Who governs the craftsmen: Conflicting views on the executive director of the Chamber of Crafts

The Register of Craftsmen began operating on March 1st, and the electronic database in which craftsmen will be registered for the next three months will be managed by the Chamber of Crafts of Montenegro, but there is a dispute over who is at its head.

The Ministry of Economic Development told "Vijesti" that as of September 2023, the chamber will be managed by an executive director. Sanja Đurović, but this is disputed by the Board of Directors of the Public Institution Chamber of Crafts of Montenegro, which claims that she holds that position illegitimately and that Boris Marđonović executive director of the chamber and the non-governmental association, the Chamber of Crafts and Entrepreneurship. Marđonović was previously the director of the Chamber of Crafts, but resigned in 2022, while the board claims that the handover of the position was never made official.

The department he manages Nick Djelosaj and Marđonović have been publicly speaking in conflict for several months about the start of the Register of Craftsmen. The Ministry announced that the database would be operational in March, while Marđonović claimed that craftsmen could pay fines of up to 20.000 euros as early as mid-February for failing to register.

The Parliament adopted amendments to the Crafts Law in July last year, which required the establishment of the Register of Craftsmen within six months. The law officially entered into force on 13 August 2025, meaning that the deadline was 13 February.

In Montenegro, no one currently has data on how many carpenters, plumbers, masons, and other craftsmen work legally, or "on the black market," but it is known that the value of the gray market is enormous and that millions of euros do not end up in the state budget.

The value of the shadow economy in 2024 amounted to 1,5 billion euros, or about 20 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), which amounted to 7,64 billion euros.

The register should provide data on the number and activities of guild members.

The Ministry emphasized that they are responsible for interpreting and supervising the Law on Crafts, and that the status of the responsible person in the Chamber of Crafts of Montenegro is determined based on the internal acts of that body and data entered in the Central Register of Business Entities (CRBS).

"According to officially available data from the CRPS, the function of the Executive Director of the Chamber of Crafts of Montenegro is performed by Sanja Đurović, who was appointed by the competent body of the Chamber - the Board of Directors - at the session held on September 28, 2023, and whose appointment was registered on November 3, 2023. The Statute of the Chamber of Crafts, adopted by the Assembly of the Chamber of Crafts on April 2, 2011, Article 39 stipulates that the Executive Director is appointed, employed and dismissed by the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Crafts. Boris Marđonović is not registered in the CRPS as the Executive Director of the Chamber of Crafts. Considering that the valid acts of the Chamber and the registration in the CRPS clearly determine the person who performs the function of Executive Director, the public representation of another person in that capacity has no legal basis," the Ministry said.

Resignation accepted

The Ministry stated that in the legal system, an authorized person is proven by registration in the register and that this is relevant for determining legitimate representation. They also explained that in a formal and legal sense, legitimate representation and acting on behalf of a company is related to the one who has been appointed by the competent authority and who has been duly registered, and that any other representation does not produce legal effect.

They emphasized that this is solely a matter of formal and legal status, and that they do not limit anyone's right to publicly express their opinions.

When asked who can verify the legality of appointments to the Chamber of Crafts, the Ministry stated that the process can be reviewed through court and other legally prescribed procedures, and that the information in the CRPS ensures legal certainty and the transparency of data on representation.

According to the documentation that "Vijesti" had access to, the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Crafts accepted the resignation of the then director Marđonović in April 2022. The board meeting was chaired by the President of the Chamber of Crafts Ivan Vukcevic, as well as 12 out of a total of 16 members. It is emphasized that at that time a vote was held on Marđonović's idea of ​​merging the NGO Chamber of Crafts and Entrepreneurship and the Chamber of Crafts of Montenegro, while he simultaneously submitted a conditional resignation - in case the merger did not take place.

"The Board of Directors has decided not to accept the merger of the NGO Chamber of Crafts and Entrepreneurship and the Chamber of Crafts of Montenegro with eight votes against, three votes in favor and one abstention. The Board of Directors has decided to accept the resignation of the director of the Chamber of Crafts of Montenegro, with eight votes in favor, three abstentions and no votes against," the explanation of the decision states.

The Board of Directors of the Chamber of Crafts then dismissed the then Executive Director of the Chamber at its meeting on September 28, 2023. Vojislav Delić, because, among other things, as alleged, he did not conscientiously, professionally and timely perform official duties and tasks, did not comply with the Statute, did not employ according to the rules, while also sending threatening messages to Vukčević.

On the same day, Sanja Đurović was appointed executive director of the Chamber of Crafts, but the decision does not state how many votes of support she received.

Đurović allegedly illegitimate

The Board of Directors of the Chamber of Crafts told "Vijesti" that the confusion surrounding administrative registration with the CRPS creates the impression that it is a dispute over a function, and that in fact it is an institutional issue - whether the craft system will function through legally prescribed procedures or through political interventions.

They added that the issue would be resolved through a legal election procedure of all artisans.

"Ms. Đurović is not the legitimate executive director of the Chamber of Crafts. Her registration in the CRPS represents a continuation of the illegitimate change from May 5, 2023, when Vojislav Delić was illegally registered. The documentation on the basis of which the registration was made has been challenged in terms of credibility - the CRPS rejected it twice, and accepted it only on the third attempt, under circumstances that are the subject of the documented complaint. Based on free access to information, we have evidence of falsified and non-statutory decisions that served as the basis for these changes. The Chamber of Crafts has never transferred its function, the Register of Craftsmen, documentation or archives," the committee pointed out.

They said that Marđonović was appointed as the Executive Director by a decision of the Board of Directors on November 12, 2012, and since then he has held the position continuously, honorably and without compensation. They emphasized that on April 11, 2022, he submitted a conditional and revocable resignation, which is due until the election of a new management according to the Statute.

