The Committee on Economy, Finance and Budget gave its opinion on the Bill on Ratifying the Agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and referred it to the parent Committee on International Relations and Emigrants.
After a session lasting several hours, the Economic Committee determined that the agreements with the UAE do not currently require additional money from the state treasury, and that the specific impact of the agreement on the state treasury will be determined after the locations for the projects are determined.
"The Committee was informed that the law is being proposed with the aim of establishing a legal framework for intensifying cooperation in the field of tourism and real estate development, with a focus on specific projects in the north and south. Furthermore, it is not necessary to provide funds in the budget for the implementation of this law, and that the fiscal impact assessment will be done subsequently in relation to the contracts that will be concluded after determining the specific locations of the projects," said the Chairman of the Committee, Boris Mugoša, and emphasized that this is their opinion, as well as that they are familiar with the opinion of the Ministry of Finance, that additional money will be needed from the state treasury that is not planned in the budget for this year, nor in the Medium-Term Fiscal Framework and Fiscal Strategy for the period 2024 to 2027.
The Committee session was marked by criticism from the opposition and the NGO sector that the agreement was being rushed into ratification, that valuable state property was being taken at risk, and that the processes were carried out in a non-transparent manner while there was a threat that private property would be seized from citizens.
Although there were breaks, the session of this Committee lasted almost ten hours.
They want to send Spajić into retirement.
The President of the Municipality of Ulcinj, Genci Nimanbegu, said that they are defending themselves from attacks by the executive and now the legislative branches, but also that such laws violate property rights and competition, so he is disappointed in Montenegro.
"I swore one thing, I will send Milojko Spajić to retirement. He should be sent to retirement as soon as possible, let him go to Singapore and sell what he has earned there, not what we have to leave to our children," he said.
Democratic Union of Albanians MP Mehmed Zenka stated that there is now talk that the project in Ulcinj is not planned, even though government representatives came to that city to present it, and that the investor is not mentioning other locations either. He claims that through agreements, the investor is exempted from many payments, while competition is being distorted…
"Those ten, 20 billion will be earned through these 2,5 billion. If you give that land, he can take out loans through that land. In that area, 250.000 housing units will be obtained," said Zenka, adding that investor Muhamed Alabar has already received 3.000 complaints about the project in Albania.
Milka Tadić Mijović, director of the Center for Investigative Reporting in Montenegro (CIN-CG), said that according to the prime minister, tens of billions of euros in investments can be expected in Montenegro, and asked whether the country is becoming the eighth Emirate or a member of the European Union. She pointed out that the value of the three largest projects in Montenegro is around two billion, and that the investor has numerous accusations around the world, including for money laundering and other scandals.
"The agreement is worse than any signed by the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS). This agreement is a criminal act, it is not passed in the middle of the night unless someone has a vested interest in doing this. This will be the beginning of the fight, the whole of Montenegro will rise up and we will not give up our territory. Rama gave Durres because Alabar promised two and a half billion in investments in Durres, and he needs to relocate the Durres port, which was financed by the EU, and he needs to prepare the entire infrastructure for Alabar, so that he can sell real estate. I am sure that these gentlemen who signed the agreement will be held criminally accountable because this government will not last forever. You are already losing in all elections," she said, adding that she thought there was no government hungrier than the DPS.
Economic analyst and director of Fidelity Consulting Miloš Vuković stressed that there is no fiscal assessment for these agreements, and that Spajić said that Ulcinj will have 50 million euros from this project, while the state will have dividend income in the amount of 500 to 700 million euros. He stated that this will never happen, and that Alabar's investments are significantly lower than promised. He said that the Ministry of Public Works was formed to implement this project.
"This is part of a major legislative reform. The agreement with Serbia has 600 pages and has been negotiated for a year. Alabar has a 1.000-page agreement with Georgia, 300 pages with Turkey... It is a controversial agreement where public procurement is being thrown out. We do not know how much infrastructure costs. The state donates land, expropriates, clears plots, resolves disputes, supplies water, electricity and roads, allows land to be pledged for loans... Who will build when there are no public tenders? Agreements will be made," said Vuković, adding that the state is committing to payments that are not good in fiscal terms.
