The Slovinić family from Staroměšća sent an open letter today to the European Union Ambassador to Montenegro Johan Salter, asking him to protect their basic human and economic rights, and prevent the actions of the Budva Municipality and President Nikola Jovanović that have brought them to the brink of existence.
The letter signed by Đorđina and her sons Vedran and Goran Slovinić came after Salter met with the President of the Municipality of Budva, Nikola Jovanović, a few days ago, with whom he participated in a large ecological cleanup campaign on the Budva - Cetinje road.
The Slovinićs have begun construction of a multifunctional building on the site of two family houses, about a hundred meters from the Old Town in Budva, which is part hotel and part apartments for the market, the sale of which will finance the construction. The only way to reach the construction site is for the construction team to use a section of the Slovenska Obala promenade, some 50 meters long, which has been prevented for eight months by the local administration, to which they have appealed, as well as all state institutions.
The Basic Court in Kotor recently issued a temporary measure allowing access to construction machinery, but the Municipality and Parking Services did not comply.
"We are writing again after we saw an announcement in the media regarding your visit to Budva when you visited the Brajići landfill together with the Mayor of the Municipality Nikola Jovanović. We remind you that our family addressed you regarding the reckless violation of basic human and economic rights by the Mayor of the Municipality of Budva Jovanović, which brought my family to the brink of economic ruin. We have not received any response to that letter since 2025, which left us in disbelief since we expected a reaction from the head of the EU delegation because this is a gross violation of human rights. Instead of freely continuing to build a family mixed-use building with an investment value of 14 million euros in the city where our family has been present for more than 200 years, which we built until June 2025 without hindrance in accordance with the law, permits and all paid obligations to the Municipality and the state, we are blocked by the Municipality of Budva and Parking servis doo Budva on the orders of the Mayor of the Municipality Jovanović," the open letter states. letter.
They still, as they emphasized, cannot access the site with construction machinery and finish the work they have started, despite the court ruling.
"All this is happening as retaliation for the fact that our family did not support the election of Jovanović as the Mayor of the Municipality in 2024, which is why he is taking revenge on us and brutally violating all legal norms, which the Basic Court in Kotor confirmed by issuing a temporary measure in our favor. The Court's document states, among other things, that the Court is, to say the least, surprised by the actions of the local authorities in Budva. Of course, the Mayor continues to behave in the same way, he refused to respect the Court's decision and we are not allowed to exercise our rights. Please answer us whether it is possible for the Mayor of the Municipality in a country that is next in line to join the EU to not respect the court's decision and are these the European values and norms that our society strives for? Is it possible for this 'practice' or action to occur in Austria, the country you come from, without any state body reacting?", the Slovinićs point out.
As they add, it is very strange that the highest EU representative in Montenegro does not see that the municipal government is behaving in an absolutely inappropriate, un-European and anti-civilizational manner towards its citizens.
"At the same time that you were at a meeting with a man who, in addition to being known for his anti-European activities in his political career so far, refuses to implement the Court's decision, our trucks were at a ramp that, on his orders, the competent company Parking servis doo Budva will not erect. While you are talking to him about ecology and the application of European standards, he is trampling them, not caring about the moral, legal and financial damage he is causing to the citizens of Budva and to democracy in our society. The current Budva government is represented by people who continue to work in a manner that is in every way contrary to European values and standards. We were forced to go to court and file lawsuits and criminal charges," state the Slovinićs, who submitted complete documentation with the letter.
They claim, as they say, what is clear to every layman in Budva and Montenegro, which is that the president of the Budva Municipality abused his position by preventing our family from making an investment.
"In addition to violating human rights in the most brutal way possible and in full view of everyone, we wonder what message Budva is sending to investors and how it is that the EU does not notice that lawlessness is being implemented to the detriment of the entire society, because this behavior creates a model of disrespect for human rights and freedoms, intimidation, blackmail and arbitrariness calculated to gain power in an illegal manner. No investor who does not side with the current local government in Budva can work freely in accordance with what the laws of the state of Montenegro allow them to do," they point out in the letter.
As they emphasize, they do not understand why the EU, or rather its highest representative in Montenegro, did not even respond to the letters, considering that they are citizens of the EU, or rather Croatia, and that in this regard they have not received any support and protection of their rights.
"We have never asked for anything that would be outside the law, but only what belongs to all citizens of this country, and this is especially obvious because the approach is selective, allowing others what is forbidden to us. Your visit to Budva and socializing with the Mayor Jovanović gives the impression that the EU supports the implementation of illegal repression against its own citizens and investors in the way it deems appropriate, at its discretion, which is a dangerous message to the citizens of Budva and Montenegro. We believe that Montenegro's accession to the EU should bring the rule of law and respect for the law, while in various examples, especially ours, we see that this is not the case and that the highest representatives of the EU are turning a blind eye to what the whole of Montenegro sees and knows," the letter concludes.
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