Crnogorska plovidba has not formally been shut down, but its continued existence is aimed exclusively at the completion of remaining obligations, after which the conditions will be met for making a decision on shutting down the company, announced the Minister of Maritime Affairs and coordinator of the Ministry of Transport, Filip Radulović.
In the Parliament, answering the question of Branislav Nenezić, a representative of the European Union, whether Crnogorska plovidba has been shut down, he said that Crnogorska plovidba has not been shut down, but the company is in a process that objectively leads to the closure of the company.
“After the sale of both ships, the company was left without basic funds to carry out the activities for which it was founded and no longer performs its primary business function,” stated Radulović.
He said that he was not happy with what happened to Montenegrin shipping, nor did he come to shut down any Montenegrin company.
“However, since it was founded, the company has been in the red for eight out of 11 years. I will not allow the collapse of Crnogorska plovidba to be blamed on me. Anyone who would have been in my shoes would have made the same decision,” said Radulović.
According to him, the company still formally exists in order to finish all remaining financial, legal and administrative procedures, collect the remaining claims, make the last payment based on the sale of the ship and determine the final calculation of obligations to the state.
“In this sense, the current status of the company is not the result of the continuation of regular business, but the need to close all open issues arising from its previous business in a legal and responsible manner,” said Radulović.
When it comes to financial obligations to the state, Radulović said that at this moment it is not possible to accurately announce how much the company will finally return to the state based on uncoordinated state aid.
“The final amount depends on the completion of all procedures and the final calculation of mutual rights and obligations between the company and the state. After the aforementioned procedures have been completed, including the realization of the last payment that is expected based on the sale of the ship, and after reviewing all relevant legal, financial and economic circumstances, the Government, in cooperation with the competent institutions, including the Ministry of Finance, will make a decision on the final status of the company,” explained Radulović.
He said that there is a theory that the ships have been paid off, but the debt to the state is 40 million euros and that cannot be ignored.
“Who will lend to such a company? Nobody. And the state was not able to invest a single cent in that company,” Radulović reminded.
He stated that it was crazy to have two companies with two ships each, and that such a decision was neither statesmanlike nor sustainable.
Radulović also said that the Tivat-Jaz boulevard, with the current level of work performed, represents a functional and safe road and added that this year traffic will be significantly better than the previous one.
He, answering the question of the MP of the New Serbian Democracy, Bojana Pićan, said that in the previous period, since he took over the management of the work of the Ministry of Transport, he publicly announced on several occasions that the goal of the Government is for the entire section Tivat-Jaz to be built with two layers of asphalt by May 31, i.e. the beginning of the tourist season.
“Today, I can state with pleasure that this goal has been fully achieved in the part related to the planned level of functionality for the tourist season. And then, as now, I repeat that the boulevard, with this level of work performed, presents a functional and safe road. Of course, with respect to all the rules and restrictions defined by the temporary traffic signals,” said Radulović.
He pointed out that this year the flow of traffic on that road will be significantly better than the previous one, as well as better than in the period before the reconstruction of that road.
“I would like to remind you that this is the road with the highest seasonal load in Montenegro, where in the summer months over 30 thousand vehicles travel daily on the Tivat-Budva route and vice versa,” said Radulović.
When it comes to the remaining works on the Tivat-Jaz boulevard, Radulović explained that they refer to the final layer of asphalt, traffic signals and road equipment, as well as part of the works concerning sidewalks, public lighting and hydrotechnical installations.
“Our goal is for these remaining works to be completed during July of this year, and in any case, they will be carried out in a way that will not negatively affect the flow of traffic, nor endanger the functionality and safety of this road during the tourist season,” said Radulović.
When it comes to the bypass project around Budva, Radulović announced that the signing of the contract is expected by June 20.
“Combined with the already completed and functional Tivat-Jaz boulevard, this project will significantly increase the quality of the tourism offer of the Montenegrin coast, improve the availability of destinations and contribute to the overall development of tourism as one of the key branches of our economy. Both projects represent strategic infrastructure investments of key importance for traffic safety, reducing traffic congestion and the overall development of the Montenegrin coast, and the Government remains fully committed to their realization within the planned deadlines,” said Radulović.
Member of the Democratic People’s Party, Jelena Kljajević, asked Radulović whether the Government considers that 100 million euros from 2019 and 100 million euros today have the same economic value.
Radulović replied that the retention of ownership of the entire infrastructure, the guarantee of the expansion of both airports in a relatively short period of time and at least one billion in direct financial benefits for the state from this work, as well as the reputation of the first-ranked bidder who has been in the top five best airports in the world for years, are the reasons that dominantly determined the relevant Ministry, on the basis of which the proposal was sent to the Government to make a decision on the concession of the airport of Montenegro for further jurisdiction.
“What is important to point out is that the Tender Commission carried out the evaluation and ranking of the bids received, and based on that submitted a proposal to the relevant Ministry in which it was stated that the first-ranked bid of the Incheon International Airport Corporation submitted a bid that was three and a half times higher than the conditions set in the public invitation,” said Radulović.
The aforementioned offer, as he specified, implies 35 percent of the gross revenue that the concessionaire achieves on an annual basis, which amounts to at least 600 million euros for 30 years.
“In addition, a great benefit for the state is that in addition to the mandatory concession fee, the concessionaire will be obliged to invest 300 million euros in the modernization and development of both airports,” added Radulović.
According to him, in that case, the state receives an investment and significant financial resources on an annual basis, which gives it the opportunity to invest these funds in other infrastructure projects that are important for economic growth and development.
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