Every investor in Montenegro has the same investment conditions in the energy sector as in any country of the European Union, said Minister of Economy Dragica Sekulić, opening the panel "Montenegro Economy and Energy Sector", which was held as part of the "Gateway to the Balkans - Montenegro 2017" forum. today in Podgorica.
"Montenegro is a member of the Energy Community, and at the same time it is a candidate for joining the European Union. We are also conducting negotiations within the Energy chapter, which was opened in December 2015 and we are currently in the process of closing it. This means that all the directives have been transposed into the national legislation and now Montenegro applies the third energy package of measures through its laws and all laws and by-laws are in accordance with the EU rules in the field of energy", said Minister Sekulić.
The most significant project at the moment, she added, is the construction of a submarine energy cable between Montenegro and Italy, together with all the infrastructure within the country that connects the north and the south with a 400kV transmission line.
"All this will be connected with the cable from the south and Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina from the north. It is a project that ensures that everything that is produced in Montenegro has its own market inside or outside of Montenegro, which attracts new investors to production facilities," said Minister Sekulić.
She reminded that Montenegro has started oil and gas exploration in its own sea, that the Government has signed two contracts for granting concessions, and announced the possible signing of new contracts with a new tender procedure that will be launched in the future.
State Secretary in the Ministry of Economy Nikola Vujović said that the Government of Montenegro has identified priorities in the field of energy that are similar to the priorities of the European Union countries, namely: security of energy supply, development of a competitive energy market and sustainable energy development.
"Along with industrial production, tourism and agriculture, the energy sector is the fastest growing sector in Montenegro. The construction of a new transmission infrastructure will ensure more intensive exchange and integration of the energy market. "Montenegro offers the possibility of investing in the energy sector in the areas of hydro-energy, thermal energy, wind energy, solar energy and energy from biomass," said Vujović.
Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro Ivan Saveljić said that Montenegro has a good business environment that is constantly improving.
"We are developing the most in the tourism sector, and then in the field of energy, where Montenegro has significant potential. We hope that we will have investments in the field of agriculture as well. "Montenegro is a small country, but through a whole series of associations, regulations and contracts, it is part of a larger, regional framework", said Saveljić and added that Montenegro is a good starting point for investments for the entire region.
Director of the Montenegro Agency for the Promotion of Foreign Investments, Miloš Jovanović, said that there are many reasons to invest in Montenegro.
"The three pillars of promotion are tourism, agriculture and the energy sector. Agriculture is an underdeveloped sector, and Montenegro has significant potential, especially for the production of organic food, forestry, fishing, wood processing and water production. "There is an interesting connection between agriculture and tourism - we are still a country that is being built as a tourist destination, but we import organic food, even though we have great potential to produce it ourselves," said Jovanović.
The forum "Gateway to the Balkans - Montenegro 2017" was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro and Honorary Consul of Montenegro in Israel Nimrod Rinot, with the aim of further development and strengthening of cooperation between Montenegro and Israel.
See more:
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON
