The Mayor of Ulcinj Municipality, Genci Nimanbegu, does not agree with an investor from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) building a large tourist project on the entire Velika Plaza. This position, he claims, is also shared by the city's Municipal Assembly.
He said this after a meeting between Prime Minister Milojko Spajić and six presidents of coastal municipalities, at the Government building. Spajić announced this meeting last week and its goal was to agree on projects that the municipalities can offer to an interested investor from the UAE.
Asked if he would agree to a megaproject being built on the entire Velika Plaza, Nimanbegu stated that he would not agree and that he would submit more projects to the Government.
"I don't, not only me, but the Ulcinj Municipal Assembly doesn't, and that's something that there's no doubt about. We are absolutely not irresponsible and we want to bring investors to the table, and we are grateful to the Government for making it possible, but I don't see where our interests meet. The megaproject seems to be planning the entire Velika Plaza, you have our conclusions from the Assembly and they are clear. For something to be acceptable, it must be sustainable, we can't put all our eggs in one basket. We don't just need tourism, we need other economic sectors because that way we can't allocate the most valuable space for just one reason. The Prime Minister spoke in general terms, but yes, it was about a 99-year or 90-year loan," he explained.
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Nimanbegu, he says, informed Spajić about the position of the Ulcinj Municipal Assembly and stated that they have their own conditions and that if the investor does not accept them - he disqualifies himself. He emphasized that they are not irresponsible to reject a credible investor, but that they will send projects, because they cannot wait.
"We need a bridge on the Bojana, a marina for which I have already done a feasibility study, which is in the city and would serve the citizens and not the investor, we want a highway as soon as possible... For me, this is one in a series of meetings on this topic, I think it is the sixth," Nimanbegu emphasized.
He added that MPs are now deciding on the proposed amendments to the Law on Maritime Domain, and that it is confirmed that the Government does not have time to talk about municipal problems such as tenders for beaches, annexes to those contracts...
Tivat is considering the "Montepranzo" space
The President of the Municipality of Tivat, Željko Komnenović, said that the meeting discussed large investment projects backed by the UAE, and the possibility of their inclusion in the municipalities.
As he emphasized, Tivat is among the smallest municipalities in terms of space and has two or three large investment projects, so the question is - do they have space for that investment?
"Given that opportunities are opening up, I think that Tivat will also show interest through a specific project. We will see whether it will be in the area between Kotor and Tivat, on the former Montepranzo farm or something else. It was said at the meeting that this is an opportunity that rarely arises and that we must take advantage of it, and it was agreed that in the future municipalities would nominate projects if they have any. The Prime Minister announced that this is a large project that focuses on tourism and that an international partner from the UAE is interested in implementing, somewhere from Ulcinj to Herceg Novi. In that sense, the Government will adopt very quickly, as well as its proposal to the Parliament, an agreement that will target a project that will be implemented on the coast and one in the north without specifying the location and let's say the details related to the project that will be created," Komnenović emphasized.
He stated that municipalities are specific, but that the problems are the same, namely delays in adopting planning documentation, property issues, and that because of this they cannot guarantee foreign investors the speed of project implementation, but that they agree that the door should not be closed to investments and that they are ready to be partners with the Government.
Komnenović added that he believes that parliament will not be categorically against the abolition of the jurisdiction of the Coastal Zone.
Marine resources to be the regulator
The President of the Municipality of Budva, Nikola Jovanović, said that at the meeting with Spajić, they expressed a clear position, that the parliamentary majority should support the changes to the law and that Morsko dobro should be transformed into a regulatory agency, while the beaches, as they were until 1992, would return to the jurisdiction of the municipalities.
"This is the position expected by the citizens of the coastal municipalities, who overwhelmingly supported this clearly presented position, and I think that looking back, there was a political will from the majority in the parliamentary majority to vote for it, but that the attitude towards the amendments to these laws will be a real test of whether the parliamentary majority is committed to the European path. That is, whether they will support the principle of decentralization and regionalization through coordinated work and representation of six municipalities. If the Government and the parliamentary majority treat our demands and what the citizens expect, of course we will treat them in the same way," he emphasized.
Jovanović also emphasized that the meeting was useful for plans in the coming period, i.e. signing the framework agreement, and that they are interested in participating.
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