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Vlada i Regionalni vodovod investiraju 24 miliona eura u razvojne projekte u pet opština

Goran Jevrić, VD izvršni direktor Regionalni vodovod Crnogorsko primorje d.o.o.

Oko 20.000 porodica u Herceg Novom, Baru, Ulcinju, Tivtu i Kotoru će imati direktne benefite od razvojnih projekata Regionalnog vodovoda kroz veći kvalitet života i bolji ambijent za razvoj već postojećeg ili novog turističkog biznisa. Takođe, važno je istaći da će uskoro hercegnovski dio poluostrva Luštica od Regionalnog vodovoda imati obezbijeđeno snabdijevanje vodom za piće tokom cijele godine, što je bio najvažniji, a nedostajući preduslov za razvoj prestižnih turističkih projekata na tom dijelu hercegnovske obale.

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Najava slabije turističke sezone zbog krize izazvane pandemijom virusa Covid-19 će se odraziti i na poslov-

ne rezultate Regionalnog vodovoda, ali vje-rujemo da će opšti poslovni pokazatelji i u ovoj godini zadržati trend stabilnosti, ka-zao je u intervjuu Glasniku v.d. izvršni di-rektor Regionalnog vodovoda Crnogorsko primorje d.o.o., Goran Jevrić.

Glasnik: Da li je, po Vašem mišljenju, odgo-vor Crne Gore adekvatan izazovu korona--krize?

G. Jevrić: Sve nadležne institucije sistema, na čelu sa Vladom Crne Gore su reagova-le blagovremeno i preduzele su odlučne i adekvatne mjere, zahvaljujući čemu smo uspjeli da sačuvamo zdravlje i živote na-ših građana. U trenutku kada je pandemija zahvatila gotovo čitav svijet i zdravstveni sistemi velikih, bogatih zemalja bili "na koljenima" pod teretom ubrzane dinamike širenja virusa i eksponencijalno rastućeg broja zaraženih osoba, Crna Gora je bila go-tovo jedino "ostrvo" na karti Evrope gdje do polovine marta nije bilo registrovanih slu-čajeva virusa. Preventivno zatvaranje gra-nica, organizovani transport naših građa-na koji su se zatekli van granica Crne Gore, hitna nabavka dodatnih količina medicin-ske opreme i materijala, adekvatna pripre-ma zdravstvenog sistema da odgovori na zahtjeve za zbrinjavanje potencijalno ve-likog broja zaraženih osoba, kao i prateća podrška svih ostalih državnih institucija, uključujući i komunalni sektor, obrazovni sektor, te lokalnu samoupravu – svi su bez izuzetka bili odlučni da se uključe u brzu i koordiniranu akciju i u okiviru svojih na-dležnosti doprinijeli pružanju adekvatne zaštite i spriječavanju opasnosti od šire-nja virusa. Posebno bih istakao Institut za javno zdravlje Crne Gore, koji je zajedno sa Vladom Crne Gore i Nacionalnim koor-dinacionim tijelom autoritativno i sa puno osjećaja za mjeru obavještavao javnost o stanju i davao jasne instrukcije građanima o ponašanju tokom ovog perioda. Potvrda ispravnosti svih preduzetih mjera je i pov-jerenje građana u institucije sistema i od-govoran odnos koji su građani Crne Gore pokazali tokom ovog perioda.

Do sada je Vlada donijela dva paketa po-moći privredi Crne Gore i uskoro se oče-kuje treći paket sa sistemskim rješenjima, a privrednici su insistirali na otvorenim kreditnim linijama Investiciono-razvojnog fonda koji je pripremio veoma korektan i obiman aranžman vrijedan 120 miliona eura.

voda kroz nove prihode koje ćemo imati nakon završetka tih važnih infrastruktur-nih projekata. Ujedno, realizacijom plani-ranih projekata dodatno unapređujemo i ambijent za dalji razvoj turističkog biznisa na Crnogorskom primorju.

Najava slabije turističke sezone zbog krize izazvane pandemijom virusa Covid-19 će se odraziti i na poslovne rezultate Regio-nalnog vodovoda, ali vjerujemo da će opšti poslovni pokazatelji i u ovoj godini zadržati trend stabilnosti.

Glasnik: Da li je Regionalni vodovod obu-hvaćen državnim mjerama podrške?