He claims that the condo hotels will be sold and that the Competition Protection Agency, the NGO sector, and the President of the State, Jakov Milatović, are asking them not to adopt the agreements in this way.
The president of the "Martin Šnajder Jacobi" Association, Zenepa Lika, stated that as an architect she believes that this agreement destroys domestic natural resources, and that she does not understand why the project is being rushed. She emphasized that Velika Plaza is a unique area, so planning must be done extremely carefully, and that she fears the obedience of the deputies.
Environmental activist Aleksandar Dragićević stated that he is convinced that nothing will be built on Velika Plaza without the permission of the local population. He pointed out that trust in institutions is being sought, while the area has been destroyed in the last 20 years, and that no one mentioned Mount Bjelasica and the resale of hotels there, from which Montenegro has had small income.
"The state did not protect itself, we have been dragging ourselves through arbitration courts around the world for years. Now there was no public debate, a parliamentary dictatorship was introduced today and the MPs decided that although the Rules of Procedure were clearly violated - it was not violated. The Prime Minister humiliated not only the citizens and MPs, but also the parliamentary majority because only he knows how he brought the investor and why this agreement is being made. It is also because of the Port of Bar, Durmitor, Bjelasica and we will later pay hundreds of millions of euros for infrastructure. There is no project or vision other than the agreement," said Dragićević, adding that it is more than clear that this is a corruption deal.
DPS MP Mihailo Anđušić stressed that working on Good Friday violates the law, as well as the rights of all employees in the Assembly. Mugoša stated that there is no reason for urgency and for working on Good Friday.
Environmental activist Nataša Kovačević stated that it is not true that everything regarding the agreement was done in accordance with European legislation and that the documents were not even translated properly. She pointed out that Montenegro is planning to join the European Union (EU), but is violating regulations and jeopardizing the EU path due to a lack of urgency. She believes that the European Commission and Parliament will submit a negative opinion on these documents.
Andrijana Mićanović from the Montenegrin Society of Ecologists pointed out that Ulcinj beach is one of the most valuable areas in Montenegro and that the state has committed to preserving it as such, and that the Ulcinj salt pan is being ecologically threatened, and thus the path to the EU. She claims that the agreements erase the efforts already made and that irreparable damage could be caused.
Proponents of the law without concrete answers
Minister of Public Works Majda Adžović emphasized that history does not remember an agreement that has received this much public attention, and that arguments have been separated from politics. She did not specifically respond to questions from MPs and the NGO sector, saying that she would provide answers in the plenary session.
The Special Club of MPs said that the recording of the session should be returned and reviewed because of the way Adžović treats MPs. MP from the Civic Movement URA Miloš Konatar also stated that Adžović's closing statement consisted of several platitudes.
The DPS said that the agreement could be the beginning of the end of the parliamentary majority, because it is against the interests of the local community, citizens and Ulcinj, and that they had not received answers or assurances that the process would be non-transparent.
No more practices from the past
Prime Minister Milojko Spajić announced that the potential for investments through agreements with the UAE is enormous, that he cannot guarantee, but that more than 35 billion euros could be invested in Montenegro through them.
Spajić commented on the speed of adoption of these agreements and stated that he will be in the United States next week, and that he expects the Parliament to have new work to do by then. He pointed out that the agreement is transparent and publicly announced, but that he did not hear a single argument in the committees that could accept it...
"The practices of the past, not consulting the parliament, the local community, will never be repeated. I understand that many are afraid of the process of cooperation with the UAE because some security-related information could surface that would not be desirable to those who are in politics now or were before. Do I guarantee 35 billion? I cannot guarantee it, but the agreements allow us to attract these investments, and the potential is to attract over 35 billion... 35 billion is a conservative figure and I am convinced that it can be higher. I cannot guarantee for the UAE, but the potential is enormous," he stressed, adding that the investments do not go into the state coffers, but into the economy and GDP.
