Smolović: Bijelo Polje is the European gateway to northern Montenegro, the Municipality's budget was implemented in the amount of 28,96 million euros

During 2025, 9 sessions of the Municipal Assembly were held, a large number of strategic and development decisions were adopted, while the Mayor adopted a total of 390 acts.

The municipal budget was implemented in the amount of 28,96 million euros, or 100,52 percent of planned revenues, which confirms financial stability and responsible management of public finances, said the Mayor of Bijelo Polje, Petar Smolović.

He said this in the introductory statement of the Report on the Work of the Mayor and Local Government Bodies for 2025, in the local parliament in Bijelo Polje.

Smolović emphasized that the local government continued to build Bijelo Polje as a modern, open and development-oriented city - the European gateway to northern Montenegro, and that, despite numerous challenges, it implemented significant infrastructure, development, social and institutional projects, while maintaining budget stability and regularly fulfilling all obligations towards citizens, employees, institutions and the economy.

"At the same time, we continued to reduce costs and rationalize the work of local government, while regularly servicing tax debt and credit obligations. Significant progress has been made in the area of ​​economy and investment. Bijelo Polje renewed its BFC SEE certificate with 86,76 out of a possible 100 points, confirming its status as one of the most favorable environments for doing business in the region. The Regional Business Forum "Perspectives of the North" has become a traditional and unique event of this type in the north of Montenegro, bringing together representatives of the Government, international organizations, the diplomatic corps, the economy and the academic community. The forum has grown into a serious platform for connecting investors, promoting development potential and opening new partnerships and projects for the north of the country.

"The result of a good business environment and favorable investment climate is the opening of two more shopping centers in the industrial zone - Bravera City Park and Mikra S&E, which further confirms the attractiveness of Bijelo Polje for new investments, strengthens the local economy and creates new jobs for our citizens. The first private solar power plant with a capacity of 5 MW, worth 4 million euros, was also implemented. We continued to support entrepreneurship, agriculture and rural development, and through support programs, funds were allocated for 13 new businesses, 10 of which were started by women. Four development clusters were also formed - the brown trout cluster, wood processing, raspberry and livestock farming, with the aim of further strengthening local production and the rural economy," said Smolović.

In Bijelo Polje, the first person of the Municipality pointed out, approvals from the Chief State and Chief City Architects have been issued for the construction of 12 residential buildings, which further confirms that investors recognize Bijelo Polje as an area with a stable development environment and a clear perspective of further urban and economic development.

Special focus was on the implementation of capital projects that will change the development perspective of Bijelo Polje in the long term.

"Work on the Đalovića Cave, Bjelasica Ski Center and the collector with a wastewater treatment plant projects has continued. Although we are not satisfied with the dynamics of the implementation of these projects, we still believe and expect their more intensive continuation and successful completion. It has been stated several times that the Municipality of Bijelo Polje has fulfilled everything that was required when it comes to the Đalovića Cave and Cmiljača Ski Center, i.e. Bjelasica, projects, and we expect that other involved actors will responsibly and efficiently fulfill their obligations so that these development projects can be put into full function as soon as possible and for the benefit of the citizens of Bijelo Polje and the entire north of Montenegro," Smolović stated in his presentation.

In the city zone, works on the regulation of the Lim River and the construction of a promenade worth around 4 million euros have been completed, thereby permanently solving the decades-long problem of flooding and opening up new space for the development of the city along the Lim River.

"Works on the reconstruction of main roads worth a total of over 15 million euros have been completed, giving Bijelo Polje a more modern and safer transport infrastructure and better connections with the region. In addition, over 50 kilometers of local and village roads have been asphalted, significantly improving the road infrastructure. The construction of a football training camp in Lješnica, worth 3,5 million euros, is in the final phase, one of the most important sports infrastructure projects in northern Montenegro.

We have paid special attention to improving the quality of life of citizens through the development of sports, recreational and communal facilities. During 2025, after more than 35 years, the athletics track at the city stadium in Nikoljac was completely reconstructed and put into operation, providing athletes, recreationalists and young people with better conditions for training and organizing sports events. The sports and recreational zone "Otoka" continues to develop, and works on paving the 450-meter-long athletics track have also been completed.

