The Chamber of Crafts of Montenegro expects that the process of making amendments to the Law on Crafts, initiated in 2023, will be successfully implemented this year in the interest of crafts, will have positive impacts and effects in practice and will bring improvement and progress to this important area of the Montenegrin economy, as well as ensure the parallel preservation of traditional factors along with modernization and necessary technological changes and development in the sphere of crafts of Montenegro, said in a statement the executive director of the Chamber of Crafts of Montenegro Sanja Đurović.
"Craftsmanship is one of the main driving forces of faster economic development, so it is very important that the state provides an institutional framework for the development of this segment of the economy through its policy and appropriate measures, which, among other things, implies concrete support from the state through appropriate subsidies and economic support programs, which provide the necessary funds, along with a clear legislative framework. Montenegro needs comprehensive social reforms, which must also include the reform of the craft sector," said Đurović.
She stated that during 2023, the Ministry of Economic Development implemented and implemented the Program for the Promotion and Development of Crafts with the aim of reviving and stronger affirmation of craft activities, i.e. encouraging the development of Montenegrin crafts through providing financial support for the purchase of equipment and tools, as well as promotional activities of the organization .
"Similar programs have been implemented by the state since 2018, from when until the last call for participation in the allocation of grants, the number of program beneficiaries has significantly increased and the legal procedures and administrative barriers for application have been significantly simplified, which has been fully digitized, and the most due to the efficiency in communication, submission and processing of requests. However, despite the reduction and elimination of the aforementioned administrative obstacles, as well as despite the great importance and benefits of non-reimbursed funds for the development of craft activities, the response of artisans in the past five years of the program was unexpectedly low. That is why the goal and task of the Chamber of Crafts of Montenegro, as a representative and protector of the rights and interests of artisans, is to inform them in a timely and complete manner about the opportunities and subsidies that the state provides to artisans through appropriate support programs and to make the maximum effort to maintain, promote, and improve support systems. , expand and strengthen, in the interest of craftsmanship, economy, society and the state," said Đurović.
She believes that the support and encouragement of the state in this area can be a key catalyst for the preservation and development of crafts and an additional impulse for the improvement of this area of the economy.
"With non-reimbursable financial support through various components foreseen in the implemented programs, the state can significantly influence: improvement and modernization of the production process; improvement of the quality of products and services and their better promotion; strengthening the competitiveness of crafts; increasing the number of craftsmen; increasing the competitiveness of existing craftsmen and their better positioning on the market; preserving old traditional crafts; increasing the recognition of Montenegrin products in the country and beyond; increasing the possibility of increasing exports; increasing employment; training the necessary personnel; affirming creativity; encouraging inventiveness; reducing poverty; reducing the gray economy; encouraging initiation, preservation, growth and development small and family businesses; encouraging investments; creating new and additional value and motivating young people to do business in our country, to stay there and contribute to the faster overall economic growth and development of Montenegro," said Đurović.
The Executive Director of the Chamber of Crafts states that one of the important recommendations of the EU to Montenegro, due to progress in European integration, is the construction of a transparent state aid system.
"Consequently, as well as due to the great importance of state subsidies for the survival, preservation and development of crafts in Montenegro, the Chamber of Crafts of Montenegro expects that appropriate forms of financial support to craftsmen through various components of the planned programs will not be missing this year either. Transparency and inclusiveness are the expected elements The program for improving the competitiveness of the economy, which, according to the plans, the state should define and implement in 2024 to support entrepreneurs, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in order to achieve the necessary efficiency and effectiveness in the implementation of the program, so appropriate interaction is necessary and the cooperation of the economy and the state for the highest quality support platform and the best results in implementation and achieved effects at the micro and macro level. The Chamber of Crafts considers it important that the craftsmen in Montenegro become familiar with the experiences of the users of the Program for the Development and Promotion of Crafts and their views on the benefits and advantages and the shortcomings of this program and the components of other support programs, so the public presentation and promotion of the methods and components of the support provided by the state is very important, and the Chamber of Crafts will make its contribution to the complete information of artisans and the realization of benefits through subsidies that, with appropriate realizations, can significantly improve craftsmanship and encourage the overall development in Montenegro," said Đurović.
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