The north will receive almost 12 million euros, the south two and a half - municipal revenues from fees for the use of natural resources in 2024.

Montenegrin municipalities earned around 14,5 million euros in revenue from fees for the use of natural resources and goods of general interest last year, according to data provided to Vijesti by the Ministry of Finance. Of this, six coastal municipalities received 2.627.005 euros, or 18 percent, while the remaining 11,8 million went to central and northern local governments.

According to the Law on Local Self-Government Financing, a municipality is assigned 70 percent of revenues from concessions and other goods of general interest located on its territory, except for revenues from concession fees for the use of the port, 50 percent of which is assigned to the municipality in which it is located.

According to this regulation, goods of general interest are natural resources (ores, water, sand, gravel, stone and other goods created by nature), goods in general use (roads, squares, waterways, ports, airports, city parks and others), as well as other goods of general interest (cultural goods, construction land, agricultural land, forests and forest lands, specially protected reserves and habitats of endangered or protected species of animals, plants and other goods in accordance with the law, except for the marine area).

The Municipality of Pljevlja had the highest revenue from fees for the use of natural resources and goods of general interest in 2024, almost 3,5 million euros. Of this, 1.691.171 euros were for the use of forests, and 1.550.212 euros were for the use of mineral resources (Coal Mine).

Nikšić follows with around 2,2 million, and last year this municipality received the most from water use, around 1,6 million euros, and mineral wealth, around 500 thousand euros.

Among the northern municipalities, Plužine (861.963 euros), Rožaje (854.255), Bijelo Polje (771.219), Mojkovac (634.677) and Berane (520 thousand) also had significant revenues from fees for the use of natural resources.

Of the coastal municipalities, Bar had the highest revenue from fees for the use of natural resources, 1,29 million euros. Of this, 523.233 euros were for fees for the use of mineral resources, and 689.925 euros for port use.

Kotor generated around 872 thousand euros in revenue (almost all from fees for the use of mineral raw materials), Herceg Novi 212,6 thousand euros (mostly for the use of mineral raw materials), Budva and Tivat around 109 thousand euros each, and Ulcinj 30,3 thousand euros.

No coastal municipality received any income from the use of the maritime domain. The southern municipalities requested that they manage the maritime domain on their own territory, instead of the Public Enterprise (PE) for Maritime Domain Management (Morsko dobro). After that, on June 26, a proposal for amendments to the Maritime Domain Law was included in the Assembly agenda.

The changes envisage the transformation of JP Morsko dobro, headed by Mladen Mikijelj (New Serbian Democracy - NSD) into a limited liability company (doo), established by the Government.

It is proposed that the municipality "regularly manage the coastal zone on its territory", which includes, among other things, adopting plans for the organization and use of bathing areas with service facilities, the use of ports of local importance, piers, moorings, pontoons..., as well as adopting a program for temporary facilities in the coastal zone, managing protected natural resources of local importance in the coastal zone, implementing the procedure for granting the coastal zone for use, organizing ferry transport in inland sea waters, implementing the procedure for granting concessions in a port of local importance...

The amendments to the law are opposed by deputies from the NSD and the Democratic People's Party (DNP), who did not vote for the proposal to be included in the parliamentary agenda. The proposal was signed by deputies Ilir Chapuni (Albanian Alliance), Mehmed Zenka (Democratic Union of Albanians), Artan Chobi (Albanian forum), Amer Smailovic (Bosniak Party) i Momcilo Leković (Democrats).

In response, the initiative of the first man of Nikšić arrived. Marko Kovačević (NSD) who announced on June 30 that municipalities like Pljevlja, Plužine, Rožaje and others should take a clear stance on the issue of managing their natural and economic resources.

He also said that he plans to initiate talks on this issue with the mayors of these municipalities, one of which is ruled by the NSD - Pljevlja. The initiative was supported by his party colleagues, the mayor of Pljevlja Municipality Dario Vranes and NSD MP Jelena Božović.

Executive Director of Action for Social Justice (ASP) Ines Mrdovic, assesses that the initiative is political pressure from the head of the NSD and the Parliament Andrije Mandić that JP Morsko dobro remains in its current organizational form. He recalls that for years coastal municipalities have been dissatisfied with the fact that this company collects income from beach rentals, and then decides from that money where and how much to invest in which coastal municipality.

"However, it does not seem realistic that the company will be completely closed down. Especially since it operates the Kamenari - Lepetane ferry. At the end of 2022, this company had 60 employees, and at the end of last year 200, which is mostly related to the ferry line and it is realistic to expect that it will retain some of its previous jobs," Mrdović told Vijesti.

She states that the leaders of northern municipalities dissatisfied with their income should propose changes to concession and tax laws, so that they can receive more money. But, she adds, it is completely wrong if, for example, someone believes that Elektroprivreda (EPCG) is owned by the municipalities of Nikšić, Plužine and Pljevlja because the Perućica hydroelectric power plant is located in Nikšić, Piva in Plužine, and the Thermal Power Plant in Pljevlja.

"Those municipalities did not build energy facilities and are not their owners, but rather this state and its citizens, because through electricity bills they were the ones who repaid all the construction loans, but also paid (and are paying) concession and other revenues to those same local governments (and all others) for using their water, mining, and spatial resources to produce electricity and supply us citizens," said Mrdović, adding that these are essentially "politically incoherent initiatives."

Kovačević, as reported by Radio-Television Nikšić, said at the end of June that if coastal municipalities are fighting for the JP Morsko dobro to no longer exist and for them to individually manage the coast of Montenegro, and if someone is thinking in that direction of allowing them to do so, then they should take into account that "our municipalities should manage the resources of the current EPCG, forests, waters, mineral resources and other resources that belong to these regions."

Municipalities received 2023 million euros from fees in 18,6

Municipalities generated 2023 million euros in revenue from fees for the use of natural resources and goods of general interest in 18,6. Of this, coastal municipalities generated around 1,6 million euros.

Pljevlja received the most in 2023 - around 5,9 million, followed by Nikšić 3,2 million, Rožaje two million, Bijelo Polje 906 thousand, Plužine 721,5 thousand, Kolašin 710 thousand...

Of the coastal municipalities, Bar had the highest revenue, slightly over a million euros. Kotor generated 186 thousand euros, Herceg Novi 181 thousand, Tivat 151,2 thousand, Budva 28,9 thousand, and Ulcinj 24,9 thousand euros.