The arrest of Milo Božović threatened the City Theater as well

One of the most important cultural festivals "Grad Teatar" should start in two weeks, and its maintenance could be called into question due to the impossibility of transferring money from the account of the Municipality of Budva to the public institution of the same name.

Detention of the President of the Municipality Milo Božović which caused the blockade of the administration, primarily the payment of money from the city coffers, further complicated the whole situation because the Public Institution "Grad Teatar" is exclusively financed from the budget. From the beginning of this year until today, money has been regularly paid to the account of JU "Grad Teatar" from the Municipality for the salaries and personal income of the employees, but apart from that, almost nothing for the program.

From that institution, it was confirmed to "Vijesta" that last Sunday they sent urgent requests for help in solving the situation to the addresses of the President of the Budva Municipality Assembly and the Cabinet of the Mayor of the Municipality, as well as to the addresses of the Minister of Culture and Media, the Prime Minister and the President of the State.

"It would be really terrible if a festival with this importance and tradition is not held due to a lack of money in a situation where there is money, but it is impossible to transfer it. "Even the funds that were approved for this year's festival by the Ministry of Culture and Media through a competition to which the institution applied through the Municipality, cannot be transferred because it is necessary that the contract with the Ministry be signed by the President of the Municipality or with his written consent," she told News Director of JU "Grad Teatar" Milena Lubarda Marojević.

She stated that the festival is mostly financed from the municipal budget, and that even the approved budget of 850.000 euros for the total functioning of the institution throughout the year, which includes the salaries of employees and all other costs for events outside the festival, is too small in in relation to the prices of services as well as in relation to the budgets of other related institutions and festivals in the region.

"Until 2020, the annual budget of JU "Grad Teatar" amounted to the usual million euros, but since the year of corona, it has never returned to the old one. Until now, we have managed to bridge the difference in costs every year thanks to our own income, as well as the implementation of international projects for which we were reimbursed by the EU. However, with the jump in prices and inflation that marked the previous and this year, which in our case was mostly reflected in the costs of transportation and accommodation of the participants, we continuously appeal to the Municipality of Budva at least to restore the institution's budget to the level it had until three years ago years."

Just two weeks ago, a press conference was held in JU "Grad Teatar" where the entire program of the festival was presented, where an ambitious program was announced, in which more than 5 participants should perform between July 22 and August 620. In this period, the audience will have the opportunity to see 15 plays from Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia, Croatia and Slovenia, which will be shown at locations in the Old Town and the amphitheater of the monastery of St. Trojica in Stanjevići.

"The 'City Theater' with everything it represents is supported and monitored by the international association of festivals EFA based in Brussels, and it certainly represents one of the strong recommendations for the European Capital of Culture project. We, who work all year long to prepare such a demanding festival, will try to do everything in the domain of transparent and legal business to save the festival and make it possible to hold it", said Lubarda Marojević.