The increased inspection supervision during the tourist season, which begins to be implemented from Thursday, will affect the improvement of the quality of the country's entire offer and provide tourists with a quality service, said the director of the Directorate for Inspection Affairs, Božidar Vuksanović.
He said that the implementation of increased supervision during the tourist season affects the increase in the number of legally employed persons, the collection of budget and local revenues and the number of registered companies.
"Also, we are making progress with the registration of goods and services in circulation, issuing invoices, and paying for daily purchases. All this affects the improvement of the quality of the entire tourist offer of our country. Our goal is to provide tourists and citizens with a quality tourist service, so that Montenegro is a well-known tourist destination," said Vuksanović in an interview with the Mina-business agency.
He reminded that the subjects of supervision are already well acquainted with their work, so he hopes that this summer they will have less work, that is, that the subjects of supervision will operate in accordance with the stipulated regulations, which is also the purpose of implementing enhanced inspection supervision.
"The Administration carries out enhanced surveillance in accordance with its Program of Enhanced Surveillance in the tourist season this year, which is based on experiences from previous seasons. Therefore, we are starting ready with the aim of improving our work even more this year", said Vuksanović.
As he explained, the Coordination Team of the Administration was formed for the implementation of enhanced surveillance in the tourist season, which will direct and coordinate the work of inspections. The members of that team are chief inspectors of individual inspections of the Administration, and its headquarters are in Budva.
At the meetings of the Coordination Team, which are held once a week, the dynamics of planned activities are specified and proposals for solving priority issues are determined. These meetings are also attended by the heads of communal police of all coastal municipalities, as well as a representative of the Public Enterprise for the Management of Marine Assets, as well as other relevant associates.
"We will focus in particular on increased controls on the placement of temporary facilities in the marine property zone, the legality of employment and labor relations, controls on the employment of foreigners, the fulfillment of the conditions for the performance of catering facilities, trade, issuing fiscal invoices in catering and trade, including the control of origin and records the origin of goods, sanitary and hygienic conditions in catering and facilities for collective accommodation, such as hotels", specified Vuksanović.
He stated that from June 1 until the end of August, inspectors will be present on the ground every day in coastal municipalities and recognized tourist centers in the north.
"Already on May 1st, we started increased surveillance on the coast by means of mobile teams. Thus, in the period from May 1 to 15, the Sanitary Inspection carried out increased supervision in facilities for collective accommodation, that is, hotels and resorts, in the part of controlling sanitary and hygienic conditions", stated Vuksanović.
The market inspection carried out supervision regarding compliance with the prescribed obligations of companies in the part of submitting trade and craft reports to the competent authorities, keeping prescribed records on the purchase and sale of goods, highlighting the prices of products and services, including comparing the highlighted with established prices, as well as issuing invoices.
All inspections, as he added, took the prescribed measures for the identified irregularities.
Vuksanović, speaking about the number of engaged inspectors during the intensified inspection supervision, said that it will be carried out through domiciled and engaged inspectors from the Tourism, Market, Labor Inspection, Health and Sanitary, Space Protection Inspection, who will be present daily in Ulcinj, Bar, Budva , Tivat, Kotor and Herceg Novi, as well as in mountain tourist centers.
"Depending on the situation on the ground and the problems that will arise, we will include other inspections in the enhanced surveillance if necessary. It is planned that there will be around 90 inspectors on the coast who will be present on the ground every day", specified Vuksanović.
For all citizens of Montenegro, as well as for tourists, the Administration's call center is available, 080 555 555, through which everyone can report irregularities on the ground or apply for the protection of their rights, and inspectors, according to already established practice, based on of received initiatives to carry out inspection supervision.
"Citizens also have the option of direct communication with the Administration through their address to the inspectors in the offices of the Coordination Team in all coastal municipalities, where they can receive specific advice from the inspectors," Vuksanović said.
He said that they try to be at the service of citizens and tourists at all times, thereby contributing to greater security and improvement of the country's tourist offer.
Vuksanović, answering the question whether he thinks that the number of inspectors is sufficient, said that capacity building is something that is always necessary, especially when it comes to inspection services. However, with coordinated work and effective action, the set goals can always be achieved, which they prove.
"As one of the very successful methods of work in the Directorate for Inspection Affairs, is the teamwork of inspectors, that is, the implementation of joint controls by two to three inspectors from different inspections. The teams were formed depending on the problems on the ground and the type of activity that is the subject of supervision", explained Vuksanović.
Also, joint activities are organized with municipal police officers, local revenue collection inspectors, officers of the Public Enterprise for the Management of Marine Assets, members of the Police Administration, including inspectors for foreigners as well as the navigation unit. In addition to the daily team work of inspectors, ad hoc mobile teams are also organized to carry out supervision in other tourist centers.
"The results that were achieved during the past season are just more proof that we were on the right track when it comes to coordination and the implementation of enhanced inspection supervision," said Vuksanović.
In the course of intensified supervision, inspections conducted 18,31 thousand inspection controls and found 9,96 thousand irregularities. Due to committed violations, inspectors issued 7,48 thousand violation orders in the amount of 2,53 million euros.
Vuksanović, answering the question of what are the Administration's activities against the suppression of the gray economy, said that one of the priorities is the implementation of inspection supervision, whereby 14 inspections have been engaged to suppress this phenomenon.
"At the beginning of May, the joint supervision of the Market, Labor Inspectorate, Forestry and Tax Inspectorate began at entities engaged in cutting and processing wood. Those inspections carried out surveillance in Pljevlje, Nikšić, Plužine, Bijelo Polje and Žabljak, while activities are ongoing or will start in the next days in Berane, Rožaje, Andrijevica, Plav, Mojkovac and Kolašin. "Joint inspection supervision was carried out at 27 entities engaged in cutting and processing wood", said Vuksanović.
According to him, special attention is paid to the suppression of illegal work, i.e. employment without an employment contract and application for mandatory social insurance.
"We also pay attention to the suppression of illegal work by formal employees, which includes unpaid work of legally employed people in part of their rights from and based on work - payment of wages and payment of contributions for mandatory social security, overtime, night work and work on national and religious holidays" , added Vuksanovic.
Precisely with the aim of suppressing these forms of the gray economy, the effects achieved in the field of employment and labor relations were reflected in the increased number of legally employed, which affects the reduction of the unemployment rate, as well as in the inflow of budget funds based on the payment of contributions for mandatory social insurance.
"Inspections carry out continuous activities in other areas where the gray economy has been observed, and I am sure that through coordinated work we will contribute to the suppression of this phenomenon", concluded Vuksanović.
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