G. Jevrić: Želim da istaknem da je Vlada Crne Gore veliku podršku i pomoć pružila razvojnim projektima Regionalnog vodo-voda sa čijom realizacijom smo već zapo-čeli, a koji se implementiraju u saradnji sa Evropskom bankom za obnovu i razvoj (EBRD), kroz odobrene državne garancije u iznosu od 24 miliona eura. Kao finansi-jski stabilna kompanija, Regionalni vodo-vod, tokom prvih 6 mjeseci 2020. godine nije imao potrebu za državnim mjerama podrške na način na koji su one u ovom trenutku neophodne drugim privrednim subjektima koji saniraju posljedice krize u poslovanju izazvane pandemijom virusa COVID-19. Regionalni vodovod je tokom pr-vog polugodišta 2020. godine ostvario po-većanje u prodaji vode od 10% u odnosu na količine utvrđene u ugovorima o isporuci koji su potpisani sa pet primorskih opština.

Međutim, s obzirom na produženo djelova-nje virusa i samim tim odloženo vraćanje u normalne poslovne tokove svih privrednih subjekata, analiziraćemo pažljivo realne potrebe Regionalnog vodovoda za moguću kreditnu podršku u narednom periodu, u cilju očuvanja likvidnosti preduzeća. Ovdje bih želio da napomenem da je najveći dio kreditnih zaduženja od međunarodnih fi-nansijskih institucija iz perioda izgradnje regionalnog vodovodnog sistema otplaćen – naime, 2010. godine, kada je završena 1. faza izgradnje i regionalni vodovod pušten u rad, kreditno zaduženje Regionalnog vo-dovoda kod međunarodnih finansijskih in-stitucija je iznosilo 32 miliona eura. Do da-nas je kompanija otplatila 28 miliona ovog duga, od čega je tokom mandata sadašnjeg menadžmenta otplaćeno 25 miliona.

Glasnik: Korona kriza pokazala je izrazitu solidarnost svih segmenata društva u po-dršci javnom zdravlju. Kako je Regionalni vodovod doprinio podjeli tereta ove izazov-ne situacije?

Glasnik: Kako je Regionalni vodovod Crno-gorsko primorje poslovao u vrijeme epide-mije COVID-19? Sa kakvim izazovima ste se suočavali da biste korisnicima obezbije-dili nesmetano snabdijevanje? Koje su ak-tivnosti preduzimane i kakav se poslovni rezultat očekuje za 2020. godinu?

G. Jevrić: Javni interes koji se ogleda u kontinuiranom snabdijevanju građana na Crnogorskom primorju vodom za piće viso-kog i provjerenog kvaliteta je, uz brigu o za-poslenima, za Regionalni vodovod najva-žniji prioritet, pa smo u cilju primjene svih naredbi i preporuka iz odluke Vlade Crne Gore i Nacionalnog koordinacionog tijela organizovali novi proces rada prilagođen situaciji i uspostavili interne procedure za uredno funkcionisanje svih segmenata Re-gionalnog vodovoda, od laboratorije i kon-trole kvaliteta vode, do službe zaštite i dis-tribucije vode za piće, u situaciji povećanog rizika širenja virusa COVID – 19. Sistem regionalnog vodosnabdijevanja Crnogor-skog primorja se prostire kroz 7 primorskih opština i u tehničko-tehnološkom smislu je veoma kompleksan, i obuhvata 130 km dug cjevovod prečnika 500-1000 mm, na kom se nalazi oko 400 objekata. Neopho-dno je preduzeti sve potrebne mjere kako bi se očuvala pogonska spremnost i funk-cionalnost regionalnog vodovodnog siste-ma u sveukupnom tehničko-tehnološkom i organizacionom smislu.

U cilju ublažavanja posljedica korona viru-sa, formirali smo multidisciplinarni krizni štab, koji je izradio tri moguća poslovna modela budućeg poslovanja Regionalnog vodovoda u zavisnosti od očekivanog traja-nja epidemioloških mjera, odnosno prekida privrednih aktivnosti u Crnoj Gori uslijed krize izazvane pandemijom virusa CO-VID-19. Predvidjeli smo mogući pad priho-da od 15-40%. Tokom posljednjih nekoliko godina Regionalni vodovod je bio izložen brojnim poslovnim izazovima, ali je mena-džment, paralelno sa rješavanjem ovih iza-zova radio i na restrukturiranju i kreiranju nove vizije razvoja preduzeća. Ove aktivno-sti svih zaposlenih, menadžmenta i Uprav-nog odbora, uz podršku koje smo imali od Vlade, su jasno rezultirale rekordnim poslovnim prihodima koji su u periodu od posljednje četiri godine čak za 100% veći od do tada najboljih poslovnih rezultata.

