The Assembly of the Chamber of Commerce (PKCG) adopted the Work Program of that business association for the coming year, which will contribute to the improvement of the business environment and competitiveness of Montenegrin companies, and will be supplemented in accordance with the needs of the business community.
The president of the Board of Trade Association PKCG, Jovan Lekić, said that it is necessary to strengthen the Chamber's influence on decision-making related to the economy.
According to him, the pandemic has shown the vulnerability of the Montenegrin economy and the necessity for the state to react restrictively.
The focus of the Chamber, as he believes, in the coming period should be on encouraging economic reforms in order to change the bad structure of the economy, in which the state should intervene, even though this goes against the principles of liberalism, but PKCG must take care that the influence states to limit so as not to disrupt the market economy.
"If the market economy is disrupted, we will all be at a loss. I believe that the future of Montenegro does not lie in returning to an administrative economy. That is why it is very important that the Chamber imposes itself institutionally as a partner that will protect the market economy, contribute to the abolition of business barriers and stimulate free entrepreneurship. "Politicians must talk to us," Lekić said.
PKCG announced that the President of the Assembly, Vojo Banović, agrees with Lekić's views, assessing that the Chamber must impose itself more strongly on the Government and contribute to preserving the economy in very challenging times.
"The current and any future Government must find a partner in the Chamber, and the Chamber a partner in the Government because this is the umbrella economic association of Montenegro," said Banović.
Olivera Doklestić from Herceg Novi Waterworks and Sewerage, spoke about the economy in that coastal city, which, as he said, was one of the ten most developed in SFRY, and now it is second to last in Montenegro by standard.
"We must be aware that the key to the maintenance of Montenegro lies in the tourism economy, especially on the coast, but that large-scale construction in that area poses a risk," said Doklestić.
She considered it wrong that the focus of the coast is only on tourism, while agriculture is neglected.
"Now we import oranges, and we had wonderful plantations in Bar and Ulcinj. "No one thought to build a factory there for their oil processing as well, in order to help the people who live there," Doklestić believes, adding that Herceg Novi's population has dropped by as much as ten percent between the two censuses, which he attributes to the lack of employment opportunities. She appealed to solve the issue of the hospital in Meljina, which is one of the vital issues for Herceg Novi.
Tomo Knežević from Lipska pečina assessed that the Chamber must invest significantly more funds in the promotion of domestic products through the projects Dobro iz Crne Gore, Let's Buy Domestic and Domestic Taste. Also, he believes that larger investments than planned are necessary to strengthen the marketing and digitalization of the Chamber of Commerce, which, according to him, must take place suddenly.
"We are a tourist country and the Chamber must promote the tourism economy more strongly," said Knežević, who called on the Chamber's leadership to consider increasing the financial plan for the following year.
The Acting General Secretary, Mitar Bajčeta, reminded that the Chamber implemented the promotion of the economy through the projects Buy domestic and Domestic taste in partnership with the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Agriculture, and that it was not absent even during the covid-crisis.
He said that he expects joint activities on those projects to continue in the time to come.
Bajčeta stated that the financial plan is a framework and that it can be changed, especially if the Government's Europe Now program is implemented.
Bonus video:
