There are 178 public companies in Montenegro, 123 at the municipal level and 55 at the state level. More than 22.000 people are employed in them - 8.403 in municipal and 13.702 in state.
Of the state-owned enterprises, the majority, 39, operate positively with a profit, which in 2023 amounted to 146 million euros. However, most of this sum goes to last year's good result of the Electric Power Company of Montenegro (EPCG) and its related companies. At the same time, 15 state-owned companies operated at a loss, with a total loss of 22,8 million.
This is data collected and regularly updated by the Institute of Alternatives on its Mojnovac website.
The highest salary in state enterprises goes to a high-ranking official of the New Serbian Democracy (NSD) Milutin Djukanovic, president of the EPCG Board of Directors - 4.611 euros. After him, during the past year, the director of the public service RTCG received the most Boris Raonic - 3.966 euros. RTCG is financed from the budget and is not among the losers. The salary of Director Raonic, who was elected to that position illegally, despite court rulings, was reduced after negative comments from the public and now, after re-election, amounts to 3.400 euros.
Another NSD official has one of the highest salaries in state-owned companies, the director of Plantation 13 July Igor Čađenović. Plantations are the first on the list of losers in 2023, with a loss of over six million, but that's why director Čađenović received an average of 3.961 euros per month last year. In Čađenović's property record, it can be seen that his income for certain months was even higher, so in September 2023 he reported a salary of 4.145 euros.
Black list
Plantations on July 13, which were once a successful enterprise, led by the long-term DPS administration Veselin Vukotić i Vericom Maraš, led to the abyss. In September of this year, the Higher Court in Podgorica confirmed the indictment brought by the Special State Prosecutor's Office against Vukotić and Maraš, on suspicion of having committed the criminal offense of abuse of position in business operations. After the changes in 2020, the consolidation of this important Montenegrin company, which was a recognizable brand and a significant exporter, began.
The debt of this company in 2021 was 20 million, in October of that year Dr Zoran Miladinović he was appointed as the executive director of Plantaž. He resigned in November 2022, and that year the debt was reduced to 13 million. Čađenović then takes office and reduces the minus of last year by six million euros. Although you lose, the number of employees in 2023 increased by 14 employees and totals 637 employees.
Economist Čađenović was previously director of marketing and sales in Plantaže, and at the beginning of this year he signed the resignation of former director Miladinović. Alternative Montenegro filed a criminal complaint against Čađenović due to, as they stated, a well-founded suspicion that he had forged his diploma.
The second biggest loser among state-owned companies is Željezara Nikšić, which was registered as a company in February 2023 and is 3,5% owned by EPCG. The loss last year amounted to 252 million euros. This company has XNUMX employees. She is the executive director Nevenka Janković, whose property record is empty, so it is not possible to see how much she earns as the executive director of this company, who was elected to that position at the end of last year. The employment contract states that she is entitled to a monthly salary in the amount of 2.000 euros, increased for past work, and that she has 21 years of experience working at the Ironworks. After the Željezara was leased by the Swiss company 8B Capital SA at the end of September, graduate traffic engineer Milos Nikolic was elected acting executive director.
Third on the list of losers is the Dr. Simo Milošević Institute with a loss of 2,8 million euros. The number of employees decreased from 642 in 2002 to 573 in 2023. The debt also decreased, which was eight million euros in 2019 to 2,8 in the last year.
At the end of last year, dr. was elected as executive director Zoran Kovacevic, professor at the Maritime Faculty in Kotor. He already held the position of executive director of the Institute from 2012 to 2015, and after that he was a councilor and president of the Club of Councilors of DPS in the Assembly of Herceg Novi. Data on the amount of his earnings are not publicly available, as well as the amount of compensation he receives Predrag Dragojlović from Belgrade, the president of the Institute's Board of Directors, who was appointed to this position in January of this year on behalf of the Investment and Development Fund of Montenegro (IRF). What can be found is 417 euros, which is the amount of compensation to the members of the Board of Directors.
At the end of September, a celebration was held in the Nikšić Theater on the occasion of three years since the founding of Solar Construction, a daughter company of EPCG.
""Solar gradnja is a company that has a future and is one of the few state-owned companies that really works and makes money and is of immeasurable importance for the development of the energy sector in Montenegro", said the President of the Board of Directors of Elektroprivreda Milutin Đukanović.
In addition to marketing, this company ended last year with a loss of 2,7 million euros, the minus in 2022 was 2,2 million euros, and in the year of establishment in 2021, 55.202. The number of employees also increased - this company had one employee in 2021, 2022 in 319, and 420 last year. That the salaries in this company are above average was confirmed in a recent statement in August by the dismissed executive director Valerija Saveljic:
"The average monthly cost of wages in EPCG SG while I was at its head was around 480.000 euros."
Saveljić, a member of the URA, was the executive director of Solar Construction since November last year. Her salary was 3.371 euros.
After Saveljić was dismissed in August, the minister Saša Mujović stated that the Board of Directors of EPCG Solar gradnja dismissed him without argument and that it was a "politically motivated dismissal".
This week, Mujovic had a different take on her performance. The minister explained that Saveljić falsified business results: "The ministry did not inform, although it had insight into it, that it had received a negative internal audit report, and it presented a profit of over 600.000 euros for some invoices that the internal audit defined as unacceptable and that cannot be charged. She presented to the ministry that she is in a big plus, and the bottom line is that she left the company in debt of 346.000 euros".
Saveljić denied these claims, pointing out that she was doing well in business, and that behind Mujović's words are NSD officials Milutin Đukanović and Marina Jocic.
In March of this year, the Board of Directors of Elektroprivreda appointed a new board of directors in the subsidiary company EPCG Solar gradnja. Marina Jočić, an official of the New Serbian Democracy, was appointed as the head of the board of directors, while the members of that body are Miroslav Doderović (Democrats), Ahmet Đonbaljaj (Albanian alternative), Veljko Vasiljević, Zoran Colaković (Democratic People's Party), Neđeljko Lekić i Igor Vlahovic.
The President of the Committee, Marina Jočić, has been a party official for many years Andrije Mandić, after the change of government on August 30, 2020, managed public companies in several different activities - from nature protection to culture and energy production. Thus, she was the president of the Board of Directors of National Parks, the president of the Board of Directors of JU Museums and Galleries in Podgorica and is now the head of SG.
Jočić is not the only one from her family employed in Solar Construction. There is also her daughter Iva Čukić Šoškić who was the head of the PR service at Solar Construction, until Saveljić fired her for, as she claims, non-compliance with her work obligations and moved her to a lower position.
Before her dismissal, Saveljić also terminated the contract on business and technical cooperation with the company Kaldera, which is connected to the president of the RS. Milorad Dodik and which is on the US blacklist.
The railway infrastructure of Montenegro suffered a loss of two and a half million euros last year. During the last year, the number of employees increased from 779 in 2022 to 817. Executive Director Marina Bosković she was appointed in March 2021 and receives a salary of 1.700 euros. Bošković is the aunt's sister of the leader of the Democratic People's Party (DNP). Milan Knežević.
He is also from the same party Jelena Kljajević who was elected as the president of the Board of Directors of this company by the Government in March. Kljajević was president of OO DNP Bijelo Polje, then director of National Parks. She was dismissed from that position at the end of 2021. The reason for her dismissal was, according to the Government's explanation, a negative opinion on the legality of her work and business results, and the blocking of the company's account due to unscrupulous operations. However, this did not prevent her from progressing and performing state functions.
Kljajević receives a compensation of 598 euros for chairing the Board of Directors of ŽI, and an additional 1.000 for his work in the state-owned company Budvanska Riviera.
Another railway company is on the list of losers - Maintenance of railway rolling stock AD Podgorica, which has 189 employees and is recording an increasing loss from year to year - half a million euros in 2021, 2022 thousand in 873, and 908 thousand euros last year.
At the end of February of this year, he was appointed as the executive director Goran Đurković, receives a salary of 1.386 euros. His predecessor, the previous executive director Dragana Lukšić she was appointed assistant to the Minister of Transport for railway transport.
The government recently appointed a dominantly party Board of Directors in this company as well - Predrag Burzanović (NSD), Tom Đonaj (AA), Bojan Babić (Workers' Party), Radovan Mujović, as an expert, and Igor Rackovic on behalf of minority shareholders.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors, Predrag Burzanović, receives a compensation of 632 euros. He is the director of the "Marko Miljanov" elementary school, a professor of physical education, who graduated in political science and has a master's degree in international relations and international security. At the beginning of 2022, the public got to know him through insults addressed to the then MP Draginja Vuksanović. After the criticism, he stated that he "repented in a way".
Montecargo AD Podgorica, whose main activity is the transportation of goods (cargo) in international and domestic rail transport, and which has 321 employees, is also in the red. The minus in 2022 was 10 million, in 2023 it fell to 602 thousand euros. Executive Director Dušanka Dragojević receives a salary of 1.783 euros. He is the President of the Board of Directors Miroslav Brajović, fee 789 euros. Brajović, who is an official of NSD, in addition to presiding over this company, is also an advisor to the director of Railway Transport of Montenegro.
From the list of losers of state-owned enterprises, the Fund for Innovations of Montenegro, which last year operated with a positive zero, comes down. This institution was founded by the Government in June 2021 with the intention of, among other things, promoting cooperation between the scientific and economic sectors. The fund has eight employees, and in the year of establishment it had a loss of 20 thousand euros, in 2022 the minus was reduced to one euro.