At the same time, two new modern children's playgrounds were built - in the city center and on the Islands, as spaces intended for the youngest and for family gatherings. The city park was renovated, with additional landscaping of green areas and furniture, while through the reconstruction of existing streetlights and the installation of LED lamps, public lighting in the central city zone was significantly enhanced, thus improving safety, energy efficiency and the overall visual identity of the city," Smolović pointed out.

He emphasized that, in parallel with the infrastructure development, the Agency for the Management of Protected Areas and Natural Resources of the Municipality of Bijelo Polje has also begun its work, whose task will be the preservation of natural resources, sustainable management of protected areas, and the development of the ecological and tourism potential of our municipality.

"I would especially like to emphasize that on the Independence Day of Montenegro - May 21st, we will open a new fitness and eco-trail on Obrovo to citizens, as another feature that promotes recreation, spending time in nature and healthy living. In this way, we continue to develop Bijelo Polje as a modern, well-maintained and healthy city, tailored to all generations."

The "Summer in My City" event in 2025 also confirmed that Bijelo Polje is becoming a recognizable regional center of culture, tourism and entertainment. This multi-month event lasted from July 13 to mid-September and brought together a large number of citizens, tourists and participants from the region. Concerts by regional music stars, the Festival of Traditional Music and Ethno-Creativity, the International Tamburitza Festival, an electronic music festival, numerous activities for children, as well as sports events and tourist tours that further enlivened the city spaces and affirmed the tourist potential of Bijelo Polje were organized. In order to further improve the cultural scene and value creativity and human values, two new awards were established and awarded for the first time: the "Ćamil Sijarić" literary award and the "Tomo Buzov" award for humanity and humanism, Smolović stated in the report.

The local government, Smolović further stated, is particularly proud that the half marathon organized on the occasion of Montenegro's Independence Day - May 21st, under the title "Run and Move", has entered the international list of athletic races, placing Bijelo Polje on the international map of sports events for the first time, and special attention has also been paid to social areas.

"Investments worth several million euros have been launched in healthcare through the reconstruction of the General Hospital and the planned construction of an oncology day hospital."

The reconstruction of the Emergency Medical Service premises is also underway, in which the Municipality of Bijelo Polje is participating with 60.000 euros. In education, student scholarships have been increased - for undergraduate studies from 300 to 600 euros, and for doctoral studies from 1.000 to 1.500 euros. 2.200 sets of school supplies have been distributed to elementary school students, while sports and cultural infrastructure have been further improved through the renovation of athletics tracks, the organization of international events and the development of sports and recreational facilities.

Bijelo Polje continued to strengthen international cooperation and the European dimension of development in 2025. The European House was opened - the first in the north of Montenegro, cooperation with European institutions, embassies and international organizations was improved, while the Municipality ranked second in Montenegro in terms of the level of electronic development of local government. The official website of the Municipality recorded more than 5,9 million visits, which confirms the high level of transparency and communication with citizens.

Concluding this year, we can responsibly say that Bijelo Polje has continued on the path of development, modernization and European integration. We still have numerous challenges ahead of us, but also a great development opportunity that we must seize through togetherness, responsibility and serious work. Our goal remains the same - for Bijelo Polje to be a city of new investments, a better quality of life, new jobs and a city from which young people will not leave, but in which they will build their future", he concluded.

The president's report sparked heated debate among opposition leaders. The session was adjourned, with a date for its resumption to be announced later.

Councilor of the Europe Now Movement (PES) Jelenka Andrić said that the President's Work Report is the best overview of the local government's activities, in which more attention was paid to followers on social networks than to the fact that 410.000 euros were planned in the budget for hydrotechnical facilities, but there was no implementation at all.

"The best indicator of the vision of development is that the local government has not nominated a single project for the capital budget. The president boasts about modern playgrounds for children, forgetting that the children of Bijelo Polje deserve the same playgrounds as the children in Podgorica or in the European cities he visited in the past year. Bijelo Polje has become a city of promises and missed deadlines, and the president's work report is a voluminous, narcissistic read - pure form without substance," Andrić pointed out.

"Someone deceived the public, either you or the director of the Public Utilities Company," said Democratic councilor Radosav Bajčeta, reacting to the report on the work of the president of the Municipality of Bijelo Polje.

Bajčeta harshly criticized the local government, describing its work as “superlativist and devoid of self-criticism,” just as he had done in previous reports that he had already criticized as a councilor. He pointed to a deep gap between official promises of economic development and the actual situation on the ground.

