that the new municipal management has the knowledge and energy to return former glory to Budva, adding that the new Government will provide neccessary support.

PUBLIC RELATIONS SERVICE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF MONTENEGRO


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