Realno gledano, mi smi ovu krizu dočekali spremni i za najveće poslovne izazove, ali sa druge strane očekujemo da će razvojni projekti čija je realizacija u toku dodatno obezbijediti stabilnost Regionalnog vodo-

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G. Jevrić: Crnogorci su poznati kao solidar-ni u teškim i izazovnim vremenima, čemu svjedoči i odgovoran odnos građana Crne Gore i efikasnost mjera Vlade, koje su, bez izuzetka, sprovedene od strane svih dr-žavnih institucija. Svi segmenti društva su pokazali izuzetnu odgovornost i spremnost da u okviru svojih mogućnosti i djelatnosti pruže maksimalan doprinos i podršku oču-vanju javnog zdravlja, što u krajnjem svjed-oči o tome koliko smo kao društvo u Crnoj Gori svi jedinstveni i tradicionalno solidar-ni u kriznim trenucima.

Lično smatram da su povjerenje i stabil-nost od presudnog značaja za svaki odnos i uspjeh, kao i da je to osnovni preduslov za uspješno upravljanje rizicima u poslo-vanju, posebno u kriznim i situacijama. Dakle, bez obzira na činjenicu što će kovid kriza uticati, kao što sam istakao, i na pri-hode Regionalnog vodovoda u 2020. godini, kao društveno odgovorno preduzeće smo spremni da apsolutno podijelimo teret i da, bez obzira na finansijske efekte i finansij-sku održivost, čemu teži svaki privredni subjekat, budemo maksimalno posveće-ni obavljanju osnovne djelatnosti koja se ogleda u obezbjeđivanju kontinuiranog snabdijevanja vodom za piće svih opština na Primorju. Obavljene su sve planirane aktivnosti na pripremi sistema za sezonu i spremni smo da lokalnom stanovništvu, gostima i nadamo se i turistima, i ove godi-ne, kao i prethodnih godina, obezbijedimo potrebne količine vode za piće visokog i provjerenog kvaliteta.

Regionalni vodovod je redovno radio tokom čitavog perioda krize, s tim što smo u cilju zaštite radnika omogućili rad od kuće za sve zaposlene za koje je to bilo moguće, dok smo posao u tehničkom sektoru, koji je bio posebno aktivan i direktno angažovan na obezbjeđivanju nesmetanog i neprekidnog funkcionisanja sistema, organizovali u skla-du sa svim mjerama zaštite koje su propisali nadležni organi. Mogao bih reći i da je poslo-vanje Regionalnog vodovoda tokom perioda krize bilo čak i intenzivirano, s obzirom da nas je proglašenje pandemije zateklo na po-četku velike razvojne faze, u punom zaletu na početku realizacije značajnih razvojnih projekata vrijednih 24 miliona eura koje ni-jesmo htjeli da prekidamo.

Pored ove vrste doprinosa, kompanija je i finansijski pomogla NKT donirajući sred-stva za nabavku neophodne medicinske opreme, a zaposleni u Regionalnom vodo-vodu su donirali dio plate na ime pomoći Nacionalnom koordinacionom tijelu.

Glasnik: U kojoj mjeri je korona kriza pore-metila razvojne projekte Vašeg preduzeća i kada planirate da ih realizujete?

G. Jevrić: Korona kriza nije uticala na naše razvojne planove. Kako sam istakao, Vlada Crne Gore odobrila 24 miliona eura podrške kroz državne garancije za razvojne projek-te koje realizujemo u saradnji sa Evrop-skom bankom za obnovu i razvoj (EBRD), a čija je realizacija u toku, te nas i to dodatno obavezuje da uložimo maksimalan napor da ne dođe do zastoja u planiranoj dinami-ci realizacije sledećih projekata:

1 - zavšetak prve faze građenja Regional-nog vodovoda spajanjem posljednje pri-morske opštine Herceg Novi na Regionalni vodovod, vrijednost investicije iznosi oko dva miliona eura;

višedecenijskog problema nedostatka vode za piće na oko 30% teritorije u opštini Bar, ukupne vrijednosti oko 12 miliona eura. Ovaj dio barske opštine je, po broju izgrađe-nih objekata, jedno od najvećih naselja na Crnogorskom primorju koje se decenijama snabdijevalo vodom za piće putem čuve-nog lokalnog izuma "cistijerni", što smo mi zahvaljujući podršci Vlade i kroz izmjene zakona, uz inicijativu predsjednika opštine Bar Dušana Raičevića prihvatili da riješi-mo, na veliko zadovoljstvo građana koji žive u naseljima Dobra Voda, Veliki pijesak i Utjeha. Ovom projektu se priključila i op-ština Ulcinj, na inicijativu predsjednika op-štine Lora Nrekića za naselje Kruče, koje se nalazi na granici sa barskom opštinom, sa više hiljada objekata i turističkih projekata koji do sada nisu imali vodu za piće u svo-

