For years, the non-governmental organization "Pljevaljski sir" has been waiting for the certification of the product, which, according to the World Food Atlas, is among the 10 best cheeses in the world. The president of the association, Radenko Vuković, hopes that the process will begin, as he told us, after the Ministry of Agriculture issues the necessary permit, which would enable them to enter the European market.
"Direct exports of Pljevlja cheese to the European Union market are still limited due to meeting strict safety and technical standards required to obtain a European export number. I also see a good opportunity for Europe. There will be more competition, and we will also get a higher price, which our product also deserves," said Vuković.
We are getting closer to membership in the European Union, and businessmen who want to survive will have to adapt to European standards, economic analyst Davor Dokić is explicit. He emphasizes that membership also comes with numerous benefits.
"Because the European Union will do everything to, first of all, repair our infrastructure, which is in a very poor condition, and bring it to a level appropriate for a member of the European Union, and the market will regulate itself and those companies that do not adapt to this way of doing business will definitely be eliminated from the game," said Dokić.
Croatian expert on EU funds Krešimir Budiša explains that preparing for entry into the single European market is a long-term process that requires significant adjustments. He notes that although Croatia has been a member of the European Union for 13 years, its economy is still adjusting to the standards of a market where more than 25 million companies operate.
"So, you come out of your local environment into a situation where there are really no customs, no borders, no nothing. Others can come, they can work more freely, they can go abroad, where some of your people work more freely, but in any case, greater freedom benefits the economy, especially the economy of Montenegro, which is a small country. It is the opportunity to participate on a big stage and perhaps enable some companies to develop big stories," said Budiša.
The Chamber of Commerce has been working for years to prepare our companies for the European market, said Tanja Radusinović, Director of the Projects Sector, to our radio.
Last year, for the first time, Montenegrin companies had the opportunity to apply for grants through the "EMBRACE" project, which is implemented within the "Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro" program.
"Through the first call for the 'EMBRACE' project, 14 Montenegrin companies received grants in the amount of 1.1 million euros. These projects were implemented by the end of March, and in the second call, within the 24 projects that were approved for grants, there were as many as 24 Montenegrin companies, so the amount of funds is slightly above 1.5 million euros," said Radusinović.
However, it is widely known that Montenegro is import-dependent and that the coverage of imports by exports is less than 13 percent, emphasizes Dokić. This trend is believed to continue with EU membership.
"So, we will have to find a way to protect the domestic economy, what we have, and to stimulate it. Now we have pre-accession funds, which, unfortunately, we use very poorly, but we will have access to European Union funds, which are much larger. Whoever comes up with good projects, I think they will do very well."
Those who remain at the level of development from 20 to 30 years ago do not have a bright future, Dokić concludes.
