Officials, members and supporters of the Albanian Forum are in Ulcinj today in support of the protest against wrong, unjust and harmful decisions, the coalition, a member of the Government, announced.
"Not silently accepting injustice and resisting brute force for centuries has been a characteristic of the people of this region that we are all proud of," the statement reads.
DON'T MISS IT
Three associations called for a protest
The Association of Beach Tenants, the Ada Bojana Association and the Restaurant Association previously called on the citizens of Ulcinj to a peaceful protest today in front of the premises of the Coastal Authority in Ulcinj, starting at 10 am.
They are demanding that the government's "hasty decision" to announce a tender for the lease of bathing areas and facilities in the coastal zone be annulled, without consulting local governments and businesspeople.
After the gathering, the protest participants will peacefully march from the Coastal Zone office to the Municipality building, in order to jointly express their dissatisfaction with the "harmful and illegitimate decisions" of the Government and the Coastal Zone.
"We oppose the hasty decision of the Government of Montenegro to announce a tender for the lease of bathing areas and facilities in the Coastal Zone through an electronic session, without consulting local governments and businessmen. The decision to drastically increase lease prices by up to 300% jeopardizes the business of leaseholders, increases the prices of tourist services and threatens to destroy the tourism sector of Ulcinj and Montenegro. The decision calls into question the survival of Ada Bojana as a recognizable tourist destination, because unbearable financial conditions are imposed on leaseholders. This decision directly threatens the existence of thousands of families who live from tourism, making Montenegro uncompetitive compared to other countries in the region. The criterion of impunity for leaseholders is being deleted from tenders, which opens the door to individuals from criminal structures and calls into question the security and credibility of Montenegrin tourism," the association said in a joint statement.
The government, they say, is ignoring the views of all the presidents of coastal municipalities, who have spoken out against this lease model and requested an extension of the contract under the previous terms.
They demand the immediate withdrawal of the decision to launch a tender under these conditions and the return of the lease system to realistic frameworks; the protection of the tourist industry of Ulcinj and other coastal towns from "unrealistic price increases"; and that decisions on the marine domain be made in cooperation with local governments and businesspeople, and not through unilateral decisions by the Government.
They also demand a transparent and fair leasing system, which "will not favor criminal structures and question the security of the tourism sector."
"This is not just a fight between tenants - this is a fight for the survival of tourism in Montenegro. Let's not allow what we have been building for decades to be destroyed," wrote the Association of Beach Tenants, the Ada Bojana Association and the Restaurant Association.
Bonus video:
