The presidents of coastal municipalities have called on the President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Andrija Mandić, to include proposals for amendments to laws related to the maritime domain at Wednesday's session.
The presidents of the coastal municipalities thanked the MPs who submitted the request to amend the Assembly's agenda, as well as Tonći Janović from the Europe Now Movement and Nikola Janović from the Democratic Party of Socialists who publicly supported this initiative. They also called on all other MPs to contribute with their votes to the process of decentralization and democratization through changes to the status and operations of the existing JP "Morsko dobro".
The presidents of coastal municipalities are confident in the correctness of this initiative, believing that it is the only way to enable the citizens of the coastal part of Montenegro to actively participate in deciding their fate and future, which, as they emphasized in Kotor, would represent a historic moment for the entire society.
"We have reached the point where all MPs from the Montenegrin coast are united in supporting our proposals. We are calling on all MPs of the Parliament of Montenegro, regardless of the political group they belong to, to support our initiative tomorrow, so that the citizens of the coast can ask about their future in their own homes," said the Mayor of the Municipality of Kotor, Vladimir Jokić.
According to the proposed legal amendments, the transformation of the current company "Morsko dobro" into a regulatory agency is planned, which would be tasked with setting binding guidelines, which would enable better and more transparent management of the coastal zone, a key resource of all coastal municipalities in Montenegro.
"The goal is not to shut down the Public Enterprise 'Morsko dobro', but to transform it into a regulatory agency that will provide binding guidelines to local governments," said the Mayor of the Municipality of Bar, Dušan Raičević, recalling that the initiative was submitted to the Parliament of Montenegro in December 2024.
The President of the Municipality of Tivat, Željko Komnenović, referring to the legal solutions that have been proposed in the meantime, emphasized the unified position of coastal municipalities on not including their representatives in working groups.
"We will not join working groups or provide new solutions until the parliamentary procedure related to our proposed legal solutions from the end of last year is completed. We will keep communication with the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property, and especially with the Public Company for Coastal Zone Management, to a minimum. We do not want a break in dialogue, but we must send a clear message that the ignorant attitude towards our demands must not and cannot continue," said Komnenović.
The Mayor of Budva, Nikola Jovanović, pointed out that the common problems of citizens have united local governments on the coast. He stressed that they are in favor of cooperation with the Government and Parliament of Montenegro, however, he criticized their lack of seriousness in accepting initiatives.
"Tomorrow's session of the Parliament will be a test for those who want to join the European Union, especially regarding decentralization, which implies returning resources to coastal municipalities, given that the budget of Montenegro depends on them," said Jovanović, emphasizing that beaches need to be returned to municipalities for management, with government control.
The President of the Municipality of Ulcinj, Genci Nimanbegu, highlighted the concerns of coastal municipalities regarding tomorrow's parliamentary debate on the Spatial Plan of Montenegro, expressing a unified position on the need to postpone the debate, with the aim of preparing additional analyses.
The Mayor of Herceg Novi Municipality, Stevan Katić, addressed the challenges related to border crossings in the municipality of Herceg Novi, including the long waits for passengers, which can last up to several hours. This situation, Katić pointed out, represents a significant problem for the development of tourism.
"The plan to address these challenges includes initiatives to speed up state border crossing procedures. The issue of involving local governments in decision-making is being initiated, especially regarding the bypass and the construction of the Adriatic-Ionian highway," said Katić.
The presidents of the coastal municipalities also addressed traffic problems, calling on the authorities to intensify work on all sections of the road from Debeli Brijeg to the border with Albania. Due to the problems with municipal waste, a joint statement was sent from the meeting to the Prime Minister of Montenegro Milojko Spajić, in which they urgently request an expansion of the capacity of the Možura regional landfill, which is facing overload.
The mayors agreed to continue this format of meetings, at least once a month, with the aim of resolving various problems that burden the community.
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