He stressed that the Chinese side did not pay excise duties and VAT for the highway, and that this will not be the case now. He claims that concrete figures and investments will be obtained through agreements, and then a dialogue can be held.
"We have denied the market a match"
DPS MP Mihailo Andjušić said that MPs in the Parliament will debate all night due to speed and lack of transparency, especially on the eve of the holiday. He claims that the same promises for speed were made in the case of Velje Brdo and the announced investments from Japan.
"My problem is related to the lack of a public tender. Someone might invest 50 billion, we have denied the open market a game. What is the black pain of doing this until six in the morning and not next week? I think we have a lot of unprincipledness... There are a million ambiguities here, there has not been a day without some contradiction," he said and asked Nimanbegu whether he would leave the Government if the project in Ulcinj is implemented.
The Bosniak Party said that there is talk of non-transparency while this topic has been discussed in parallel for the past month, and that there are no projects or concrete plans yet. He pointed out that this is a great opportunity for the north.
Nimanbegu stated that such agreements are throwing Albanians out of power, and that as a minority they have assessed that they should be part of it, but that he does not agree with that. He emphasized that he thinks so at the moment, that there is no good coalition agreement and because everything is being done in a "paff paff" system.
"I'm here because someone gave Alabaru my phone number. In this case, the lack of transparency is so great and the process is such that it deserves us all to be on our toes. This man is the prime minister and his mistakes are colossal, he will endanger us all. He talks about a megaproject at meetings on 20 million square meters and the project is presented as if it were in Egypt," said Nimanbegu, adding that the Ulcinj Municipality has made the process transparent, and that investors will be able to choose which land to take tomorrow.
Konatar said that the call for dialogue after the signing of the agreement was not transparent, and asked how Spajić knows that the investments will be worth 35 billion if the location of the projects is not known. He reiterated that it is not known who drinks and who pays. URE also stated that all questions would have been resolved if there had been a public debate and that laws were urgently adopted due to Spajić's trip, and that he had started the whole story around Velika Plaza.
Mugoša stated that not a single letter in the agreement can be changed, and that the whole story is a humiliation of the parliament and citizens. He asked how real estate development is economic cooperation, and he also disputed the norm from the contract that concerns the public interest, because he believes that it should not be included in a document with a private person.
Europe Now (PES) MP Tonći Janović also pointed out that Ulcinj is not mentioned in the documents, and that this is only the first step towards investments. He called on everyone to submit justified suspicions about cigarette smuggling to the prosecutor's office, and that there will be no suspension of all domestic laws. His colleague Jelena Nedović stressed that there will be no sale of state land.
"Belgrade on the Water" is incomparable
Executive Director of the Network for the Affirmation of the Non-Governmental Sector (MANS), Vanja Ćalović Marković, said that through the Bill on the Confirmation of the Agreement between Montenegro and the UAE, and subsequent construction, the application of the same model as in the case of the "Belgrade on the Water" project is planned.
As Ćalović Marković claims, in the future a company would be formed in which the state would invest in the land while the investor Muhamed Alabar would build apartments.
"Serbia has less than 800 million from "Belgrade on the Water", where apartments worth 10 million euros were sold. Is that what the Prime Minister is promising? The state received 10 million in four years or less than four apartments, because they are priced fabulously because a large part of the money is laundered through that housing construction, according to that arrangement. "Belgrade on the Water" is incomparable with what you are planning here," she said, adding that all problems could be eliminated if legal and amendment actions could be taken, but that this is not possible with the signed agreement.
Ćalović Marković asked what the specific value of the investment is, how the money will flow into the state treasury, how much will be paid for restitution, because she believes that there are no funds in the budget for this process, so citizens will have to seek justice in court...
Minister of Public Works Majda Adžović said that the agreements foresee several areas for cooperation with the UAE, and that the cooperation has been expanded compared to the document from 2011. She pointed out that the agreement foresees the development of projects in the north and south of Montenegro. Adžović said that the opinion of the Ministry of Finance states that the money will be provided when needed, but that the specific location of the project is not yet known.
She said this after Mugoša pointed out that in the agreements themselves there are differences of opinion between the Government and the Ministry of Finance, regarding the level of spending of money from the state treasury.
It was heard from the PES parliamentary group that there is nothing controversial in any article of the agreement, and that the processes are being prejudged, so the agreements will go through the parliamentary procedure.
Call for dialogue after signing
The URE parliamentary group stated that this decision could affect the next four generations of citizens. They reiterated that they are not against investment or development, but that they are against the way this decision is being implemented.
"The Prime Minister himself and Mandić said that we have one of the largest investments ahead of us, and then we are trying to believe in the goodwill of the Prime Minister and the investors, without public debate, without involving the academic and wider social community. We just want everything to be transparent and for the laws of Montenegro to be respected. I think everyone here knows what we are talking about," emphasized Miloš Konatar, adding that he no longer knows what argument he can use to influence the parliamentary majority.
He pointed out that Spajić called on the parties to dialogue after he had already signed the agreements with the UAE. He asked the MPs whether they would give the property to someone who had been caught lying 100 times, that is, he did not understand why ownership was being given to all citizens in Montenegro. He stated that there was talk that the locations for the projects were unknown, while investor Muhamed Alabar was talking about chicken sellers in Ulcinj, and that apartments were being planned in a place where their construction was prohibited, and that it was a protected area.
PES MP Jelena Nedović stressed that URE's statements were manipulative because the agreement does not mention specific locations or the size of the project, and she also asked where the transparency was when Dritan Abazović's government signed a similar contract for investments on Ulcinj's Mavrijan hill. She stressed that she would leave the government if the agreement with the UAE had anything to do with smuggling.
Konatar explained that Abazović's government signed a memorandum that had no negative consequences, and not an agreement that is stronger than domestic legislation and could cause problems. He emphasized that the value of the investment has now also changed, meaning that Prime Minister Milojko Spajić's claims of 35 billion euros contradict those of the investor himself and the ministers.
"If we take ten random things he said, at least six or seven will not be true. This is not a matter of belief, this is the property of all citizens."
New Serbian Democracy MP Dejan Đurović stated that due to the Spatial Plan, he is not sure that an investment of this type will be able to be included in Ulcinj, and that land sales have been made in the case of "Porto Montenegro" and Maljevik, which were given for 90 years, as well as "Montrose" for 99 years.
DPS will not provide support
DPS MP Nikola Rakočević said that this club in the Parliament will not support these agreements, because the documents are controversial.
Rakočević said that they were only informed yesterday that the Government wanted to expand the Parliament's agenda, and that transparency of the process had again been avoided due to urgency. He announced that the agreement would not be supported in the Parliament due to lack of transparency and poor communication with the public. He said that they were happy that investments were finally being discussed.
"From 2020 to today, it is difficult to list even one project that has been started, but it is easy to list those that have been stopped. What kind of voice and image does Montenegro send to the world today? The north and the development of the north depend on projects. We can hardly remember a single foreign investment in the last five years," he added, pointing out that "Montenegro Airlines" was shut down, Sveti Stefan was closed, the expansion of the "Porto Novi and Montenegro" projects was stopped, production at the Aluminum Plant was shut down...
Rakočević pointed out that all of this has led to Montenegro being ranked 83rd in economic freedom, meaning that it is in last place in the region and is ranked much lower than in 2019. He pointed out that the level of investment in GDP is also falling.
PES MP Jelena Nedović stressed that Montenegro ranked 67th on the list of economic freedoms this year, while the indices were worse when the DPS was in power. Nedović stressed that she objects to the procedures for adopting the agreement, although Spajić had meetings with representatives of the Municipality of Ulcinj. Nedović claims that everything was done transparently because dialogue was conducted with all parliamentary groups...
Bonus video:
