The President of the Municipality of Ulcinj, Genci Nimanbegu, stated that whether he will urge all Albanian parties to withdraw from the Government will hinge on Prime Minister Milojko Spajić’s reaction to the request for the cancellation of the recent tender concerning the lease of Ulcinj’s swimming pools.

According to “Vijesti”, the company “Eagle Hills”, purportedly backed by Arab capital, submitted the highest monetary offer for over ten beaches on Velika Plaza during a public auction that concluded yesterday at the JP headquarters in Budva.

These renowned beaches include “Saranda”, “Adritaica”, “Imepriala”, “Hilla”, “Mojita”, “Habana”, “Safarija”, “Tropikana”, “Korala”, parts of “Pearl Beach”, and “Barbosa”…

“The Prime Minister claims that these are legal procedures; however, the crucial question is how he will address our demands. We have clearly articulated them and are expecting him to respond publicly and directly regarding what actions he can take based on these requests. If we are dissatisfied, and we are, we will mobilize all available resources from the Ulcinj Municipal Assembly, citizen protests, and I am contemplating calling on all Albanian political parties to exit the government,” said Nimanbegu following a meeting with Spajić regarding the recent tender for beach leasing, which incited anger among tenants, many of whom might lose the beaches they have held for years or even decades due to the new scoring method.

He indicated that he conveyed to the Prime Minister the collective stance of the Albanian Forum, the Albanian Alliance, the Democratic Union of Albanians, and the local community, as well as the Municipality of Ulcinj—that such a tender and its outcome are unacceptable.

“As a community, I, along with all other parties, cautioned about the potential issues arising when the tender process was not properly prepared, following the submission of the new law by the Association of Municipalities. We urged for the tender to be canceled and for the Draft Law on the Maritime Domain to be prioritized,” stated Nimanbegu. He argued, “I believed we had been sufficiently clear and vocal about why we view this as detrimental to Ulcinj’s interests.”

“This can be described as an unjust intrusion into Ulcinj by an investor who was registered just five or six days ago, and similar issues arise in other municipalities concerning such million-dollar offers. Thus, this serves as further proof that we need to prioritize our citizens and avoid agreements that detract from local community interests under legal pretenses,” remarked Nimanbegu.

MP and DUA leader Mehmed Zenka questioned whether it is appropriate for a billionaire to be involved in selling deck chairs and umbrellas or if there are ulterior motives at play.

“They are infringing on the 50 million euros that citizens and tenants have invested in Ulcinj over the past 20 years. They are encroaching upon Ulcinj’s and Montenegro’s most developed sector, and suddenly, someone is seizing 4.5 kilometers of beach—what will become of the current tenants? How will this impact the contracts of those tenants, and how will it influence tourism, which we are eagerly anticipating? In essence, individuals with hefty investments are emerging overnight… How can a new investor take charge of the beaches, something that local people have cultivated over ten to fifteen years?” Zenka posed.

He pointed out that the deficiencies of the Maritime Domain Act were glaring.

“The coastal zone has generated 12 million euros for Ulcinj over the past four years and 20 million euros over the last 50 years, yet approximately three and a half million has not been reinvested back into Ulcinj. Is there any sense of justice in that? We seek a new Law on the Coastal Zone that does not mandate the Municipality of Ulcinj to cover 57 percent of the entire coastal zone territory,” Zenka asserted. He expressed skepticism over a company being established overnight to claim 70 percent of Ulcinj’s best-maintained beaches.

“The entire city is awaiting our response upon returning, and currently, we do not have any favorable news to share,” Zenka added.

The meeting with Spajić also saw the attendance of MP Artan Čobi and Vice President of the Municipality of Ulcinj, Petar Delić.

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