Komnenović: We do not agree to the Government reducing our share of the airport concession fee

The President of the Municipality of Tivat, Željko Komnenović, announced that the municipality will not agree to any reduction in its share of the compensation that Montenegro would potentially receive from the concession of its airports.

The current Law on Financing Local Self-Governments stipulates that municipalities will receive 70 percent of concession and other fees, and the Government, in the amendments to that law adopted at its session on Thursday, proposes that the amount of 75 percent of the revenue from the fixed part of the concession fee for the use of airports represents "earmarked revenue" and be used for the implementation of infrastructure projects of strategic importance in the territory of the municipality where the airport subject to the concession is located. However, based on this proposal, it is not clear who will dispose of 75 percent of the revenue from the concession of the airports in Zeta and Tivat and how they will be distributed, i.e. to which projects.

Last year, the government had already proposed that the municipalities of Tivat and Zeta receive 30 percent of the airport concession, and the state take 70 percent, which was opposed by the mayor of Zeta, Mihailo Asanović, and his colleague from Tivat, Željko Komnenović. After strong reactions from the two municipalities, the cabinet of Prime Minister Milojko Spajić abandoned the idea, but yesterday the government suddenly adopted amendments to the Law on Financing Local Self-Government, which once again bring into focus the way money from the airport concession fee that would eventually be paid to the state by a foreign long-term lessee of the airports in Zeta and Tivat.

Komnenović said that the management of the Municipality of Tivat "was not informed about the motives and details of the changes to the legal solutions regarding the financing of local self-government and the definition of concession fees."

"As a local government, we did not participate in these changes. Understanding the current political situation in the country and understanding the position of the Municipality of Zeta, on whose territory Podgorica Airport is located, Tivat wants to preserve the public interest and ensure the dynamics of investments in infrastructure facilities that the city lacks," he said.

He pointed out that they received "assurances from the Government of Montenegro that the proposed changes will not reflect the essence of the idea of ​​directing the fixed part of the concession fee for the infrastructure needs of the municipality on whose territory the subject of the concession is located, in this case we are talking about Tivat Airport as the subject of the concession."

"The government is aware of our position that we will not agree to any reduction in the amount compared to what we are entitled to under existing legal solutions," said the Tivat mayor.

Komnenović emphasized that the leadership of the Municipality of Tivat will "insist and fight for these funds to be legally secured and directed towards improving communal and other missing infrastructure in our city."

"We have nothing against investing the funds from the concession in a new school, playgrounds, sports fields, roads and all the facilities that Tivat needs," he concluded.