On the eve of the May Day holidays, when the big carnival and the official start of the summer season, during which the arrival of thousands of guests is expected, restaurateurs in the Old Town, as well as in the contact zone, were ordered to remove loudspeakers from their terraces, because otherwise the Municipal Police and the Inspectorate will impose fines and up to 1.000 euros.
"On the basis of the Decision on Communal Rules of the Municipality of Budva, it is prohibited to install music reproduction devices with sound boxes outside business premises, as well as inside premises and buildings in the Old Town area. Article 79, paragraph 1, point 67 of this Decision prescribes a fine in the amount of 1.000 euros. If you do not comply with the above prohibition, the Municipal Inspection and the Municipal Police will take actions and measures within their jurisdiction," states the notice signed by the acting chief. Vladan Braunović, which "Vijesti" had access to, and it was delivered to restaurateurs in the Old Town.
Such a decision caused astonishment among restaurateurs, who contacted the "Vijesti" editorial office, stating that it was a blow to their business and that they were ready for protests, because it is during the May Day holidays that Budva is full of guests, and the Old Town is the epicenter where tourists they are staying. As they told "Vijesta", they are shocked by such a decision, and that they, who represent an important offer of the tourism metropolis, were not consulted by anyone, which is why they are ready to protest.
The current government is led by the President of the Municipal Assembly Nikola Jovanović, even a month and a half ago, she boasted that she had reached an agreement with the representatives of the "Stari grad" Local Community Council, and that the noise problem would be solved, and this locality would be a quiet zone in the true sense, as prescribed.
That the city authorities are determined to implement the intention to prohibit the broadcasting of music on the terraces of catering establishments was clear at the first meeting of the Coordination Body for the preparation of the season, when Jovanović said that the Municipality of Budva solved the noise problem in the contact zone of the Old Town this year, and that the performance of music outdoors will be prohibited, for which the Communal Police and Inspection received clear instructions.
Vice President of the Municipality Jasna Dokić then said that what they agreed with the representatives of the "Stari grad" MH will be respected, because otherwise the Communal Police will act in accordance with the law.
The president of the Budva Association of Restaurateurs warned that restaurateurs were dissatisfied with such a decision Aleksandar Jovanovic who said that removing the speakers is not the best solution, because one must not go to extremes.
"If you implement it, there will be resistance from restaurateurs. One should not go from extreme to extreme. There must be music, you just have to comply with the legal regulations that prescribe how many decibels there should be. Without music, they would collapse the offering of Old Work. If you turn off the music in the complete part of the contact zone, it would affect the tourist offer of that part of Budva. We have to think again, so as not to jeopardize the season, because a compromise solution can be found. The law stipulates that the noise level should be 65 decibels, and those who do not respect this should be punished by engaging the Municipal Police", stressed Jovanović.
"Vijesti" previously published the position of the Budva Catering Association, which stated that such a decision by the Municipality of Budva would fall into the trap of observing the legal norm in isolation from social reality.
"The reality is that the problem of noise is not only a problem of the Old Town and Gospoština... The residents of Bijeli do also have a problem with Rozin, Dubovica, Petrovac, and Rafailović. The application of Article 39 paragraph 1 point 9 of the Decision on communal order is discriminatory in relation to all other residents of the municipality of Budva because they are unequivocally put in a disadvantageous position compared to the residents of the Old Town, specifically they are not guaranteed the right to a dignified life. In this regard, the effect of the provision in question should be extended to the entire territory of the municipality of Budva, because we will end up in a situation where two economic entities, which provide absolutely the same services, do not have the same conditions for work and that at a distance of only a few meters, one is allowed to install devices for playback of music with sound boxes outside the business premises, while others are prohibited from doing so", pointed out the restaurateurs.
The proposal of the Budva Catering Association is to finally start applying the provisions of the Law on Tourism and Catering in the area of noise protection from electro-acoustic and/or acoustic devices, which is more constructive than local acts.
"We believe that it is time to stop on the path of selectivity in the application, and even gross and open abuse of the law by the authorities who are in charge of supervision and control. We demand that the penal policy for exceeding the limit values of noise provided for by the Law be radicalized, and that the work permit be revoked for returnees, so that conscientious restaurateurs be given the right to work and on equal terms. Once again, we underline that we, the restaurateurs, the citizens of Budva, and the entire tourism industry have a common interest in the quality of tourism in Budva being at the highest possible level, and we believe that in this direction, a consensus as wide as possible and an urgent Copernican turn in the tourism strategy are necessary. the restaurateurs stated.
The local community agrees with the decision on the "quiet zone"
The President of the Municipal Assembly Nikola Jovanović and Chief Administrator Nevenka Božović Jovović met with the representatives of the Stari Grad City Council in March regarding the address of the representatives of the City Council with a request for submission of opinions regarding the application of the Decision on communal order.
"The position of the Municipality of Budva is that, from the provisions of the decision, it clearly follows that it is prohibited to place devices for the reproduction of music with sound boxes outside business premises, that is, on terraces, inside windows and studs, whereby the aforementioned provision applies to all business premises in the Old Town zone, without exception", according to the press release after the meeting.
The representatives of the MH Stari grad expressed their great gratitude and satisfaction for solving this multi-decade problem in order to bring the noise level within the legal framework, enable a dignified life for the citizens of Budva and, finally, so that tourists get dignified and quality conditions for their stay, especially bearing in mind that Stari grad represents a unique cultural monument and that as a cultural asset it enjoys special state protection prescribed by the provisions of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Assets, as well as that the Constitution stipulates that everyone is obliged to preserve natural and cultural heritage of general interest. In this way, the problem of noise in the Old Town was overcome and the quality of the tourist offer was raised to a higher level.
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