Potpredsjednik EBRD Alain Pilloux prilikom prezentovanja vizije razvoja Regionalnog vodovoda

2 - početak radova na drugoj fazi izgradnje regionalnog vodovodnog sistema, gdje u saradnji sa Upravom za saobraćaj koja gradi moderni bulevar sa 4 trake na trasi Jaz-Aerodrom Tivat, Regionalni vodovod uporedo postavlja 15 km novog cjevovoda investiranjem oko 10 miliona eura, čime povećavamo kapacitet regionalnog vo-dovodnog sistema za opštine Tivat, Kotor i Herceg Novi za oko 120%, zbog sve veće potražnje za vodom u tim opštinama usled novih turističkih projekata. Naime, samo se u Tivtu i Herceg Novom realizuju tri pre-stižna turistička projekta (Luštica bay, Po-tro Montenegro i Porto Novi) investicione vrijednosti oko 2 milijarde eura;

3 - najvažniji i najveći projekat rješavanja

jim domovima, iako kroz ta naselja prolazi infrastrutkura Regionalnog vodovoda. To će biti prvi put da se u Crnoj Gori, na tako velikom prostoru i za potrebe već izgrađe-nih preko 10.000 objekata, istovremeno gradi vodovodna i kanalizaciona mreža, kao i postrojenje za tretman otpadnih voda, uz poštovanje najvećih standarda i primje-nu ASSET mendžmenta.

Ono što je najvažnije – od ovih ulaganja u infrastrukturu direktne benefite ostva-ruje oko 20.000 porodica u pet opština na Primorju: u Baru, Herceg Novom, Ulcinju, Tivtu i Kotoru, na čijim će česmama poteći ispravna voda za piće visokog kvaliteta što će doprinjeti većem kvalitetu života,ali i omogućiti bolji razvoj turizma. Želimo

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uspostaviti standard za sve buduće inve-sticije u infrastrukturne projekte i tome smo zaista svi u Regionalnom vodovodu posvećeni, a podrška koju je Vlada pružila za navedene razvojne projekte je za nas i mene lično dodatni podstrek da istrajemo.

Glasnik: Ocijenite stanje u sektoru komu-nalnih usluga u vrijeme i nakon korona krize. Šta je neophodno uraditi kako bi se olakšao rad komunalne privrede?

G. Jevrić: Smatram da Crna Gora treba veoma precizno da identifikuje koji su to "noseći ekonomski stubovi" društva u cilju održivosti našeg ekonomskog sistema i u situacijama globalnih izazova, kao što je to sada slučaj sa pandemijom izazvanom vi-rusom COVID-19. Kako smo ovih dana svje-doci, zdravstveni i bezbjednosni sektori su, makar u Crnoj Gori, zasigurno položili "is-pit" i maksimalna očekivanja građana i dr-žavnih institucija. Međutim, mišljenja sam da postoje i drugi, nevidljivi heroji, a to su svi oni djelatnici u komunalnom sektoru, bez kojih bi život građana bio nezamisliv. Stoga, iskoristio bih priliku da apelujem da se posebna pažnja obrati i na komunalni sektor. Sa jakom i dobro postavljenom in-frastrukturom, negativni efekti ekonomske krize će biti lakše savladani i prevaziđeni. Vezano za pakete pomoći privredi Crne Gore koje je Vlada donijela, lično bih po-držao nastavak sistemskog načina pristu-panja analizi svakog privrednog sektora pojedinačno i tako sagledati mogućnost održivosti i što je još važnije: kreiranja no-vih razvojnih projekata i da se na osnovu toga odrede adekvatni modeli podrške, sa jasnom orjentacijom ka očuvanju postoje-ćih i stvaranju ambijenta za kreiranje no-vih radnih mjesta.

Glasnik: Nedavno ste učestvovali na sje-dnici Upravnog odbora Privredne komore. Ocijenite rad ove poslovne asocijacije to-kom kriznog perioda i šta je to čime bi ona mogla dodatno da doprinese lakšem poslo-vanju kompanija.

