The "K7" cable car will not operate this winter tourist season either, as another 145.200-euro tender by "Ski Resorts of Montenegro" for the urgent rehabilitation and stabilization of the soil near its pole failed. Like the previous one, this one was also canceled because there were no interested bidders, so the state-owned company will look for a contractor again in May.
This was officially stated to "Vijesti" by the "Ski Resorts of Montenegro", which are managed by Bojan Medenica.
The "K7" cable car, in which the state invested nine million euros, was damaged in the spring of 2024 during construction work on private plots of land owned by the company "Ski resort Kolašin 1450". Zoran Ćoć BećirovićThe six-seater cable car that connects the state and private ski resort has not been operational since then, which is why half of the ski slopes are not accessible.
At the end of November last year, "Ski resort Kolašin 1450" announced that they had invested nearly 400.000 euros in the repair of pillar number 4, and they also accused "Skijališta" of lack of cooperation, negative campaigning and avoiding presenting the facts regarding the repair of the cable car to the public. They have previously claimed that the "K7" cable car was installed outside the planning document and that they are not to blame for the damage to the pillar.
The Board of Directors of "Skijalište" said at the time that these allegations were false, and they also stated that a private individual had issued a tender for this job, but that the contractor had not been selected, so they suspected their intentions. They claim that they informed the Ministry of Tourism about this, asked the state to get involved and take over solving the problem, and so they issued the tender themselves.
"The second tender for the rehabilitation of the land near the "K7" cable car pole was not formally canceled, but no bidder applied for it, so we did not receive any bids. For this reason, the job could not be implemented. We plan to announce the third tender in May, because at this point it would have no effect, considering that the works cannot be completed during the current winter season. "Ski Resorts of Montenegro" has the funds planned for the rehabilitation, however, the key problem in the procedures so far was the fact that there were no interested bidders for the second tender. We expect that the next tender will create the conditions for the implementation of the planned works," said "Ski Resorts".
The first tender for the rehabilitation of the land around the cable car lasted from November 19 to December 5 last year, and the second from December 24 to January 12.
When asked what results they expect this season, given that the "Kolašin 1600" ski center celebrated its first ski day on January 11th, "Skijalište" stated that their business results in the next two months and the entire winter season depend on the amount of natural snow - but that they have reason for optimism and expect success.
"Skijališta" was also left without 150.000 euros for the preparation of the winter season at the Kolašin 1600 ski center, which was provided to them by the Ministry of Tourism, after the Agency for the Protection of Competition (AZK) assessed that this aid was not in line with applicable regulations. In the decision, they stated that "Skijališta" would gain an economic advantage over its competitors with this payment.
The information submitted by the Board of Directors of the Ski Resort to the Ministry of Tourism states that this money is needed for servicing equipment, repairing ski lifts, preparing ski slopes and providing rescue services, so that the Kolašin 1600 ski center can operate safely this winter season.
The Agency, however, assessed that Ski Resorts are operating with significant losses and are considered a company in difficulty, which is why the exceptions that allow state aid for sports and recreational infrastructure cannot be applied to them.
The agency determined that "Skijališta" incurred a loss of more than 220 thousand euros in 2024, thereby losing more than half of the company's share capital, which is one of the key criteria for a company to be considered "in difficulty" under EU state aid rules.
The agency stated that the ski resort business is not a legal monopoly and that it is a market that is by its nature open to competition, which is why state aid may affect market conditions and potential competition, even though foreign operators are not currently operating in Montenegro.
"Skijalište" explained that this decision by the Agency will not affect the money that the Government has already allocated for the repair of the cable car.
"The Competition Protection Agency has given a negative opinion regarding certain financial funds, but this opinion does not apply to the funds intended for the rehabilitation of the "K7" cable car tower. The Agency has given a positive opinion on these funds and they have already been transferred to the "Skijalište" account, so there is no obligation to return them in that regard," said "Skijalište".
The agency determined that Ski Resorts of Montenegro incurred a loss of more than 220 thousand euros in 2024, which resulted in the loss of more than half of the company's share capital, which is one of the key criteria for a company to be considered 'in difficulty' under EU state aid rules.
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