The Executive Director of the Fund is Bojana Femić Radosavović with a salary of 1.679 euros. The President of the Board of Directors is a high-ranking official of the Europe Now Movement Vasilije Carapić. For this function, he receives compensation of 712 euros. In Čarapović's property record from March of this year, it is stated that as a councilor in the Assembly of the capital, he also received a monthly allowance of 150 to 200 euros, and as a member of parliament a salary of 1.629 euros. During this year, Čarapić's salary in the Assembly increased to 2.000 euros.
White list
Of the 146,8 million euros plus state enterprises last year, over 104 million refers to the operations of Elektroprivreda and its companies - EPCG 52 million, Montenegrin electric transmission system 35,7 million, Pljevlja coal mine 15 million, Montenegrin electric distribution system (CEDIS) two million.
In February of this year Ivan Bulatović was elected as the executive director of EPCG. Salary information is not yet available, but the employment contract states that he is entitled to a salary of three times the average in this company. He replaced at that place Nikola Rovčanin, a member of the Main Board of the Democrats, whose salary was 3.741 euros. Bulatović has been in the system for a long time, since 2016 he was the director of CEDIS.
Compared to 2020, when it was 961, the number of employees in EPCG increased to 1.124 last year, i.e. by 15 percent. Business results are subject to oscillations and often depend on factors that cannot be influenced, energy prices on the international market, weather conditions and so on.
While DPS was still managing land and state-owned enterprises in 2020, the net result of EPCG's operations was a plus of 16 million, and after taking over power in 2021, the balance would be a plus of 47,5, already in 2022, only 3,9 million, and last year EPCG operated with a record 52 million positive difference in the balance.
Net business results also vary in the Pljeval Coal Mine - in 2020 they were 13 million, then in 2021 they fell to 4,4 million, they rose to 2022 million in 9,4, and last year to 15 million. The number of employees in the mine also increased from 691 in 2020 to 1.168 in 2023, which is almost 50 percent.
Milan Lekic, the head of Pljeval's New Serbian Democracy (NSD), was the executive director of this company, with a salary of 3.295 euros. After that, he assumed the position of president of the Board of Directors of this largest company in Pljevlja, which he held until recently.
Since the beginning of last year, the Montenegrin Prosecutor's Office has been investigating suspicions that the former director of the Coal Mine, Milan Lekić, signed a harmful contract with Elektroprivreda Srbije in May 2022, to which he allegedly sold coal at several times lower than the market price.
Lekić is 11. In October, he had an accident with an official vehicle, which he was driving while drunk. And it wasn't his first time. He resigned.
Like the power companies, the new ruling majority has also networked other state-owned enterprises with its staff.
Aleksandar Dožić, a DNP official, was appointed by the Government in March of this year as the president of the Board of Directors of Monteput. He receives a salary of 1.850 euros.
In the new airline, founded in 2021, TO Montenegro, he is the president of the Board of Directors Tihomir Dragas, member of the Presidency of the Europe Now Movement (PES). There is no information about the amount of salary.
He is at the head of the Public Enterprise for the Management of Marine Assets Mladen Mikijelj, who was elected president of the Municipal Board of NSD Budva in May of this year. Mikijelj receives a salary of 3.200 euros, and in the year when he assumed the position, Morsko dobro had a net result of 29 thousand euros plus, and last year it ended with a significant increase - 2,3 million positive balance. By 2022, Morsko Dobro increased the number of workers by 42 by last year, and now has 102 employees.
Vladimir Čađenović, a member of the Democratic presidency, was elected president of the Board of Directors of CEDIS in March of this year, and before that he was the executive director of this company. There is no information on the amount of compensation, and as a director his salary was over 3.000 euros. This company, majority owned by EPCG, operated with a loss of 2021 million in 9,8, and 2022 million minus in 11,7, and ended last year with a profit of 400.000. During Čađenović's directorship, the number of employees increased from 1.428 in 2021 to 1.721 in 2023, i.e. by about twenty percent.
Jovica Gregović, the leader of the Budva DNP board, since July 2021 is the executive director of the Hotel Group Budvanska Riviera, and Mijomir Pejović, president of the Municipal Board of Demokrat Budva, is the president of the Board of Directors of that company. Gregović receives a salary of EUR 3.784, and Pejović of EUR 3.164. From a minus of over nine million in 2020, the company ended last year with a plus of 1,9 million. The number of workers also increased from 412 in 2022 to 595 in 2023.
Zoran Lakušić, a DNP official, is the president of the Board of Directors of the Montenegrin Coastal Regional Waterworks (RVCP). He has a salary of 3.471 euros, which is higher than the executive director's salary Borislav Ivković which is 3.094.
