Latest News from Montenegro

Heads of EU and Western Balkans Countries will Meet Virtually

Heads of State or Government of the EU and the Western Balkans will hold a video meeting to discuss the spread of Covid-19 and misinformation. The meeting is not set to set a date for the start of accession talks with Northern Macedonia and Albania, as it was originally intended, if the meeting had taken place in Zagreb.

Freedom House: Serbia, Montenegro, Hungary ‘No Longer Democracies’

Freedom House's latest 'Nations in Transit' report, published on Wednesday, strongly criticises Serbia, Montenegro and Hungary for falling democratic standards and classifies all three countries for the first time as 'hybrid regimes'.

Montenegrins Return to Streets as Coronavirus Restrictions Eased

The streets of Podgorica have been crowded with people again after the easing on Monday of government-imposed measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Coronavirus Causes Massive Layoffs Across the Balkans

Hundreds of thousands of workers in Balkan countries have lost their jobs due to economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, official statistical data show. And many fear the real numbers of job losses could be considerably higher, as not all countries in the region have compiled comprehensive records.

Montenegro Ship Sails From Germany After Cocaine Bust

Ship Budva in port of Bar, Montenegro.Photo:Barska plovidba

On May 2, port of Hamburg police found 500 kilos of cocaine hidden in the cargo area, while one of the crew members was arrested. German police arrested Mladen Radulovic from the Montenegrin coastal town of Bar, while other 22 were questioned.

Intersection of the situation in the region - Serbia tested by far the most people

However, epidemiologists continue to warn about mandatory self-protection measures.
In Montenegro, one new case was registered today, with a total of 323, while 249 recovered, according to the Institute of Public Health.

BIRN Wins Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Award

The Vienna office of the Reporters Without Borders announced that the BIRN Network has been awarded for its courageous investigative journalism in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, and for its dedication to the fight for human rights, democracy and justice for the victims of war crimes.

Company Linked to Serbian Minister’s Husband Gets State Contracts

Out of the spotlight, companies linked with Bojan Kisic secured lucrative contracts with several state companies and ministries, including a three-million-euro deal to maintain Serbia's integrated health information system. The software handles the most sensitive private information of the Serbian public health-care system.

COVID-Related Boom Reveals Video Conferencing’s Dark Side

"Disclosure of personal data, recording sensitive information, or storing people's profiles on unauthorized servers are some of the risks that go hand in hand with the use of video-conferencing tools," says Skopje-based cybersecurity practitioner Daniel Trenchov.

Week in Review: Dealing With Uncertainty

Uncertain Future

The construction of the Bar-Boljare motorway through Montenegro is one of the prided public investment projects of the current Montenegrin government. The construction of the first phase is also responsible for pushing the public debt of the small Balkan economy to 79% of GDP in 2019.

Serbian Bishop Grilled in Montenegro Over Illicit Funeral

Serbian Orthodox Church Metropolitan bishop of Montenegro, Metropolitan Amfilohije (Radovic) leads a protest rally in Podgorica, Montenegro. Photo:PA-EFE/BORIS PEJOVIC

"Metropolitan Amfilohije denied that he violated the ban by the national coordination body for infectious diseases on public gatherings," Milanovic told the daily newspaper Pobjeda.

Montenegrin Highway to Serbia Faces Fresh Funding Doubts

With the first section of the Bar-Boljare highway through Montenegro due to open at the end of 2020, funding for the rest of the Chinese-built road is looking doubtful due to the country's mounting debts and the global economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, analysts warn.