"Instead of new investments, development projects, economic incentives and social security, local government has afforded citizens political instability," he pointed out.

Bajčeta emphasized that this crisis directly affects the city's economy and the overall functioning of the Municipality, which the president himself emphasized in one of his media appearances.

As a key example of unrealistic promises and the dysfunctionality of the system, the Democratic councilor cited the issue of the dog shelter in Dobrinje. Although the municipal leadership praised the shelter for being operational and creating conditions for a humane and organized approach to the problem of stray dogs, data from the field says otherwise.

"The answer I received is a de facto admission that asylum absolutely does not work," Bajčeta pointed out, referring to the official response that was submitted to him at the end of April by the director of the Lim Public Utility Company, Muradif Grbović.

According to this data, the shelter does not have a single professionally employed worker in the shelter itself, nor a hired veterinarian. In addition, the sterilization and castration program is at a complete standstill because not a single dog has been sterilized for two months, which directly sabotages the basic purpose of the project," he said, demanding an answer as to who deceived the public and who is telling the truth - the first person of the Municipality or the director of the Public Utility Company.

Bajčeta also questioned the boasting of multi-million investments, noting that nothing has been done in the Vraneška Valley, even though it makes up a third of the total territory of the Municipality.

"Apart from embankments, buffers and road repairs, there's nothing," said Bajčeta and asked what happened to the Pavino Polje-Mahala water supply system, which was not completed in 2024, and why it is not even in the report for 2025.

Opposition councilors pointed out that Smolović boasts about numerous projects, including those like Braver City Park, whose opening, they claim, he actually obstructed.

Democrats councilor Marko Đukić read a series of messages from citizens who pointed out the numerous problems of that municipality.

"And I ask you, do ordinary people in Bijelo Polje really live better? Because if it's so good here, why do our young people leave? Why are the houses locked? Why do the villages remain empty? Why do young people, as soon as they finish school, look at the map for Podgorica and further west? That's the real picture of Bijelo Polje, not the number of likes on social networks," reads one of the messages read by Đukić.

He pointed out numerous complaints from citizens, who conveyed their observations that in the nine years since Smolović became president, major projects such as the Đalović Cave, the Ski Center, and the collector have not been completed.

"If you haven't completed the main projects by now, when will you? And it's the same every time: the government's fault, the ministry's fault. It's always someone else's fault."

And when something opens – then it is solely yours to take credit for. A shopping mall opens and you brag that so many jobs have been created and so many millions have been invested. And you sabotaged the start because of your competition! It can't be like that. It can't be just your success, and every problem someone else's," Đukić read out the citizens' messages.

Councilor of the Democratic Party of Socialists Asmir Pućurica said that they have adopted the budget three times so far, and that it has been fully implemented each time.

"In the past year, the Municipality, with its modest funds, enabled 13 entrepreneurs to realize their business ideas, 10 of whom were women, which is good news. 46 requests were submitted for the opening of new craft facilities," Pućurica pointed out.

Commenting on the report on the work of the Mayor, the councilor of the Democratic Party of Socialists Gordana Knežević recalled everything that had been done during the previous year, citing assistance to families with pupils and students, and pointing out the numerous benefits provided through local self-government.

"When it comes to social protection, it is particularly important that the Municipality also deals with elderly residents, to show that they are not isolated either," Knežević emphasized.

Smolović said that he respects diversity of political opinions.

"When I say that the budget was implemented 100,5 percent, it does not mean that it was not more or less implemented somewhere, but everything that was our obligation was respected, towards institutions, social services, farmers, sports and others. Of course, if something was not implemented, it means that there are technical reasons. In the eight years that I have been here, not a single new loan has been taken out, and what makes life better is a new athletics track, a new promenade, improved lighting, a new playground, double subsidies, that certainly means that something is better," Smolović pointed out.

The President of the Municipal Assembly, Selma Omerović, as rapporteur, proposed that Councilor Dr. Admir Hasić, from the DPS Councilors' Club, be appointed as the Vice President of the Municipality.

"The Deputy President of the Assembly replaces the President of the Assembly in the event of his/her absence or inability to perform his/her duties. The Deputy President performs the function voluntarily, and the candidate is proposed by the President of the Assembly," she explained.