G. Jevrić: Privredna komora Crne Gore se razlikuje od drugih institucija, ne samo strukovnih, zato što u svom djelovanju, ne samo javnom nego i stručnom, na svojim sjednicama i odborima preferira rasprave i zaključke u cilju nalaženja rješenja, prije nego da daje "utjehe" drugima na teme koju su otvorene za razmatranje. Mislim da je Privredna komora institucija koja uvijek nudi rješenja za velike probleme ili izazo-ve koji postoje, kako bi crnogorska privreda bila spremnija za evropsko tržište koje će

joj biti dostupno nakon uspješnog završet-ka procesa evropskih integracija. U tom pravcu Privredna komora veoma stabilno podiže standarde poslovanja privrednih su-bjekata i na taj način priprema naš sveuku-pni privredni sistem da bi što bolje mogli da efektuiramo i budemo učesnici u zoni EU, tržišta od 500 miliona potrošača. Ono što bih ja kao član Upravnog odbora Privredne komore dodatno inicirao u tom pravcu je da više pažnje posvetimo malim i srednjim preduzećima, jer smo mi velike kompanije transformisali na način da su one danas moderne kompanije koje mogu ravno-pravno da učestvuju i na međunarodnom tržištu. Što se tiče Regionalnog vodovoda, mogu sa zadovoljstvom reći da na naše međunarodne tendere za implementaciju

najzahtjevnijih infrastrukturnih projekata u mnogo većoj mjeri pobjeđuju kompanije iz Crne Gore i konzorcijumi sastavljeni od domaćih kompanija, kao što je to bio slučaj sa projektom povezivanja opštine HN, koji su prije 4 godine projektovale domaće pro-jektantske firme, reviziju su izvršili domaći ovlašćeni subjekti, dok danas građevinske radove izvodi konzorcijum sastavljen od 3 crnogorske kompanije. Podsjećam da prije 10 godina, tokom izgradnje 1. faze re-gionalnog vodovodnog sistema to nije bio slučaj, već su sve radove na projektovanju i građenju od 2007 – 2010. godine izvodile inostrane kompanije. To jeste dokaz da se Crna Gora promijenila na bolje i da Regi-onalni vodovod, s pravom, kao kompanija koja je doprinijela toj promjeni, nosi slogan projekta koji je promijenio Crnu Goru.

Sa potpisivanja Memoranduma o saradnji sa predsjednikom Opštine Ulcinj, Ljorom Nrekićem

Sa potpisivanja Memoranduma o saradnji sa predsjednikom Opštine Bar, Dušanom Raičevićem

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The Government and Regionalni vodovod invest 24 million into development projects in five municipalities

Goran Jevrić, Acting Executive Director of Regionalni vodovod Crnogorsko primorje

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The expected drop in number of tou-rists at the Coast during the summer season caused by the outbreak of Co-

vid-19 will also affect the business results of Regionalni vodovod, but we still believe that we will be able to keep the overall per-formance indicators stable this year, says in the interview for Glasnik Acting Director of Regionalni vodovod Crnogorsko primor-je d.o.o., Mr. Goran Jevrić.

Glasnik: In your opinion, has Montenegro responded properly to the challenges cau-sed by the Corona crisis?

G. Jevrić: All relevant institutions, led by the Government of Montenegro, reacted in a timely manner and took decisive and appropriate measures, thanks to which we managed to save the health and lives of our citizens. When the pandemic spread out and affected almost the entire world, while the health systems of those large, wealthy countries were collapsing under the sud-den outbreak and rapid transmission of the Corona virus, with the number of infected people rising exponentially, Montenegro was almost a sole Corona-free "island" on the map of Europe with no registered ca-ses of infection until the mid of March. The measures such as early, preventive lockdown, well-organized transport of our citizens who found themselves out of Mon-tenegrin borders at that moment, urgent procurement of additional quantities of medical equipment and materials, adequa-te preparation of the health system to be ready to provide help and handle potenti-ally large numbers of infected people, as well as the support of all other government institutions, including the communal sec-tor, the education sector, and local self-go-vernment - all of them, without exception, were united and took part in a quick and coordinated action, thus contributing, wi-thin their competencies, to providing pro-per protection and prevention of the Co-rona outbreak. Among other institutions, I would particularly highlight the Public He-alth Institute of Montenegro, which toge-ther with the Government of Montenegro and the National Coordination Body acted with such confidence and authority, and yet with much sensibility for the moment, in order to keep the public informed about the situation and well-instructed on how to behave and handle their day-to-day activi-ties during this period. The right approach and good balance of introduced measures have been confirmed by the high level of trust in the government institutions shown by the citizens, which was reflected in their

Approximately 20,000 families in Herceg Novi, Bar, Ulcinj, Tivat and Kotor will get benefits from development projects implemented by Regionalni vodovod in terms of improved quality of life and better conditions for tourism development. In addition, very soon the part of Luštica within the territory of Herceg Novi will be continuously supplied with drinking water from Regionalni vodovod throughout the year, which was the most important and missing condition for the development of upscale tourism projects in that part of the Herceg Novi Coast.

