For the 20th anniversary of the restoration of independence €2.6 million instead of €1.9 million

The Government has adopted a proposal to allocate €2.6 million from the current budget reserve for marking the 20th anniversary of the restoration of independence, instead of the previously planned €1.9 million.

This decision is provided by an amendment to the conclusion from the session of March 27, when information was adopted on the annulment of public calls for selecting organizers of the Independence Day celebrations of Montenegro. It was adopted yesterday based on the consent of the majority of the Government without holding a session.

- Under point 2 of this conclusion, the Ministry of Finance is tasked with reallocating up to €1.9 million from the current budget reserve for the relevant expenditures of the General Secretariat of the Government of Montenegro, according to the submitted specification. After further elaboration of program activities and clarification of technical and organizational requirements for implementing the 20th anniversary celebration of Montenegro’s restored independence, it was determined that an increase in funds is necessary to ensure an adequate production, logistical, and security framework, as well as a richer and more representative program in line with the importance of the jubilee – the document states.

As added, the increase in allocated funds is proposed to enable efficient and timely implementation of all planned activities.

- It is proposed to amend point 2 of the conclusion so that “the Ministry of Finance is tasked with reallocating up to €2.6 million from the current budget reserve for the intended purposes to the appropriate expenditures of the General Secretariat of the Government of Montenegro, according to the submitted specification” - the document specifies.

It is recalled that the Government annulled two public calls for selecting organizers of celebrations marking 20 years since the restoration of independence, after none of the submitted bids met all required conditions.

The decision to annul followed, as stated in the information of the Coordination Body, after the evaluation of bids submitted to public calls published on March 17 on the Government’s website.

These calls concerned the organization of central ceremonial events planned for May 20 and June 4, as well as a three-day celebration from May 20 to 22 at Independence Square in Podgorica.

According to the findings of the Evaluation Commission formed in mid-March, none of the bids were fully compliant with the requirements defined in the public calls, which is why the Coordination Body for organizing the jubilee decided to annul them.

For the first public call, related to ceremonial celebrations, three bids were submitted by the companies „Exacta Agency“, „Easy Production“ and „MM Hub“. Although none formally met all conditions, one bid was assessed as high-quality and creatively designed, with adequate technical and organizational capacity.

For the second public call, concerning the three-day program in Podgorica, two bids were submitted, by the company „Culpoint“ and the consortium „Sky Music Montenegro“ and „Skyevents“. In this case as well, one bid was assessed as high-quality but formally incomplete.

The estimated value of organizing ceremonial events, as previously stated, amounts to up to €500,000, while up to €1.4 million was planned for the three-day program, totaling €1.9 million.

Due to short deadlines and the need for urgent implementation of the jubilee celebration program, the Coordination Body proposed that the Government entrust the organization through a negotiated procedure without prior publication of a call, in accordance with the Public Procurement Law.

It was proposed that „Exacta Agency“ be included in negotiations for organizing ceremonial events, while negotiations for the three-day program would be conducted with the consortium „Sky Music Montenegro“ and „Skyevents“.

These companies are owned by the controversial Milenko Škarić from Belgrade, whose company „Skyevents“ and its subsidiaries (such as „Sky Music Montenegro“) reportedly handle the production of all events of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party and Aleksandar Vučić, according to Serbian media.

Škarić registered a company in Montenegro in 2023, which has only one employee, and Company Wall data show that the Montenegrin subsidiary is owned by one of his companies.

Škarić’s companies have also been responsible for organizing nearly all musical events in Belgrade since the mandate of Siniša Mali as mayor, up to the current mayor Aleksandar Šapić. Serbian media have also linked Škarić to the arrested businessman Aleksandar Papić, about whom Veljko Belivuk and Marko Miljković testified in court that they had cooperated directly with him in the interests of the ruling party in Serbia.

According to Serbian media, millions of euros of state money are used to pay Škarić’s companies.

At the beginning of April, the Government told the ETV Portal that the final decision on how to implement the program marking 20 years since the restoration of Montenegrin independence, including the selection of performers and the financial framework, would be made at the level of the Government of Montenegro after considering all relevant aspects.

Responding to questions about whether the proposal of the Coordination Body would be accepted, to implement the celebration by engaging „Exacta Agency“, „Sky Music Montenegro“ and „Skyevents“, with €1.9 million from the budget, the Government stated that the process is ongoing.

- Given the importance of this jubilee, as well as the need to ensure that it is marked in a high-quality, substantive, and dignified manner, the Government’s Coordination Body, after public calls that did not result in selecting the most favorable and fully appropriate solution, considered further procedural models that would enable efficient implementation of planned activities - they stated at the time.

In that context, they added, it was proposed to consider a negotiated procedure with entities that had already participated in earlier procedures, as a model allowing further improvement of offers in terms of content, organizational capacity, and financial conditions.

The Government emphasized that „this approach does not represent a departure from the principle of transparency, but rather an effort to ensure an optimal solution in the public interest through direct communication“.

- This procedure represents a process in which, through additional consultations and negotiations, possibilities for improving initially submitted offers are considered, with full respect for applicable regulations and standards - the Government stated.

Regarding financing, the executive branch said that the total framework of funds, including possible allocations from the budget, would be precisely defined, ensuring rational and responsible management of public funds.