Deadlines and serious reservations

Dad asks Milica - Milica, honey, if you have three apples, and I'll give you three more, how many apples do you have? A lot! - Milica spreads her arms. Well done Milice, says mom, you'll be a minister one day...

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Ana Novaković Đurović, Photo: gov.me
Ana Novaković Đurović, Photo: gov.me
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

When Mrs Novaković Đurović, Minister of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism (an architect aside, for now), takes the floor - I remember the old joke...

Dad asks Milica - Milica, honey, if you have three apples, and I'll give you three more, how many apples do you have? A lot! - Milica spreads her arms. Well done Milice, says mom, you'll be a minister one day...

If we draw a line under the actions of Mrs. Novaković Đurović, the minister in the hocus-pocus government Dritan Abazović - in a Government that is not easy to believe in, regardless of the fact that it miraculously survived its first 100 days - we would hardly be able to single out at least one moment - just one - that would be worth mentioning.

The latter appearance of the minister on TV Vijesti (Vijesti at half past seven, Sunday, July 31) brought tears to my eyes. I was particularly disturbed by the minister's answers to questions regarding the new (God willing) of the law on spatial planning and building construction - the "umbrella document", as the ministry says, "in the area of ​​spatial planning and building construction".

The valid "umbrella document" - which, I will remind you, was voted by the Parliament of Montenegro, glory and grace, on September 30, 2017, at a time when Pavle Radulović, a forgotten ace, engaged in sustainable development and tourism (that's what it was called then) - it started to leak as soon as the first serious October rains fell - so, in principle, I welcome the announcements that (God willing) something to be done - anything - regardless of the serious reservations I have about the Minister's ability to see the scale of the problem she intends to face - everything else aside, for now.

***

So, the ink used to print last Saturday's issue of Vijesti has not dried yet - and already the next day, Sunday, we had a journalist who pleased Mrs. Novaković Đurović with a series of very correct questions, without the intention of going into details. One of those questions coincided perfectly with one of the questions I asked (to myself) in my text last Saturday.

"The Ministry", says the journalist, "last week (penultimate - op.a.) issued an Invitation for the participation of the interested public on the occasion of the drafting of the Law on Spatial Planning and Building Construction. Has a working group been formed, who are the members, are there any experts who are not from Montenegro, and when do you expect this law to be passed, tentatively?".

Let's not forget that in addition to the "Public call for participation in the consultation of the interested public regarding the drafting of the Draft Law on Spatial Planning and Construction of Buildings", which was issued by MEPPiU on July 20 of the current year - repeated on July 22, and "Public call for proposing representatives /ce non-governmental organizations in the working group for the drafting of the law on spatial planning and construction of buildings" - item 1 (one) - and that it is the "Directorate for Planning" that is the organizational unit of the MEPPiU that is responsible for the implementation of the issues that the Working Body examines or regulates normatively . Is a Working Group the same as a Working Body? - I'd bet it is (and maybe not).

"The deadlines for applications for membership in the Working Group are still ongoing," says the minister, "so we expect to receive applications by the end of the week (! - they issued a Public Call for a representative of an NGO in the Working Group/body/team, and it is not yet clear who will (and who will not) join the Working Group/body/team - op.a.). I believe that in August we will have, for sure, somewhere, the formation of this work team, and that it will realistically start working in September. We wish to do it as soon as possible (I have no doubt - op.a.). It would be ideal to finish by the end of the year. We have a parallel preparation of the Spatial Plan (you have, in parallel, the preparation of the General Regulation Plan - op.a.), you are up to date with that, so it would be ideal, but I repeat, if a month or two of some initial, imagined deadline should pass, I am more of a supporter of that approach, in favor of a quality solution (Hallelujah! - op.a.).

OK, first of all - believe it or not, the deadline given to the interested public to provide a constructive and selfless contribution in the initial phase of the draft of the new law on spatial planning and building construction is 30 days - from July 20, when the Invitation was issued, which means that the deadline expires on August 19, exactly at midnight. MEPPiU, for its part, undertook to "record all incoming initiatives, proposals, suggestions and comments and, after the consultation, prepare a report" in which, along with the names and surnames of individuals, or the titles of bodies, organizations, associations, their initiatives, and proposals, suggestions, comments, etc. - and that the report will be published on the addresses gov.me and euprava.me - and delivered to the participants within seven days "from the expiry of the specified period of 30 days".

Beautiful!

I will remind you that MEPPiU was on June 21 last year, during the dining of the forgotten Ratko Mitrović, responded, I quote, "Public invitation for participation in the consultation of the interested public regarding the drafting of the Draft Law on Spatial Planning and Building Construction", and that the "Report on the consultation of the interested public regarding the drafting of the Draft Law on Spatial Planning and Construction of Facilities" was also received. which was published on August 26, two months and a half days after the Public Call was opened - because, in the meantime, the given deadline of 30 days had been extended.

And since I didn't notice that anyone from the current MEPPiU staff remembered to mention that Report - does that mean that the authorities, organizations, associations and individuals who responded to last year's Public Call are obliged to resubmit their initiatives, proposals, suggestions and comments - copy & paste or forward - and who guarantees them, if they decide to take such a step, that their contribution will not be ignored this time either.

Ratko Mitrović
Ratko Mitrovićphoto: Boris Pejović

Regarding the already mentioned copy & paste - I must note that the "Public invitation to participate in the consultation of the interested public regarding the drafting of the Draft Law on Spatial Planning and Construction of Buildings" from June 21 last year, is (almost) identical to the current Public Invitation - copy & paste - which makes me even more anxious.

Second, on July 5 of last year, MEPPiU issued a "Public Call for Nominating Representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations in the Working Group for the Drafting of the Law on Spatial Planning and Building Construction" - so that on July 30, after some three weeks and a few days from the announcement, we calls, were informed that "there were no registered candidates within the prescribed period".

Will there be a response to the "Public call for proposing representatives of non-governmental organizations in the working group for the drafting of the law on spatial planning and building construction", which MEPPiU announced on July 22 of the current year - we will see.

And thirdly...

OK, and this is too much…

Bonus video: