Migrations

President of the Economic Court in Podgorica, Branko Jovanovic, was unable to tell Vreme the exact number of firms from Serbia who have pre-registered or registered in Montenegro because, as he said, "here we have about 20,000 companies registered, and until now, we hadn't created a classification in that sense. We carry out the registration of firms that by law meet the established conditions, and firms from Serbia are certainly among them because many of them are interested in our legal conditions. I know for sure that two media firms from Belgrade registered here, but the judge who directs the registry can say more about that," said Jovanovic.

Due to the absence of the judge who conducts the aforementioned registry, detailed data about the exodus of firms from Serbia to Montenegro is missing, even though, as he claims, they can't arrive at an accurate number because it is difficult to identify who is the real owner of the capital of the approximately 20,000 registered firms. More precisely, it is not known how many of the directors and formal owners of the firms from Serbia have found the good fortune to work in Montengro, long ago proclaimed the "off-shore zone".

In any case, this migration of companies from Serbia to Montenegro was loudly announced following the declaration of tax laws in that republic, and of constant threats to new sanctions, especially after the guarantee of the international community that Montenegro will be an exception to the sanctions and that it won't experience defined exemptions.
It is known, however, that the set deadline for the agreement on the application for registration of the airline Budva-ER, which must be a subsidiary of JAT, is emphasized by law. In truth, the delay is justified by the courts' immense task of pre-registering all Montenegrin companies and by the supposed respect for the order of submitted applications, but as a reliable source claims for Vreme, politics exerts itself in the task of registering this company, or more precisely, the fear of state organs that the registration of JAT's company could be harmed in Montenegro by the approved reduction of the international community.

In return, on every roll is the attempted registration of the daily newspapers Danas, Dnevni Telegraf, and Evropljanin's publishing houses. The newest judgment in Montenegro's DT demonstrated that Montenegro's armor is too thin for paragraphs of Serbia's information law.

Bozidar Jaredic, Montenegro's secretary for information, reacted sharply to the withholding of the printing of the first issue of the Belgrade-Montenegrin daily Danas at the border ramp in Prijepolj. But, it is evident that Jaredic's voice couldn't break the aforementioned ramp and that his protection outside Montenegrin territory means nothing to any media registered in his Secretariat.

Veseljko Korivica, director and editor-in-chief of the daily Danas told Vreme that the distribution of the newspaper, following the halt of the first issue on Kovorat, has gotten a normal rhythm. "However, regardless of the fact that we are registered in Montenegro and that we are practically a Montenegrin newspaper, Serbian vice-president Vojislav Seselj and Information Minister Aleksandar Vucic ruled that we can come under the auspices of Serbia's information law. What concerns us is that censorship and the harsh sanctions of Serbia's information law might extend to Montenegro.

Exactly what the position will be of Radio Index (which has begun the proceedings for registration in Montenegro, and, as Beli Dzafic from the Ministry of Information told Vreme, demands respect for the strong short-wave transmitters in Montenegro that would be carried to a good part of Serbia) remains to be seen. The registration of media in Montenegro is simplified by the new information laws. Whoever meets established criteria from two formulas can receive a license to work in Montenegro, even if he was on the state's side not to mention the side of Serbian citizens. Last week, the Montenegrin government democratized even further the conditions for the work of broadcasting programs and the distribution of foreign media by adopting a Foreign Media Decree in Montenegro, after which the number of foreign journalists reported to the Secretariat surpassed 120. Now this secretariat will give legitimacy to foreign journalists but the question remains whether they will be able to receive visas for entry into Yugoslavia.

The question is, therefore, how much the demonstrated democratization of Montenegro in the sphere of information can help Belgrade media at a time when Montenegro can't even protect itself? However, it is clear that a media war is bursting between Montenegro and Serbia, and that Montenegro chalks up a large loss due to Serbia's new information law because they are losing the media which official Podgorica supports such that a picture of Montenegro will mainly be attainable to Serb citizens vis a vis Belgrade media. It is also clear that the aforementioned media war will only tighten the rope between Montenegro and Serbia.

Regardless of the fact that Montenegro has more favorable legal regulations and a demonstrated readiness to follow an international course, it doesn’t, as a member of the Yugoslav Federation, have an atmosphere which guarantees conditions for the project’s success. Montenegro's "off-shore project" is hardly forgotten, while the formal breaking of a contract with Slovenia regarding the construction of a regional water supply on the coast will be announced. That is to say that the Slovenians didn't dare go ahead with the realization of the project or the announced credit arrangements due to the instability in Yugoslavia, because in spite of strong, verbal support from the international community, financial aid is arriving on a teaspoon. Everything is expected from the outcome of relations between the Belgrade-Podgorica line. Neither side is yielding, but Montenegro races to do it loosely, even to define it's own property which will be done at the next parliamentary session on November 19, at which Montenegro's property and citizenship laws will be on the agenda.