The Montenegrin Cabinet convened its 78th session today, under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister Aleksa Bečić. During this session, the Cabinet approved the Incentive Measures Programme for Tourism for the year 2025. The aim of this Programme is to enrich and elevate the quality of the tourism offerings while improving marketing strategies to attract tourists from new markets. This initiative seeks to generate increased tourism revenues, prolong the tourist season, boost occupancy rates, elevate spending, and enhance employment within the sector.

The Programme comprises seven support measures:

Measure I – Support for event and festival organization;

Measure II – Enhancement of rural tourism offerings and service standards;

Measure III – Improvement in tourism service quality and digitalization;

Measure IV – Support for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) tourism development;

Measure V – Assistance in organizing study visits for tour operators and travel agencies;

Measure VI – Forming partnerships with tour operators and travel agencies to market Montenegro as a premier tourist destination;

Measure VII – Promotion of organized air arrivals through joint marketing campaigns with tour operators.

Funding for these measures will be made available through public calls from the Ministry of Tourism and the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro, with total financial resources projected at €1,430,053.42. The Ministry of Tourism will allocate €550,000 from its funds, while the National Tourism Organization will provide €470,000, in addition to €410,053.42 dedicated to improving organized air arrivals through collaborative marketing campaigns with tour operators.

Furthermore, the Cabinet approved action plans to meet the closing benchmarks for Chapters 23 – Judiciary and Fundamental Rights and 24 – Justice, Freedom and Security. Based on recommendations from the EU’s Common Position, working groups for these chapters have created a detailed outline of obligations and deadlines required to meet the closing benchmarks, forming the core of these action plans. The drafting process engaged public consultations with NGOs and broader community discussions, alongside consultations with the Rule of Law Council. Additionally, an explanatory meeting was conducted with European Commission representatives to clarify the closing benchmarks for these chapters. Activities detailed in the action plans are aimed to fulfill the obligations set out in the EU’s Common Position for Chapters 23 and 24, with a final deadline for completion set for the third quarter of 2026, in alignment with the Government’s commitment to fulfill all European agenda obligations by the end of 2026. The implementation of these action plans will undergo monitoring at working group meetings for Chapters 23 and 24, with periodic progress reports submitted to both the Government of Montenegro and the European Commission.

The Cabinet also approved the Information requiring consent for the loan arrangement of the Joint Stock Company “Crnogorska plovidba” – Kotor, granting approval for the company to secure a loan from Prva Banka AD Podgorica to refinance its overdraft debt. On April 11, 2025, the Cabinet addressed the urgent liquidity challenges faced by Crnogorska plovidba and passed relevant conclusions. In the interim, Prva Banka AD Podgorica has blocked all company accounts due to an overdue overdraft debt approximating €400,000. This account blockade has hindered Crnogorska plovidba’s ability to meet operational expenses (including crew salaries, insurance premiums, and supplies), presenting an immediate threat of vessel detention in the nearest port, which could incur significant additional costs and jeopardize the company’s fleet valued at around €15–20 million. To mitigate this situation, Crnogorska plovidba urgently requires unblocking its accounts to settle partial crew salaries and avert vessel detention. Accordingly, the company applied for a refinancing loan from Prva Banka AD Podgorica, offering a repayment period of 36 months with a three-month grace period. Currently, the outstanding debt stands at €401,528.25, accruing an additional monthly penalty interest of €8,030.56. It is noteworthy that this loan arrangement will not impact the state budget of Montenegro.

Additionally, the Cabinet adopted the Draft Urban-Technical Conditions for the Development of Technical Documentation for the Reconstruction of the Olympic Pool Facility located within the SC “Morača” Complex, situated on cadastral plots No. 1275/25 and 1275/2 KO Podgorica I. This decision adheres to the Spatial-Urban Plan of the Capital City of Podgorica (“Official Gazette of Montenegro – municipal regulations”, No. 06/14), according to Article 218a of the Law on Spatial Planning and Construction of Structures (“Official Gazette of Montenegro”, Nos. 064/17, 044/18, 063/18, 011/19, 082/20, 086/22, 004/23), following a request by the Ministry of Sports and Youth and input from relevant authorities. The area allocated for the sports facility’s reconstruction spans 10,638 m². The Capital City acknowledges the necessity of modernizing and expanding existing sports facilities to support competitive, school, university sports, and recreational activities. Proposed renovations include transforming the outdoor water polo pool with stands into an indoor facility; converting the existing indoor pool hall into a multifunctional sports hall; constructing a central tennis court seating 2,000, six auxiliary courts, three badminton courts, three padel courts, a children’s recreational area compliant with high ITT standards, along with a medical center, fitness and spa facilities, and other amenities aimed at promoting tennis in Montenegro.

Lastly, the Cabinet endorsed the Draft Urban-Technical Conditions for the Development of Technical Documentation for the Construction of the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Natural History Museum, and the Park of Culture and Arts on cadastral plot No. 2211/1 KO Podgorica II. This development adheres to the Spatial-Urban Plan of the Capital City of Podgorica (“Official Gazette of Montenegro – municipal regulations”, No. 06/14) and complies with Article 218a of the Law on Spatial Planning and Construction of Structures, following a request by the Ministry of Culture and Media, alongside opinions from competent authorities. The designated area for these projects encompasses 50,436 m².