The implementation of the capital budget in Montenegro is projected to reach over 93% by the end of this year, as reported by Jelena Jovetić, General Director of the Directorate for Public Investments and Public Procurement Policy at the Ministry of Finance.
During a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee for Economy, Finance, and Budget, which discussed the third-quarter report on the capital budget, Jovetić stated that by the end of the third quarter, 111 million euros had been paid from the capital budget, representing about 47% of the total. This is approximately 14 million euros more than the same period last year.
She also presented updated data for the first 11 months, which showed that 157 million euros had been paid, representing 66% of the capital budget implementation. This marks an increase of around 28 million euros compared to the previous year.
Jovetić reminded that additional funds were redirected through the budget revision for the advance payment of the Mateševo-Andrijevica highway section.
“With these additional funds reallocated to other capital projects, we expect to intensify the implementation of certain projects. By the end of the year, we expect an additional 50 million euros to be paid, which will bring the capital budget implementation to over 93%,” she said.
Dražen Petrić, a representative from the political movement “Evropa sad,” noted that with 66% of the capital budget already realized and 93% expected by year-end, this is a high percentage. He emphasized that the end of the year is the best time to evaluate the reasons for budget execution.
However, Petrić expressed dissatisfaction with the progress of works on the Đalovića Cave and Cmiljača Ski Resort projects, inquiring about their completion timelines.
Tonći Janović, also from “Evropa sad,” explained that only mature projects with complete documentation were included in the budget, which has contributed to the 93% expected budget execution. He compared this to previous years, when projects lacking proper documentation were included due to electoral promises.
Miloš Konatar from the “URA” civic movement pointed out that while the capital budget for this year is higher than next year’s (excluding highway allocations), the proposed budget for next year amounts to 278 million euros, including highways.
Regarding the “Velje Brdo” project, Janović confirmed its existence and explained that significant investments have already been made, and the project will be phased in.
Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) member Andrija Nikolić, on the other hand, expressed dissatisfaction with the capital budget’s execution, pointing out that the country faces a trade deficit of 3 billion euros and a 50 million euro tourism deficit. He criticized the current economic situation, including issues like the bankruptcy of Montenegro Airlines, the privatization of Plantaže, and the shutdown of Željezara.
Meanwhile, Mirsad Nurković from the Bosniak Party (BS) expressed optimism about the capital budget’s performance and noted that some programs had exceeded 100% execution, stressing the importance of balanced financial planning.
