American Chamber in Montenegro

USAID Scorecard of Municipalities

Edin Seferovic — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:29:01 +0000

AmCham Montenegro partnered with the USAID Good Governance Activity and the Economic Growth Project to produce a Scorecard of Municipalities in Montenegro. The Scorecard surveyed residents, businesses and public servants in Montenegro’s 21 municipalities on a range of topics and assessed their perception and satisfaction with the business climate, among other areas. The Scorecard ranks the municipalities under a number of categories.

Please follow the link below to download a copy of the Municipality Scorecard in Montenegrin or English.

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AmCham Montenegro Celebrates the Holidays

Edin Seferovic — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:45:24 +0000

AmCham Montenegro held a holiday reception for members and friends on Thursday, December 15, 2011 at Gossip Restaurant in Podgorica. During the reception, there was a brief ceremony to recognize students who participated in the first-ever AmCham Montenegro Internship Program. Twelve students received certificates of completion that were presented to them by United States Ambassador to Montenegro, Ms. Sue K. Brown.

AmCham IPR Conference: Protecting Authors’ Copyrights

Edin Seferovic — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:36:08 +0000

The AmCham Montenegro IPR Committee organized and co-sponsored a conference addressing the protection of copyrights. Participating in the conference were the Deputy Chief of Mission to the U.S. Embassy in Podgorica, Mr. Douglas Jones, Deputy Minister of Economy, Mr. Zoran Perišić, and Ms. Dawn Adie-Baird from the Delegation of the EU in Montenegro.

In her introductory remarks, AmCham Montenegro President, Ms. Svetlana Vuksanovic, stressed that vigorously protecting intellectual property serves the national interests of Montenegro by increasing tax revenues and protecting consumers.

The conference concluded that the protection of intellectual property in Montenegro has increased, but that there is still a need to take further measures to ensure full protection of intellectual property rights. The Conference supported the following:

• Education and raising awareness of citizens, government institutions and businesses about the importance of intellectual property and its contribution to economic, cultural and social progress;

• Establishing an active and coherent policy and legislative insistence on proactive measures for better implementation of existing regulations in the field of intellectual property protection;

• Support existing and new construction of institutional and human capacity to effectively implement the regulations in the field of intellectual property protection;

• Exchange of information, cooperation and teamwork based on the interaction of institutions that will consolidate the current enthusiasm and efforts of individuals;

• Cooperation at the international level, the adoption and implementation of recommendations of best practices from other countries in order to create a business environment in which the degree of protection of intellectual property to economic competitiveness of Montenegro.

Round Table Discussion: Amendment to the Law on Public Procurement

Edin Seferovic — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:23:39 +0000

The American Chamber of Commerce in Montenegro hosted a round table to discuss the amended Law on Public Procurement, which will take effect on January 1, 2012.

Guest speakers included Mr. Mersad Mujevic, Director of the Directorate of Public Procurement in Montenegro and Ms. Katarina Radovic, Secretary of the Commission for the Control of Public Procurement Procedures. Ms. Jelena Vujisic, an attorney with Law Office Vujacic also presented some of the concerns that bidders have faced in the past and what changes the new law will bring.

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AmCham Business Luncheon with the Minister of Economy of Montenegro

Edin Seferovic — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:28:45 +0000

The American Chamber of Commerce in Montenegro hosted a business luncheon featuring the Minister of Economy of Montenegro, Mr. Vladimir Kavaric. The luncheon crowd had an opportunity to hear Mr. Kavaric speak about the current economic situation in Montenegro and about the government’s future plans to improve conditions for businesses and investors.

In his response to a question from AmCham members about the growing liquidity problem in the Montenegrin market, the Minister of Economy underlined the need for the government and the business community to continue to focus on removing business challenges and creating a better business environment. He also mentioned the need to attract more foreign investments, including more investment from the United States.

AmCham Business Luncheon

Edin Seferovic — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 09:32:40 +0000

The featured speaker for the upcoming AmCham Business Luncheon, to be held on Wednesday, November 9, 2011, is the Minister of Economy of Montenegro, Mr. Vladimir Kavaric, PhD.

The AmCham Business Luncheon is open to members and guests of the American Chamber of Commerce in Montenegro. Seating is limited and will be conducted on a first-come, first-serve basis with AmCham members having priority. Please register early.

If you should have any questions, please contact the AmCham Executive Office at 020-621-328.

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AmCham Board Meets with Representatives of The World Bank

Edin Seferovic — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:40:01 +0000

Members of the AmCham Board of Governors and the Executive Office met with representatives of the World Bank, responsible for following Montenegro’s economic progress, on October 31, 2011.

Mr. Zeljko Bogetic, Lead Economist for Montenegro, Serbia and FYR Macedonia, Ms. Satu Kakhonen, Sector manager for Economic Policy in the Western Balkans, and Ms. Danijela Vukajlovic Grba, Economist visited AmCham’s Offices to present the recently published World Bank report on Montenegro entitled, Public Expenditure and Institutional Review. After the Crisis: Towards a Smaller and More Efficient Government.

AmCham officials discussed some of the main business challenges facing member companies in Montenegro and informed the World Bank representatives that the American Chamber is currently putting together the results of its recently issued survey on Business Challenges. Also discussed was AmCham Montenegro’s experience and progress with working with the Government of Montenegro, local government officials, and other business associations and organizations in Montenegro.

AmCham Internship Program Commences

Edin Seferovic — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:50:52 +0000

The American Chamber of Commerce in Montenegro (AmCham) executed a Letter of Understanding with the University of Donja Gorica and Mediterranean University, formally initiating the first year of its internship program. The program will give students from the two participating universities an opportunity to intern with AmCham member companies included in the program. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is also participating in the internship program, by way of agreement, alongside AmCham member companies, Gintasmont, Podgorička Banka – Société General, Rokšped, and McCann-Erickson.

The inaugural year of the program will secure 13 internship positions for student studying economy, law, political science, and information technology. Beginning on October 3, 2011, ten of the positions will run for a period of 3 months, while three of the positions will be 6-month internships.

AmCham Launches Business Visa Program with U.S. Embassy in Podgorica

Edin Seferovic — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:50:26 +0000

The American Chamber of Commerce in Montenegro, together with the U.S. Embassy in Podgorica has launched a Business Visa Program (BVP). This program is designed to provide employees of AmCham member companies with expedited visa interviews and visa processing, who are traveling for legitimate business purposes or incidental tourism. The BVP was officially launched on September 27, 2011. Registration for the program is available to all members of AmCham Montenegro.

Members of AmCham Montenegro can learn more about the program, including how to register, by contacting the AmCham Executive Office by phone at +382 20 621 328, or by email at info@amcham.me

Please click on the link below for BVP instructions and the registration form.

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AmCham Real Estate Forum

Edin Seferovic — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:43:21 +0000

The American Chamber of Commerce in Montenegro is hosting a forum on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. to discuss challenges and opportunities in the real estate sector. The AmCham Real Estate Investors’ Forum will feature Minister of Finance, Mr. Milorad Katnic, Minister of Sustainable Development & Tourism, Mr. Predrag Sekulic, and Minister of Transportation & Maritime Affairs, Mr. Andrija Lompar.

All members of AmCham Montenegro are invited to attend this forum to discuss the broader issues facing real estate investors in Montenegro with key ministers. The forum will provide an opportunity for AmCham members to pose questions and to provide feedback on what can be done to improve the conditions for real estate developers in Montenegro.

Invited to attend the forum are the Mayors of Podgorica, Bar, Bijelo Polje, Ulcinj, Budva, Danilovgrad, Cetinje, Tivat, Herceg Novi, and Kotor. Also invited are the directors of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Land Registry.

This event is open to AmCham Montenegro members and invited guest ONLY.