They explained that his resignation was revoked after the Ministry of Economic Development rejected the 2021 Agreement on March 16, 2023, on the basis of which an electoral assembly with a fixed-term mandate was organized, which, they claim, terminated the conditions under which the resignation was submitted.

"The illegitimate faction tried to use this very conditional resignation to bring about change in the CRPS, but two months after its recall, on May 5, 2023. If the goal was really a new leadership, an assembly could have been convened according to the Statute. Instead, the Ministry provided the faction without mandate legitimacy with office space under its auspices and public funds without a public competition. The goal was not personnel changes, but blocking the reform processes initiated by the Chamber - the establishment of the Register of Craftsmen, public authorizations in the field of dual education and master's exams, and strengthening craft self-government," they stated.

When asked on what basis Marđonović presents himself as the executive director of the Chamber of Crafts, whether he was appointed by the Board of Directors and whether he has the legitimacy to perform this function, they emphasized that the legal basis for the board's decision from November 2012 is the registration in the CRPS based on that decision, as well as the fact that, as they say, a legitimate dismissal was never carried out according to the statutory procedure - including the handover of duties.

They added that the CRPS does not decide on the selection of management, but only registers decisions based on submitted documentation, so changes made without statutory legitimacy and based on documentation that the CRPS itself rejected cannot produce legal effect.

"After obtaining evidence of falsified documentation, we decided to resolve the issue through an electoral procedure instead of through lengthy judicial annulment processes, the outcome of which would be identical. We assessed that it was more important to focus energy on the essence - the Law on Crafts, Master Craftsman Qualifications, the Electronic Register, the Economic Report - instead of the controversy generated by the Ministry. For the sake of complete transparency, the entire documentation will be made public at the beginning of next week and simultaneously submitted to the Parliamentary Committee on Economy, Finance and Budget and the European Commissioner for Enlargement," the committee said.

They didn't want double chambers.

According to the documentation provided to "Vijesti", Marđonović was appointed executive director by the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Crafts in November 2012. This document did not have an official stamp or number under which the board's decision was registered.

The minutes from the session, also without a seal, at which the Board of Directors made the decision to dismiss him, point out that Marđonović said that two chambers had been created, even though craftsmen insisted during the preparation of the Crafts Law that a new one not be established as proposed by the Government, because one had existed since mid-2007.

The committee stated that the proposal was not accepted, so the new Chamber of Crafts was established in 2011, which is why it was requested that the problem be overcome by calling general elections for members of the public Chamber's assembly and that the new delegates in the craft parliament make a decision on the transfer of ownership of the NGO Chamber to the new one.

"The NGO Chamber has harmonized its Statute and election regulation with the Statute and election regulation of the public Chamber. Marđonović stated that rejecting the merger would simultaneously mean a departure from the spirit and letter of the umbrella organization, the goals and results that have been jointly achieved, and the intellectual property that has been acquired through projects. This would also mean a break in cooperation with international partners who helped in the establishment of both professional organizations and the umbrella organization of crafts. From its establishment until September 2021, the president of the NGO Chamber was simultaneously the president of the public Chamber, and the executive director of the NGO Chamber was simultaneously the director of the public one," the minutes prepared by Marđonović state, who, as it is emphasized, refused to consider Vukčević, explaining that he supports the minutes of the vice president of the Chamber of Crafts. Kovačević's treatment.

According to the records, Marđonović stated that Vukčević was obliged by the Statute to coordinate the minutes with him as executive director, while Vukčević added that they wanted to keep Marđonović in the position of executive director - but he conditioned them and he was dismissed. According to the records, Marđonović emphasized that the NGO Chamber is an umbrella organization that represents all craft associations, and that its placement on the same level as professional associations is the result of a political decision by the Ministry of Economy.

Chambers work separately

The Ministry of Economic Development announced that Boris Marđonović can only speak on behalf of the NGO Chamber of Crafts and Entrepreneurship of Montenegro, but that in the previous period he had provided certain information to the public regarding the implementation of the Law on Crafts. They stated this in a statement dated March 6.

They emphasized that they are calling on everyone to check information regarding the implementation of the Craft Law with that department, as the competent authority.

"We point out that the public addresses of the aforementioned person used the name and symbols of the Chamber of Crafts of Montenegro, which is a legally separate business association from the NGO Chamber of Crafts and Entrepreneurship of Montenegro, on whose behalf Marđonović can speak. This manner of presentation may lead to doubts regarding the identity and competence of the person addressing the public. In this regard, the Ministry recalls that, in accordance with the applicable legal framework, it is the competent authority for normative regulation, monitoring the implementation and interpretation of the Law on Crafts," they stated.

They announced that they will continue to work in accordance with their jurisdiction in the future, in order to ensure legality, legal certainty and protect the interests of craftsmen.

Registration has begun

Montenegrin craftsmen are required to submit an application for registration to the Chamber of Crafts of Montenegro within the next three months, and the procedure will be simple, clearly defined and in line with applicable regulations.

This was announced at the end of February by the Ministry of Economic Development.

"The establishment of the Registry ensures: a transparent and unified overview of craftsmen in Montenegro, up-to-date records of registration, changes and deletions of data, strengthening institutional support for the crafts sector, improving the business environment and legal security of craftsmen," they said.

Marđonović told "Vijesti" at the end of February that the register of craftsmen has existed and is operating since 2013, and that in December last year it was harmonized with the new amendments to the Crafts Law - and that it is digital and publicly available on the Chamber's website.

"We currently have 38.407 registered business entities, 102.996 craftsmen and 5,75 billion euros in revenue in 2024. These numbers are growing daily. There are 155 different crafts in Montenegro that appear through 197 of the 201 craft activity codes," said Marđonović.