MP for the Socialistic People’s Party (SNP), Aleksandar Damjanovic, asked PM what the Government planned to do to address apparent stalemate in the strategic projects implementation.
“Maybe you are responsible for such a state. But of not, then those who hide behind you represent the problem. I expect you to point the culprits out and to politically identify and punish them, just do not say that you are not aware who they are,” Damjanovic said.
Reminding that the GDP growth had reached 220% during last decade with €5 billion foreign investments, Djukanovic said we needed to attract foreign capital which would be main driving force for development together with properly and effectively used domestic resources.
“Although all the parliamentary parties agree on this, some well prepared development projects were rejected. The reasons for such an attitude have been political in order to thwart the effectiveness of the Government as the holder of those initiatives. However, Montenegro is still at the top of investment destinations and investment in tourism worth about €200 million have been planned,” PM said.
He said there were three possible scenarios.
“A scenario of the Parliament stop blocking investments or if the Parliament does not want to make decisions about investments, I propose to amend relevant legislation so that the Government could decide independently on key investments in order to avoid denying development projects. We have nothing against it. The third scenario would be current poor inter-institutional cooperation and rejecting projects,” Djukanovic said.
Responding to the remark, the Speaker of the Parliament, Ranko Krivokapic, suggested moving from labelling to facts.
“We will make a case-study on the results of the Government’s decision we had supported to see their effects and we would be able to precisely determine whether the decisions were good. Thus, we will be able to know if we made right or wrong decisions,” Krivokapic said.
Government creates conditions for opening and renovation of 70 hotels
The Government will initiate measures for construction of five-star hotels on the south and four-star hotels in the less developed areas in the north, the PM said. As he added, the program of measures adopted by the Government was supposed to create conditions for the opening and renovation of 70 hotels.
This was his answer to the question by MP Srdja Popovic (DPS) about Government’s activities on enhancing elite tourism and balanced regional tourism development.
“We are working on the development of tourism, particularly in the northern region, with emphasis on the mountains of Bjelasica and Komovi. Thus, the State has allocated €40 million for the ski resorts of Kolasin and Smiljaca,” Djukanovic said, adding that one of the conditions for the development of tourism in the North was a good transport infrastructure. “I am sure that the highway Bar-Boljari will be the most important catalyst for the development of the north.”
PM is not supposed to talk about bankruptcy in “Vektra Boka”
The Independent MP Obrad Gojkovic asked about situation in the bankrupt company “Vektra Boka” and who would be accountable for it.
Mr Djukanovic disagreed that the detriment caused by this privatisation amounted to tens of millions, as Gojkovic had estimated elaborating his question.
“The Prime Minister is not expected to make statements about bankruptcy, because this is a topic for those who manage the bankruptcy procedure,” Djukanovic said.
“In addition to the Municipality of Herceg Novi, a range of other circumstances including those caused by the investor’s contributed to the incomplete implementation of the contract on the sale of the share capital of HTP Boka,” Djukanovic said, denying allegations that the investor was in a favourable position.
Commenting on the engagement of employees of the company to preserve operations and continue working, POM said it was good that the workers showed responsibility after introducing bankruptcy.
“It would be wrong to destroy their assets,” Mr Djukanovic remarked.
Various topics such as phytosanitary control, procurement and distribution of drugs and medical equipment, secondary water supply network in rural areas and possible concessions for the port of Kotor were also discussed during the Parliament question hour.
