The first amendment submitted by independent MP in the Parliament of Montenegro Jevrosima Pejović to the Bill on the ratification of the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Tourism and Real Estate Development between the Governments of Montenegro and the United Arab Emirates, which proposes the construction of a center for hadron cancer therapy on Velika Plaza in Ulcinj, did not receive support from the Legislative Committee.
There were seven abstentions in the vote.
MPs discussed this and nine other amendments submitted by Pejović in the Legislative Committee.
The vote on the second amendment passed with six abstentions and one vote "in favor." The only vote in favor of this amendment was by the Chairman of the Legislative Committee, Dragan Bojović (DNP).
In other amendments, the MP requested, among other things, that projects of special importance for the state may be implemented exclusively with the consent of the local government, that at least half of the seashore covered by the projects must remain accessible to citizens without any special fee, that Montenegro be allowed to terminate or suspend the implementation of the arrangements if it is determined that they are contrary to the Constitution of Montenegro, laws, international law or public interest...
Pejović said that everything must be done to improve the law that accompanies agreements with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
"My amendments, although on an absurd matter, are intended to make us talk again and to make you think again, to think again. The only way we can terminate the agreement in a few years, when the government changes, is to prove that it is the fruit of corruption. There were moments when we could doubt that. Perhaps there will be material for the Vienna Convention," she said.
The MP urged not to make decisions that they would later regret.
"I was the first to criticize the Law on the Prevention of Corruption, and later it turned out that certain provisions were inapplicable," she said.
The session was also attended by representatives of the NGO sector, who protested in front of the Parliament today against the agreement between the governments of Montenegro and the United Arab Emirates.
The Chairman of the Legislative Committee, Dragan Bojović (DNP), pointed out that it is not customary to invite guests during debates on amendments, but that he still decided to accommodate them and that the main committee is the International Relations Committee.
Pejović agreed that it is not common for the non-governmental sector to participate in committees, but reiterated that the Government session at which the decision was made lasted 33 minutes, and that decisions were made by likes.
"I see that numerous activists and the academic community have become involved. It is very important how we make this decision. I know that your moral vertical does not allow the fate of our children to be decided without discussion," the independent MP emphasized.
She added that it is absurd to add amendments to something that has already been signed, but also that it speaks volumes about Spajić's attitude towards the Parliament.
Pejović said that Vasilije Čarapić is a greater expert in this field, that he can sense how dangerous this is for the entire system, but also that one gets the impression that the Ministry of Public Works is open only because of Alabari.
"The government often plays a game of reverse musical chairs. Contrary to the rules, new chairs are being dragged in, instead of being moved," she said.
Pejović pointed out that Nimanbeg suggested that a cancer treatment center be built in Ulcinj, with an emphasis on pregnant women, and that is why Milena Popović Samardžić is with them today.
"If you were to choose between any hotel or center where citizens would receive treatment, you would all choose the latter," the MP said.
PES representative Vasilije Čarapić said that the amendment represents a limited action, not a change to the contract, and that he himself had planned to give more, but gave one.
"Regarding your amendments - amendment two refers to one specific project in Ulcinj. The agreement states that one project is in the north, one on the coast," added Čarapić.
He explained that the agreement mentions two regions, and that where that will be depends on several factors, and that, after all, he would not support anything being built in Ulcinj.
Čarapić announced that the governments of Milo Đukanović, Duško Marković and Dritan Abazović adopted plans according to which multi-storey buildings were to be built on Velika Plaza.
"At the public hearing, everyone talked about turning their land into construction land and the like, and no one complained about the construction of an 11-story skyscraper, nor that it jeopardizes the migration of birds to the Saltworks," said the PES MP.
As he added, during the government of Dritan Abazović, planners who worked on Belgrade on the water were brought in.
Speaking about the medical center, he pointed out that a French company will build such a center in Podgorica, and that an agreement with France will be signed there as well.
Čarapić added that his party's program states that it will review all previous arrangements, and that in the future it will only accept credible investors.
"We will not accept investors like Vesko Barović, who privatized Solana, Brković, whose every investment in Herceg Novi failed," he said.
He added that in the two agreements with the US and the UAE, they want to bring in investments from those countries, and not from "the same people who have ravaged the country." He also said that he would like the Germans to come and rationalize state administration.
Pejović responded to Čarapić that their conversation was an example of how MPs should talk, but also an indicator of why public debates are important.
Pejović said that "the chance of the 40s was lost," to which Čarapić left the room.
Bojović said he would vote for the amendments.
Milena Popović Samardžić pointed out that the Government does not choose its funds, and assessed that what is being placed in the media is not an investment, but a cold and behind-the-scenes operation.
"It seems to us that this is a sellout that is not in the interest of Montenegro," she said.
She added that hadron therapy is not possible anywhere in the region, because there is no such type of center, and that going to other European countries increases the cost of treatment three to four times.
She added that the opening of this center would be beneficial to the entire region.
"The entire project costs 200 million. I will talk about why it should be in Ulcinj in the second committee. Eighty percent would be financed from European funds," she pointed out.
Genci Nimanbegu said that an agreement is being signed on March 24th and 25th, and that it is before the Parliament today.
"I was in this house. The message will be a little harsh, not offensive: don't be hostage to other people's decisions. Responsible people make brave decisions, despite the dictates of the parties," he told the ruling MPs.
"We had 1.000 people today. We will bring 10.000 to Ulcinj, we will block the city. The prime minister is the proposer of the law, he is not here today. Not to mention how many twists and turns there were and everything, which definitely separated us from Prime Minister Spajić," he pointed out.
He called on MPs to postpone the agreement for a year and to hold a thorough debate.
Vanja Ćalović Marković pointed out that the public debate was not organized when it should have been, and that Čarapić was referring to plans made by the "former regime".
"The spatial plans that you are now trying to bring Arabin to and concrete over Velika Plaža were made by Brano Gvozdenović, Pavle Radulović... So you had the opportunity to change those plans. Then one government happened, then another, and now a third, and now you are explaining to us that this has to be done this way because the regime that you replaced almost five years ago decided so. And for five years you could not give us the opportunity to talk about a different planning concept," she said.
Ćalović Marković said that there are people who believe that there is a way to use Velika Plaza for the benefit of every citizen of Montenegro and that she is convinced that no citizen would complain if Velika Plaza were a place where we could all get treatment.
"Remember how many children in Montenegro we have collected money for to be treated abroad since you came to power. Now imagine how much money each of us is willing to give, and to take on debt and borrow, to treat our loved ones. Why don't we give that opportunity to citizens, but instead want to put everything in concrete," she asked.
Darko Ivanović said that the voice of NGOs could not be heard in the Parliament.
He thanked Pejović because "her office was a home for citizens."
"I am frustrated as a tax-paying citizen that the prime minister, who is in the US, has not assigned anyone from his PR team to answer our questions... Čarapić said that he accepts the planning documentation from earlier, and the set of laws is being changed," Ivanovic pointed out.
He pointed out that the largest exporter in Montenegro is the IT industry, without mentioning it.
"Why do we have to sell something off for some investor to come along?" he asked.
He called on the deputies to think, because this, as he said, is not something their children will be up to tomorrow.
"You are leaving the future in the hands of someone who, with this agreement, has an obligation to encourage investors. As a citizen, I do not want that," he pointed out.
Miloš Vuković (Fidelity consulting) said that there was nothing controversial in the first agreement, but that the second one - the agreement on economic cooperation - was controversial.
"Today we heard that a credible investor is being chased away. I will ask which one, since it is not stated in the agreement. We are not against investments, but against exploitative urbanism," he said.
He added that, in his opinion, this was done for a long time, and was given to the MPs as a finished product, and that the UAE did it in detail.
Nataša Kovačević pointed out that there are already signals from the European Parliament (EP) and the European Commission (EC) that they want to react to this agreement. She added that the EP opposes all agreements that are not implemented transparently, with public debates and in accordance with the law.
She said that Montenegro has been developing without a spatial plan for five years, and that this agreement will be a stumbling block in negotiations with the EU.
"When it comes to the first agreement, it is not that problematic, but the second one - it is very necessary to protect the professional public, the critically endangered parties," she pointed out.
Aleksandra Kapetanović from the NGO Expeditio said that there are major problems in spatial planning, and that this is crucial.
"We are talking about large investments, and at this moment it is not a problem but a vision and development strategy. We have devastated the coast. Only small pieces remain that we should have preserved," she said.
Elida Adrović said that "Montenegro is an oncology patient" and that she is afraid of what is coming next.
"If our land is being taken from us in this way, what can we expect when we defend it from ourselves," she said.
MP GP URA Filip Adžić pointed out that ASK said that the agreement must be finalized.
"Also, the Competition Protection Agency has spoken out and said that the agreement must reach them," he said.
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