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responsible attitude throughout this diffi-cult period. All the measures taken by the Government have prevented the uncon-trolled hotspots and spread of the virus in the most effective way, as well as mitiga-ted the consequences in the environments and among the population where the infec-tion has already entered.

So far, the Government has introduced and implemented two packages of State aid in-tended for the Montenegrin economy and the third package with systemic solutions is expected soon, while the entrepreneurs insisted on open credit lines granted by the Investment and Development Fund, which prepared a useful and extensive arrange-ment, total value of about EUR 120 million.

Glasnik: How is Regionalni vodovod Crno-gorsko primorje (Regional Water Supply Company for the Montenegrin Coast) opera-ting during the COVID-19 pandemic? What challenges have you faced in order to ensu-re continuous water supply to customers? What activities have been undertaken and what business result is expected for 2020?

G. Jevrić: The public interest involved in the continuous supply of the Montenegrin Coast with the high quality drinking water is, along with the care for our employees, the most important task put before the company Regionalni vodovod. Therefore, in order to implement all orders and re-commendations given by the Government of Montenegro and the National Coordi-nation Body, we have introduced a new operation process tailored to the situation and established internal procedures for the proper functioning of all sectors and departments of Regionalni vodovod, in-cluding the lab and water quality control, surveillance and protection, distribution of drinking water, in a situation of increased risk of the COVID - 19 virus. The regional water supply system which consists of 130 km pipeline diameter 500-1000 mm, with 400 various facilities constructed along it, runs through 7 coastal municipalities and is technically and technologically very complex. It is necessary to take all mea-sures required to keep the operational re-adiness and functionality of the regional water supply system, speaking in terms of its overall technical, technological and or-ganizational operation.

With the aim to mitigate the consequences of the Corona crisis, we have established a multidisciplinary emergency team whi-ch developed 3 possible business models

of the future business operation of Regio-nalni vodovod, depending on the expected duration of both, the implemented epide-miological measures and the terminated economic activities in Montenegro due to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pan-demic. Accordingly, we have predicted a possible drop in revenue of 15-40 %. Over the last few years, Regionalni vodovod has been exposed to numerous business challenges and the management put a lot of effort to address those issues and at the same time worked hard on restructuring and creating a new vision of development with the financial stabilization of the Com-pany, which was a precondition for the fu-ture development plans and projects. All the dedicated work of the employees, the

the Coast during the summer season ca-used by the outbreak of Covid-19 will also affect the business results of Regionalni vodovod, but we still believe that we will be able to keep the overall performance indi-cators stable this year.

Glasnik: Has Regionalni vodovod been co-vered by the set of economic measures in-troduced by the Government?

G. Jevrić: I certainly have to underline that the Government of Montenegro has provi-ded support and assisstance for the ongo-ing development projects that Regionalni vodovod is implementing in cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruc-tion and Development (EBRD), by issuing State guarantees in the amount of EUR 24

Alain Pilloux, the Vice President of the EBRD, is presented the new development plan by the management of Regionalni vodovod

management and the Board of Directors, supported by the Government, resulted in the revenue increase of 100% over the last 4 years, compared to the best business re-sults in the previous period.

Generally speaking, the crises has found us prepared even for the most serious busi-ness challenges, but on the other hand, we expect that our in-progress development projects will further ensure the stability of Regionalni vodovod by generating additio-nal revenue upon the completion of these significant infrastructure projects. At the same time, by implementing such projects we additionally improve the environment for further development of tourism on the Montenegrin Coast.

The expected drop in number of tourists at

million. As a financially stable company, Regionalni vodovod has not applied for any kind of the State aid and support over the first 6 months of 2020, in the way it may be currently necessary to some other bu-sinesses, which need to urgently address the direct negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their business operations. During the first half of 2020, Regionalni vodovod increased the revenue generated from sales by 10 % compared to the quanti-ties specified under the water supply con-tracts signed with 5 coastal municipalities.

