Podgorica, (MINA-BUSINESS) – Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Vladimir Jokovic has announced that the Ministry will forward all requests of the National Fishermen Association to the relevant authorities in an urgent procedure and inform them of the feedback received.

He met today with representatives of the Association of to discuss their requests.

The Ministry stated that the meeting focused on excise duties on fuel, moorings for fishing vessels, lack of ship repair facilities, renewal of the commercial fleet, establishment of a guarantee fund, charging cruise ships and speedboats for entering the Bay of Kotor to compensate fishermen for damages, financial assistance, increasing the VAT entry threshold, and increasing the Agricultural Budget for this sector.

Jokovic said that he would mediate between the fishermen and the institutions responsible for these requests.

He also announced that the establishment of a guarantee fund, a commission, and an agricultural fund would be seriously considered, with members representing all agricultural branches, including fisheries. 

According to Jokovic, the Ministry has always stood by its beneficiaries, while the Directorate for Fisheries has achieved excellent results in cooperation with fishermen, as well as in the provisional closing of Chapter 13, expected this autumn.