The National Security Agency (ANB), in the period from January 1 to June 30, 2025, paid a total of 23.136,20 euros for representation expenses, according to the response received by "Vijesti" based on the Law on Access to Information of Public Importance.
The ANB spent more for these purposes than any of the 10 state-owned companies in the mentioned period, as much as local governments, and the amount spent by the national security agency in half a year is only on par with the costs of the Ministry of Defense. The "Soldiers" paid 24.523,57 euros for the national team from January 1 to July 1 of this year.
The ANB denied the requested copies of the invoices on the basis of which payments were made on this basis, on the grounds that they "contain secret information or their publication could jeopardize the security and interests of the Agency."
It is not entirely clear how the tavern and other accounts would jeopardize the "security and interests of the Agency", but the response states that the Agency has determined that it is in possession of the data from point 4 of the resolution's operative part (other acts containing data and information on payments for entertainment expenses - ed.), and that the data in question is classified and, in accordance with the Data Secrecy Act, has a certain level of secrecy, the ANB points out, emphasizing that the specific documentation is "marked with a level of secrecy internally", which is why "access to it is limited and can only be achieved in the manner and under the conditions established by the Data Secrecy Act".
The ANB, as they state, conducted a harm test and determined that the disclosure of other documents containing data and information on payments for entertainment expenses would significantly jeopardize an interest that is of greater importance than the public's interest in knowing that information, i.e. that in this specific case, the overriding interest is the protection of classified data. The Agency determined that their disclosure could have "harmful consequences for the performance of the Agency's functions and the security of the protected person."
For comparison, as "Vijesti" already wrote, the ANB spent significantly more in the first half of this year than most of the surveyed state-owned companies or local governments.
The “Budvanska rivijera” hotel group, in the period from January 1 to July 1, 2025, booked 17.486,73 euros into the representation account, “Luka Bar” spent 11.795,69 euros on representation in the indicated period, and “Montecargo” AD 6.776,10 euros. In the Maintenance of Railway Rolling Stock (OŽVS), for the first six months of this year, they gave 1.075,28 euros to representation, the Public Company for National Parks allocated 2.475,71 euros for representation in this period, while the Post of Montenegro spent 1.180,12 euros in the first half of this year.
The Pljevlja coal mine paid 9.754,14 euros on the same basis from January 1 to July 1, while the Montenegrin ski resorts spent 3.731,33 euros on representation in the aforementioned period. EPCG Solar gradnja had only one representation invoice for the first six months, from a local wholesaler in the amount of 877,55 euros. TO Montenegro paid three restaurant invoices for the total amount of 946,30 euros through representation in the six months.
Ulcinj Riviera allocated 1.438,76 euros for the national team in Montenegro in the first half of the year. EPCG Željezara Nikšić spent 183,30 euros for the national team, and the Railway Infrastructure of Montenegro (ŽICG) paid 3.079,08 euros for this purpose in the first six months of this year.
Even in local governments, representation costs were significantly lower than the amount spent by the ANB.
The Municipality of Bar spent a total of 8.602,93 euros on national team sports in the first six months of 2025. National team sports in the Municipality of Bijelo Polje, from January 1 to July 1, amounted to 14.535,89 euros. The royal capital Cetinje paid 7.423,70 euros for national team sports in the first half of the year. Danilovgrad spent 719,40 euros on national team sports from January to July, significantly less than Gusinje, whose municipal administration paid 4.715,95 euros for these purposes in the same period.
The municipality of Herceg Novi spent 6.839,60 euros on the national team in the first six months, and the local government of Kolašin allocated 3.735,68 euros for the national team in this period. The people of Pljevlja were somewhat more generous than the people of Kolašin, spending 8.333,85 euros on the national team.
The capital paid 3.477,451 euros for the national team in the first six months, and in a sample of 10 municipalities, the Tivat local government is unparalleled, spending 18.479,85 euros.
When it comes to ministries in the Government of Montenegro, the Ministry of Diaspora, headed by Mirsad Azemović (BS), in the first six months of this year, spent 4.325,25 euros on the national team. The Department of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development, headed by Damjan Ćulafić (Democrats), paid 2.112,08 euros to the national team during this period.
The Ministry of Energy, headed by Admir Šahmanović, from January to July 1st, only four invoices were paid for a total of 1.174,60 euros.
The Ministry of Defense spent 24.523,57 euros on national team expenses in the first half of the year, and the Ministry of Justice spent 8.146,55 euros in the first half of the year.
The Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property spent 4.077,73 on entertainment from January 1 to July 1. A classic entertainment meal for this ministry headed by Slaven Radunović, contains, for example, from Nikšić draft and non-alcoholic beverages, mixed salad and wheat porridge, to pork specialties.
The half-year balance of the Ministry of Education when it comes to representation amounts to 8.899,08 euros, while the Ministry of Transport spent 442,10 euros. The Ministry of Social Welfare, Family Care and Demography is one of the more modest in terms of representation spending. This department spent 1.560,88 euros in the period from 1 January to 1 July.
The Ministry of Tourism had only three invoices for representation during this period, for which 1.645,83 euros were paid.
The Ministry of Public Administration paid out 1.590,32 euros for representation in the first half of the year.
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