However, given the extended circulation and transmission of the virus which resul-ted in delayed return to normal business activities of all commercial entities, we will carefully analyse the real needs of the Com-pany for the possible State aid in the coming

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period, in order to keep the company sol-vent. Speaking of this, I would like to point out that most of the loans granted by the international financial institutions in the period of construction of the regional water supply system were repaid - in 2010, when the firstt phase of construction was comple-ted and the regional water supply was put into operation, the total credit indebtedness of Regionalni vodovod amounted to EUR 32 million. The Company has repaid EUR 28 million so far, out of which a portion of EUR 25 million has been repaid during the term of the present management.

Glasnik: Corona crisis has brought to light extreme solidarity of all the segments of the society in support of the public health. How has Regionalni vodovod contributed to the burden-sharing in this challenging situation?

G. Jevrić: Montenegrins are famous for showing solidarity in difficult and challen-ging times, as evidenced by the responsible attitude of the citizens of Montenegro and the effectiveness of the Government mea-sures, which have been implemented by all the public institutions, with no exceptions. All segments of our society have shown exceptional responsibility and readiness to provide maximum contribution and su-pport to preservation of the public health in the scope of their competencies and activi-ties, which ultimately testifies to how tra-ditionally united and mutually supportive we are as a community in Montenegro in times of crisis.

Personally, I believe that the trust and sta-bility are crucial for any relationship and success, as well as essential for successful business risk management, especially for crisis management. Regionalni vodovod, as a socially responsible company, will put aside the fact that every business entity strives for financial stability and positive financial effects and although the Covid cri-sis will affect our revenues in 2020, we are ready to absolutely share the burden and we will be dedicated to assure continuous su-pply of drinking water to all municipalities at the Coast. We have managed to carry out planned activities and prepare the system for the summer season, so this year, also, we are ready to deliver necessary quantities of high quality drinking water to the local po-pulation, guests and hopefully tourists.

Regionalni vodovod has regularly operated throughout the crisis, and in order to pro-tect our employees, wherever it was pos-

sible we organised work from home for all employees. Our technical department, whi-ch has been particularly active and directly engaged in maintaining the continuous operation of the water supply system, has been organized in accordance with all pre-vention and protection measures prescri-bed by the competent authorities. I could say that the business of Regionalni vodo-vod has even been intensified over the last period and during the crisis, considering that the outbreak of pandemic found us at the very beginning of an extremely impor-tant development phase for our company, when we were driven by the momentum of the initial implementation of several de-velopment projects, total value of EUR 24 million, that we did not want to suspend or

Memorandum of Cooperation signed with Mr. Loro Nrekić, the Mayor of the Municipality of Ulcinj

Memorandum of Cooperation signed with Mr. Dušan Raičević, the Mayor of the Municipality of Bar

terminate.

In addition, Regionalni vodovod provided financial donation to the National Coor-dination Body intended for the necessary procurement of medical equipment, and our employees also took part in donations by allocating portion of their salaries and donating it to the NKT.

Glasnik: To what extent have COVID-19 af-fected the development projects of "Regi-onalni vodovod Crnogorsko primorju" and what is the time schedule for their imple-mentation?

G. Jevrić: The outbreak of the COVID-19 has not affected our development plans. As I have already underlined, the Government

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of Montenegro issued State guarantees in the amount of EUR 24 million to support the development projects we are implementing in cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and De-velopment (EBRD), which is an additional commitment for us to put the maximum effort to avoid delays in the implementation of the following projects:

1 - Finalization of the first phase of construction of the regional water supply system by connecting the last coastal municipality that is not connected to the RWS; the investment volume of this project amounts to EUR 2 million;

2 - Commencement of works within the second phase of construc-tion of the regional water supply system, by installing a 15 km long new pipeline, total investment value of EUR 10 million, which shall be implemented in cooperation with the Transport Administration that is in charge of constructing the modern four-lane boulevard running from Jaz to Tivat Airport. This investment shall result in capacity increase of the regional water supply system by 120 % for the municipalities Tivat, Kotor and Herceg Novi due to the growing demand for water, which is the consequence of new tourism ven-tures (Porto Montenegro, Porto Novi, Lustica Bay). Three up-scale tourism projects, totalling at approximately EUR 2 billion, have been implemented in Tivat and Herceg Novi;

