Three years of rule by the coalition of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) and the Social Democrats (SD) in Bar, with enormous financial potential - a record budget, while ignoring the positions and disagreements of these parties, results in a "historic and developmental" budget, but only on paper, because in practice there are a lack of projects, and millions are being transferred.
This is how representatives of the Bar opposition are commenting on the municipal budget for this year, of almost 66 million euros, which the mayor of the municipality Dušan Raičević and the head of the local assembly Branislav Nenezić, is considered a historic and record amount.
The opposition warns that citizens cannot see these millions in capital projects, and that the administration is boasting about unused money.
Of the 65 million and 850 thousand euros that the Municipality of Bar has at its disposal in 2026, 30 million, or about 40 percent, are funds carried over from the previous year. The main "culprit" for the unused funds is the 20 million euros that the Municipality of Bar collected from the company "Sonuba Montenegro", according to a court ruling by the Basic Court in Bar for the municipal equipment of Maljevik, with interest.
These funds can only be used for that location and communal infrastructure in that part of Bar, so the opposition in the Municipal Assembly (MA) says that this is deceiving citizens - boasting about an enormous budget, almost a third of which must be spent in that part of Sutomore.
Councilwoman Biram Bar - Biram Crne Goru also noticed that a lot of money is transferred from year to year. Milena Božović, who told "Vijesti" that funds in the amount of 16 million euros were transferred from 2023, while 30 million euros were transferred from 2024 to 2025, and 30 million euros are being transferred from it again to this year.
"These data clearly indicate missed development opportunities. Asking questions about the efficiency of the implementation of planned activities, especially those related to infrastructure projects, is becoming more and more justified. Unspent funds from previous years also show weaknesses in municipal budget planning," Božović assessed.
When it comes to Maljevik, she noted that, although funds were collected for it, not a single meter of the necessary infrastructure has been built, but rather the money is being transferred, while that area and the surrounding settlements lack basic living conditions - water, sewage, electricity and road infrastructure.
Momcilo Leković (Democrats) also said that 20 million from Maljevik is most responsible for the "historic" budget.
He recalled that the Secretary for Property and Investments Stefan Šušter heard that the budget for 2026 does not differ in revenue from previous years, that is, that it is at the level of 2024 and 2025, and assessed that in this way the government has acknowledged that the opposition, which has been lying for years for the Municipality to receive the funds that were due to it according to the Maljevik verdict, is most responsible for this year's "history".
"Of course, transferring funds also means missing the opportunity to help citizens and invest in the city. So, we have lost another year. This could be the result of the incompetence of the ruling majority or preparations for the last election year when promises will be offered to citizens or the 'building' of balance sheets and figures, which we will examine in the coming period," Leković told "Vijesti".
Darko Pekić from the Civic Movement URA believes that the transfer of funds shows that there is not enough goodwill or people in the right positions. If money is transferred from year to year, it means that planning is not done properly, he assessed, and if that is the case, then some are not worthy of the functions they cover.
At the Bar Municipal Assembly session during which the budget for this year was discussed, the most attention was paid to the turmoil between Raičević and Nenezić, when Nenezić told the Mayor that he "did not respect the assembly that elected him" because in his closing remarks he presented eight budget proposals, which Nenezić considered a violation of the rules of procedure.
After the break, Raičević apologized to the councilors at the request of the DPS and withdrew all the proposals. Thus, in late December, the tensions that had lasted in the ruling majority in Bar throughout 2025 came to a climax.
Božović said that the conflict within the ruling coalition had escalated, for the first time publicly. When this happens during the adoption of the most important document for the functioning of a local government - the budget, she assessed, then it can be said that personal and party interests take precedence over the interests of citizens.
"At the session, we witnessed a moment when the first people of the municipality imposed their views by function, and not what was expressed during public discussions as the needs of the citizens. Misunderstandings within the ruling majority show that there is no stable and coordinated policy, and the people of Bar are paying the price for such irresponsibility. Our fellow citizens are quite politically literate and are aware that the disagreement of the ruling coalition is spilling over into the functioning of the municipality, which leads to distrust and insecurity in the local apparatus that is a service to the citizens," she emphasized.
Pekić believes that the complicated relations in the DPS-SD coalition are causing a sense of insecurity among citizens, because they do not know what the reason is - is it a question of doubt in the correctness of some decisions or personal animosity? He said that at the previous session of the Municipal Assembly they had the opportunity to watch an "orchestra out of tune".
Leković is a bit more specific, saying that the relationship between DPS and SD has a "catastrophic" impact on the citizens and the budget of the Municipality of Bar, and he indicated that everyone in Bar is "hostage to their politics."
"The standard of citizens, measures and projects have become tools in the hands of immature rulers who are "beating their chests" and competing among themselves," he assessed.
The largest part of the budget - around 37 million is intended for capital projects, and opposition members in the Bar Municipal Assembly claim that, in addition to money, projects are also being transferred, so citizens have been hearing promises about the same projects every December for three years, which in reality still do not exist.
This is partly due to undefined relations in the coalition, as Šušter from SD is at the head of the Secretariat for Property and Investments.
"The budget shows that the municipality of Bar has financial potential, but the lack of implementation of serious capital projects indicates a problem in management, not in money," Božović assessed.
When there is no agreement within the ruling coalition on development priorities, according to her, regardless of who holds the Secretariat for Property and Investments, the funds remain in the account and are carried over from year to year.
"This is a silent but serious loss for Bar, because it is a missed opportunity to improve the quality of life of the people of Bar," she concluded.
Leković assumes that poor relations in the ruling coalition also result in blockades that coalition partners place on each other, often resulting in this status quo. That is why, he believes, from 2023 onwards, "we only have promises and assurances that projects will arrive."
"Given that time is passing and relations between coalition partners are deteriorating, the chances of any major project being implemented are minimal. Fortunately, there are projects that are financed and implemented at the state level, in all areas, and that will significantly improve the lives of citizens," he told "Vijesti".
Pekić believes that there are objective reasons why projects are not implemented, such as a lack of staff, but also subjective reasons such as poor monitoring of project implementation and unrealistic planning.
"You only need to look at the Spatial Planning Program for 2026 and it will be clear to you that most of these projects will not be able to be implemented by the end of this year," he concluded.
Ministry of Finance approves budget deficit overrun
The Ministry of Finance has reviewed the proposed budget of the Municipality of Bar from the aspect of its fiscal sustainability, i.e. whether the budget has been drafted in a manner that ensures the stability of the financial system of the municipality. It has been assessed whether the planned revenues enable the coverage of all current expenditures, servicing of debt obligations, as well as providing funds for the implementation of capital investments.
In this context, in order to enable the use of funds for the implementation and financing of capital projects that were not implemented in 2025, the Ministry, through a special act, approved exceeding the legally prescribed budget deficit limit.
"The Ministry's consent to a larger deficit gives the municipality additional financial space, but the key question is how it is used. If that space does not result in concrete investments and development projects, we get uncertainty and additional financial risk for the citizens of Bar," believes Božović.
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