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Simović: 7,000 Montenegrin seafarers – our largest company

Published on: Aug 20, 2020 8:37 PM Author: PR Service
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture Milutin Simović and President of the Municipality of Kotor Željko Aprcović met with representatives of seafarers from Kotor.

"The care for seafarers must be continuous and comprehensive. It must be understood that, in essence, it is the largest company in Montenegro, which employs about 7,000 Montenegrin seafarers who sail on foreign ships, earning, as they rightly say, bread with seven crusts. They earn around EUR 250 million a year and contribute to the financial system of Montenegro.

The valuable human potential of Montenegrin seafarers preserves our maritime tradition with recognisable professional and work capacities," said Deputy Prime Minister Milutin Simović at the meeting with the representatives of seafarers in Kotor.

As a result of responsible and systematic work in March 2017, Montenegro was officially returned to the White List of the European Commission. It is the obligation and responsibility of all institutions to keep Montenegro on the White List, taking continuous care of the system of education, training and issuance of maritime authorisations.

Montenegro has fulfilled significant international obligations in this area by adopting numerous conventions and resolutions and now the key task and obligation is the consistent implementation of all obligations arising from them. Through regular and transparent internal control of its own system, as well as a particularly careful and responsible attitude towards international reports on the situation in this area. These reports should serve as important roadmaps for further necessary improvements in the maritime situation, through an open dialogue with key partners - representatives of seafarers and through improved inter-departmental cooperation.

All these were the reasons and motives of the Government for the formation of the Government Coordination Body for Seafarers, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policy and Financial System Milutin Simović and representatives of the Ministries of Transport and Maritime Affairs, Education, Finance, Health, Labour and Social Welfare, as well as representatives of seafarers.

Key lines of activity in several directions have been defined:

• Development of an electronic database on seafarers and issued maritime documents and authorisations;
• Clear definition of the competencies of individual ministries regarding education, training, social and health care;
• Initiation of employment programmes for maritime trainees on domestic and foreign ships;
• Inclusion of seafarers in the national social and health care system under special conditions;
• Establishing a stimulating tax policy for the taxation of seafarers.

Representatives of seafarers, captains and machine operators expressed satisfaction with the activities undertaken and pointed out the specific needs of seafarers and expressed expectations for the continuation of the dialogue on all open issues.

"Montenegrin seafarers are honorable and hardworking people. It has been like that for generations and it will be like that in the future as well. We will not allow some irresponsible individuals to damage the reputation of this honorable profession and honorable people," said DPM Simović.

OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
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