The Boka Forum has declared its support for the Restructuring Plan of the “Dr Simo Milošević” Institute in Igalo, which was recently approved during a shareholders’ meeting. The party expressed concern that this might merely be a pre-election tactic by Prime Minister Milojko Spajić’s regime.

“This wouldn’t be the first instance where the prime minister made promises that went unfulfilled. While the minimum pension has indeed risen to 450 euros and the average salary has officially reached 1000 euros, this is largely due to the considerable number of employees within state and municipal administrations. Out of 250,000 workers, more than 65,000 are in administration, accounting for roughly one in four employees, not including contractors, of which there are thousands. By the end of 2024, the state budget deficit is projected to be 231 million euros, or 3.2 percent of GDP, surpassing the permitted limit of 3 percent under Maastricht criteria. Last year’s budget expenditures surged by an astonishing 430 million euros compared to 2023, marking a 17 percent increase. In stark contrast, capital investments amounted to only 251 million euros, representing just 3.3 percent of GDP, and falling ten million euros short of 2023’s figures. Furthermore, public debt has ballooned to approximately 4.5 billion euros, breaching the allowed 60 percent of GDP. The net inflow of foreign direct investments stands at a mere 330 million euros, with 285 million allocated to real estate purchases, indicating minimal serious investments in economic entities. Citizens are acutely aware of their declining standard of living, exacerbated by the monopolistic practices of traders and importers. What significance does the purported 7 percent wage growth hold when cumulative inflation since the pandemic has soared beyond 40 percent?” stated the Boka Forum in a media release.

The Forum questions how the government under Spajić can be trusted to execute the Institute’s restructuring program, which carries an expense of over 80 million euros, if it cannot achieve significantly better macroeconomic results than those currently presented.

“Citizens recognize that, lacking his own party’s backing, Spajić is endorsing the local party of his MP, and it would not be surprising if his discourse on the Institute’s restructuring serves merely as a pre-election ‘bait.’ If Spajić had been proactive in advocating for the swift passage of new legislation in the urban planning sector, and expedited the adoption of amendments to the Spatial and Urban Planning Plan of Herceg Novi, he could have made a meaningful contribution to the city and local infrastructure,” the statement concludes.

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