3 - The most important and the largest project the implementati-on of which will bring forth solving of the decade-long problem of potable water shortage in the area that covers 30 % of the territo-ry of the municipality of Bar. The investment value of the project is EUR 12 million. Considering the number of the structures built, this part of the Bar’s municipality is one of the largest settlements in the Montenegrin Coastal region which has been provided with potable water via, let’s say, "famous local invention" tanker trunks, for a pretty long period of time. Thanks to the support of the Go-vernment, through amendments of law and initiative taken by Mr. Dušan Raičević, the Mayor of the Municipality of Bar, we accepted to take on solving of this problem to the satisfaction of people re-siding in the settlements Dobra Voda, Veliki Pijesak and Utjeha. Municipality of Ulcinj joined this project, following the initiative of its Mayor, Mr. Ljoro Nrekić, as in the area of Kruče, bordering the municipality of Bar, there are several thousand of residential and commercial structures which lack potable water, though the infrastructure of Regionalni vodovod Crnogorsko primorje runs through this area. This will be the first time in Montenegro that an extremely large area will be covered by the project that implies synchronized construction of water and sewerage network, wa-stewater treatment plant for over 10 000 structures, whilst respec-ting high quality standards and ASSET management.

The most important thing is that over 20,000 families in five mu-nicipalities, including Bar, Herceg Novi, Ulcinj, Tivat and Kotor will directly benefit from the mentioned infrastructure investments, in terms of improved quality of life or better conditions for tourism development with high quality running water in their households. We’d like to set up a standard for all the future investments in in-frastructure projects and we are all committed towards achieving that goal, whereas the vast support of the Government to the im-plementation of these projects represents for my colleagues and myself, an additional incentive to keep up.

Glasnik: Could you please assess the situation in the utilities sec-tor during and after the COVID-19 crises? What shall be done in order to facilitate functioning of utility services sector?

G. Jevrić: I think that Montenegro shall precisely identify the eco-nomy support pillars in order to achieve sustainability of our eco-nomy when tackling global challenges such as the COVID -19 pan-demic. As we may witness now, health and safety sectors, at least in Montenegro, have passed the exam for sure. However, in my opinion, apart from them, there are others invisible heroes, such as utilities sector professionals, without whom the life of the popu-lation would not be sustainable. Therefore, I take this opportunity to ask for additional attention which shall be drawn to this sector. With the strong and well–positioned infrastructure, the negative effects of the economy crises will be easier tackled and overcome. As for the economy support packages which Montenegro adopted, I would personally support the continued systemic approach to analyses of each economy sector, thus considering the possibility of its recovery and what is more important: creating of new deve-lopment projects with the appropriate models of support, which would be streamlined towards preservation of the existing and creation of the new sustainable working posts.

Glasnik: You took part at the Session of the Managing Board of the Chamber of Economy. Could you assess the work of this business association during the crisis and how could the Chamber additio-nally contribute to efficient business operation of the Montenegrin companies?

G. Jevrić: The activities of the Chamber of Economy of Monte-negro are slightly peculiar and differ from the activities taken by other institutions. While performing its activities, at its sessions and meetings, it encourages discussions and drawing conclusions in order to come up with solutions, rather than to give comfort to others upon the topics open for discussion. I believe that the Cham-ber of Economy is an institution which always offers solutions to big problems and challenges that we are supposed to deal with, thus supporting the Montenegrin economy to readily encounter the European market, which we are to access after finalization of the process of the European integration. Towards achieving that goal, the Chamber of Economy is continuously raising its business standards, as well as the standards of the other commercial entiti-es. In this way, our economy system would be ready to benefit from the single market accounting for 500 million consumers. The thing that I would additionally initiate in this regard, as a member of the Managing Board, is to pay more attention to small and middle-size enterprises. We completed the restructuring of the big companies in a way that enables their sustainable and competitive position at the international markets. With respect to Regionalni vodovod, I may state with pleasure that mostly Montenegrin companies and consortiums formed by the local companies took part in the inter-national tenders we announced for the implementation of highly demanding projects. This refers to the project on connecting the municipality of Herceg Novi – the main design was prepared four years ago by the local company, it was revised by the local cer-tified authority and the construction works are performed by the consortium that brought together three Montenegrin companies. I would like to remind you of a fact that ten years ago, during the construction of the first phase of the regional water supply system, that was not the case, as all activities on preparing the design and construction work in the period from 2007-2010 were done by the international companies. That is a kind of a proof that Montene-gro has changed for the better and, therefore, Regionalni vodovod, as the company that contributed to the change, has deserved the slogan - the Project that changed Montenegro.