In March of this year Dusan Masonicic (Democrats) was unanimously elected president of the Board of Directors of the Luka Bar company. His party colleague Nikola Plamenac is the executive director of the company "Sveti Stefan hoteli", to which the city hotel Sveti Stefan and Villa Miločer are registered. She is the president of the Board of Directors Milica Kazanegra from SNP.
He is also the executive director of the Ski Resort of Montenegro from the SNP Djuro Milošević. As of the end of 2021, the company had a minus of 200 thousand in 2022, and in 2023 it would operate with a plus in the same amount.
slađana Adzic Dzakovic, councilor of the Democrats from Plužine, was appointed as the president of the board of directors of Montenegro bonus.
The Montenegrin electricity market operator Podgorica has been reserved for the Bosniak party. The CEO is Mersudin Gredić, member of the Presidency of the Bosniak Party, and his party colleague from Bar in the position of President of the Board of Directors Nermin Škretović.
In March of this year, the Assembly of Shareholders appointed the Board of Directors of Railway Transport (ŽPCG) at the proposal of the Government Tripko Draganić (NSD), Željko Miladinović (DNP), Dejana Konatara (Democrats), Pavlo Popović, as an expert, and Bertanjolika brand, as a minority shareholder. Draganić is the first doctor of science in the field of religious tourism in our region. Draganić is also a poet, the author of several collections, and the founder of the Institute for Serbian Culture from Nikšić, NGO Društvo Banjana "Vladika Sava Kosanović", NGO Društvo "Nikola Tesla"...
Post of Montenegro is another example of the synergy of party and state functions. Dragan Tufegdzic he was the executive director of the Post Office and the president of the Demokrata Bar Municipal Committee until June 2023, when he resigned from all party positions, but remained in the party. His colleague from the Bar was elected to his place in the party, but also in the Post Office Josip Đurašković. Tufegdžić was appointed the ambassador of Montenegro to Slovenia this year.
The president of the Board of Directors of the Post Office is a member of the SNP Igor Bulatović. The number of employees in this company increased from 988 in 2020 to 1.189 in 2023. The net result in 2020 was a positive 842 thousand euros, and last year it was only 126 thousand euros.
Donations mainly for sports and SPC
Although they should transparently display information on sponsorships, donations and gifts, only a small number of state-owned enterprises do so.
Morsko dobro is one of the companies that every year allocates large sums for this purpose and transparently displays them. In 2023, out of a total of 273 donations, the largest part went to sports clubs: FK Petrovac received 40.000 euros, and OFK Grbalj and Water Polo and the Swimming Association of Montenegro 20.000 each. Donations of 10.000 euros each were received by FK Otrant and the Volleyball Association of Montenegro. Morsko dobro gave the same amount to the monastery of St. Archangel Michael on Prevlaka, while the Diocese of Budimljansko-Niššić received 3.000 euros, the monastery in Kosierevo 2.500, and the Franciscan monastery in Petrovac 7.967.
Donations for 2023 are not available on the CEDIS website. In 2022, this company distributed a total of 187 thousand euros. The largest donations of 30.000 went to the Water Polo and Swimming Association, 25.000 to the Clinical Center of Montenegro (KCCG), and 10.000 euros to the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. CEDIS also allocated aid for religious buildings, but only the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC): Duga-Bioče monastery 1.500, Duljevo monastery 4.990, Ćelija Piperska monastery 2.500, Archpriest Presbytery of Herzegnov 1.000, Church board of the Church of St. Nicholas 1.000, Church board of the Vasova church Nožica 700, 4.000 to the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral.
Other state-owned enterprises also sponsor mainly religious buildings of the SPC and organizations of this religious community. During the last year, the regional water supply allocated 11.280 for donations, in individual amounts from 100 to 300 euros. 200 euros each were donated to the Dujevo Monastery, the Saint George Monastery, the Kolašina Parish, and the St. Michael's Choir in Budva.
They have a similar practice in the ski resorts of Montenegro, so donations from 100 to 300 euros in 2022 reached a total of 12.000. The Brotherhood of Orthodox Youth "Sveti Dimitrije" received 300 euros from this company.
The Radio Diffusion Center (RDC) gave 2023 euros for sponsorships in 12.200. School associations, schools, non-governmental organizations received donations from 100 to 400 euros. Individually, the largest donation of 850 euros was received by the Diocese of Budimljansko Nikšićka - the Church Committee of the Nikšićka Parish, followed by the Construction Committee for the construction of the Serbian Orthodox Church, 450 euros.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center "Tehnopolis" DOO Nikšić distributed 2.330 euros during the past year. The Nikšić Theater received the most, 500 euros, followed by the NGO Charitable Foundation of the Metropolis of Montenegrin and Littoral Philanthropy, 300 euros.
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