The fires that swept through Podgorica and surrounding areas this summer caused damage estimated at around 1,7 million euros, and the fire, according to the Commission's records, consumed around 300 hectares of forest land, destroyed more than 43.000 grape vines and around 9.500 fruit and vegetable seedlings.
This was told to "Vijesti" by the Commission for the Assessment of Damage from Natural Disasters of the Capital City, stating that they had completed the census and visits to households based on the submitted requests of citizens.
"305 requests were submitted, of which 260 requests were fully processed," the Commission said, explaining that the remaining requests were not completed due to incomplete or untimely documentation.
As they explained, the processing of these cases will continue after the applicants submit the necessary amendments.
Last summer, fires were active simultaneously from the south to the north of the country, which made extinguishing them difficult, and the most difficult situation was in the Podgorica settlements of Kuči and Piperi.
The Capital City also stated that the municipal commission, in accordance with its jurisdiction, assesses the damage and prepares minutes, which are then submitted to the Government Commission for Assessing Damage from Natural Disasters, which is responsible for making decisions on payments.
"According to the information we have, the planned payment amounts to 20 percent of the estimated value of the damage," they stated in their response to "Vijesti".
At the same time, the report on the work of the Government Commission for the Assessment of Damage from Natural Disasters for the period January - October 2025 states that this body held 12 sessions during the year, and that in the reporting period it positively resolved 319 requests, for the implementation of which 186.704,86 euros were spent, with an average compensation amount of 585,30 euros.
The document also states that the work of the Government Commission is limited by the amount of funds at its disposal, and that the Government Conclusion of March 27, 2025, allocated 200.000 euros from the current budget reserve.
The government commission, according to the report, rejected some of the claims because the cause of the damage "was not a natural disaster," while some were also rejected due to incomplete documentation.
A tabular overview of unresolved claims from 11 municipalities lists a total of 529 cases with estimated damage of 2.114.479,40 euros. In that table, 28 claims are listed for the Capital City of Podgorica, with estimated damage of 221.063 euros.
The report also specifically records fire damage in August 2025, noting that "so far" 151 claims have been received from the Capital City on this basis, with a total estimated damage of 867.718 euros, as well as two claims from legal entities - "Vapor VK" doo Podgorica and "Podgorička pivara" doo, with a total estimated damage of 679.614 euros.
The concluding remarks of the Government Commission's report also stated that, based on the analysis of the received requests, it is necessary to provide an additional 200.000 euros from the current budget reserve to resolve individual requests from individuals, as well as 101.123,50 euros for the payment of compensation to legal entities in the amount of five percent of the total estimated damage.
The Capital City Commission told "Vijesti" that more detailed information about the method and dynamics of payments, as well as any complaints or satisfaction of citizens, can be obtained exclusively from the competent authorities that make the payments.
The General Secretariat of the Government did not respond to questions about how much money has been provided to resolve claims for compensation for damage caused by the fires that hit Montenegro in August last year, or whether the maximum amount of compensation has been changed from 10 percent to 20 percent. They also did not respond to questions about the amounts determined for individual claims.
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