The tender for the lease of beaches will be announced by the end of this week, said the Minister of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property, Slaven Radunović.
During a press conference, Radunović stated that by March 20th or 25th, new leaseholders for the beaches and temporary facilities would be selected, which he believes is more than enough time to prepare for the season.
Radunović also announced that the government has initiated a process to ensure that the state does not discriminate against anyone, stating that no one should have exclusive rights while others are excluded.
“Old beach leaseholders treat their contracts as if they were handed down from their ancestors, without considering that there are other citizens who may want to offer better results. That’s what tenders are for,” Radunović explained.
He expressed dissatisfaction with some local government representatives and members of the government who have advocated for granting beach leases to certain individuals without competition and at old prices.
Radunović emphasized that the benefits for the state are enormous.
“First, we are bringing order to this major issue we’ve had. In previous tenders, criminal groups interfered, blackmailing other bidders to withdraw their applications. This will no longer be possible in Montenegro, at least not in the department I control. This time, the tender conditions have been prepared in such a way that even my own son couldn’t get anything through connections,” Radunović warned.
He added that no one knows who is participating in the tender, ensuring that no pressure can be placed on the bidders.
“This way, we are establishing the rule of law in an area where it was previously on shaky ground,” Radunović concluded.
The starting rental prices will be significantly higher, and through auctions, much higher amounts will be reached.
“The minimum benefit for the state will be 15 million EUR based on starting prices, but we expect it to be at least double that, up to 30 million EUR,” Radunović specified.
According to him, the biggest issue was identified in Ulcinj. Surveys revealed that almost all of the city’s beaches were paying for twice as many square meters as they were actually using.
“This was likely a form of corruption, but to avoid any risks, this time Morsko Dobrо organized a geodetic company to survey all the plots,” Radunović stated.
He further explained that there are no more leaseholders as the contracts have expired, and everyone is now equal before the state to participate.
Montenegro’s coast will have 74 new city beaches this year, bringing the total to 563. The number of hotel beaches has also increased, now reaching 70.
This was stated in the Information on Amendments to the Program of Temporary Structures in the Maritime Domain for the period 2024-2028, which was approved by the government at its previous meeting.
