Representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism participated at the Conference "Innovation for sustainable use of marine and maritime resources in our seas" within Blue Wave Week Montenegro 2022, which was held from 7th to 9th June in Budva, organized by the Chamber of Economy Montenegro.

In his keynote speech State Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism, Damir Davidović has spoken about the activities of the Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism in the field of blue economy, referring to the Smart Adria Blue Growth project and its achievements.

"The challenges and limitations faced by the actors of the blue economy in Montenegro are numerous, and they relate primarily to the low level of infrastructure development. In the first place, this refers to the non-existence of the fishing ports and developed fleet”, Davidović emphasized.

Regarding that, as he pointed out, it is necessary to consider development potentials and needs, to strengthen cluster networking, especially in tourism, fisheries and mariculture and maritime transport, and to define clear guidelines through the cooperation of the economy, science and the Government for the future development of the blue economy, to integrate the principles of the blue economy into various stimulus support programs in all sectors where it is possible to encourage Blue Growth.

The head of the Department for the European Integration, Programming and Implementation of EU Funds, Ivana Janković Mijanović, stressed the importance of the networking and synergy of blue projects, which will enable efficient and complementary linkages and joint action of policymakers, scientific research community and economy, and fishermen as key actors of the Blue Economy.

All of that, as she explained, aims to raise awareness of the potential offered by this sector and to establish the conditions for creating a sustainable, clean, but also profitable maritime economy and the opening of new jobs.

On the second day of the conference, representatives of the Smart Adria Blue Growth project team, Rosanda Jocović and Ksenija Aranitović presented achieved project results, as well as activities planned to be implemented until the end of the project.