In response to the article titled “Business for Velika Plaža will be above all laws,” which was published yesterday in “Vijesti,” the Prime Minister’s Office has issued a statement.

“Vijesti” has shared the full text of their response.

The title “Business for Velika Plaža will be above all laws” suggests that all laws in Montenegro would be disregarded if the project in Ulcinj were to move forward, which is not accurate. The publicly accessible agreement between the Government of Montenegro and the Government of the United Arab Emirates does not contain any stipulation for suspending national laws, except in the fields of public procurement and state property. Specifically, Article 13 of the Law on Public Procurement allows for interstate contracts to be concluded in this format, a method of cooperation that aligns with our EU integration path. The Reform Agenda permits the signing of so-called G2G contracts until the end of 2026, with similar agreements expected to be finalized with two EU member states by year-end.

As stated in the Agreement, national laws remain applicable in all other respects – including planning documentation, environmental protection, construction, and other regulations. The intention is to ensure that any potential project adheres to the standards set by Montenegrin laws, something clearly articulated in Article 3 of the Agreement, which is a publicly available document that the author of the article could have reviewed.

The article further suggests that a special law, commonly referred to as lex specialis, will be created to facilitate this investment, which is inaccurate. The Agreement does not include any provisions that would allow for this, and the Government of Montenegro has not indicated any such intent at any point.

Concerning the author’s “knowledge” about the construction of tens of thousands of apartments for the market, we clarify that this assertion is false and appears to be an attempt at sensationalism, misrepresenting the potential investment as akin to “Belgrade on the water.” The proposed residential project has no resemblance to the potential Ulcinj project, which is envisioned as a tourist complex offering various amenities associated with such developments.

The claims regarding Prime Minister Spajić, as Minister of Finance, initiating contact about this potential investment two years ago are both manipulative and incorrect. To provide the public with accurate information, it should be noted that the Prime Minister presented Montenegro’s investment potential to the EMAAR company and other significant UAE firms in February at the “World Government Summit”. It was during this time, as reported to the public, that a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the two nations, resulting in increased interest from UAE companies regarding potential investments in Montenegro,” the Government’s response states.

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