Ćulafić: Agreement regarding the formation of a new manager of the Ulcinj Saltworks has been almost completely reached

The agreement between the Municipality of Ulcinj and the Government regarding the formation of a new manager of the Ulcinj Saltworks has been almost fully reached, announced the Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development, Damjan Ćulafić.

"Apart from a few technical issues that are still in the process of being agreed upon, it seems to me that an agreement between the Municipality of Ulcinj and the Government has almost been reached. In my opinion, it is an agreement that can be assessed as having been reached to mutual satisfaction," said Ćulafić at the international conference for the protection of the Salt Pans, organized by the Center for the Protection and Study of Birds (CZIP).

As announced by the Ministry, he reminded that, in accordance with the current Law on Nature Protection, the local government that declares a certain area a Nature Park is also responsible for forming a manager.

"Why the Municipality of Ulcinj did not do that then, maybe my colleague Nimanbegu can explain, or maybe not, considering that he did not have the influence then as he does today," said Ćulafić, adding that significant progress has been made in the meantime thanks to the reasonable and constructive cooperation between the President of the Municipality of Ulcinj and the Government.

According to him, the key issue in the negotiation process was the percentage participation of the two parties in the formed management structure.

"In the end, it was agreed that the Government would have a 60 percent management share, and the Municipality of Ulcinj 40 percent. Although the initial positions were different, a compromise solution was reached," explained Ćulafić.

He noted that the agreement also provides for equality in the management of the Solana through the appointment of an executive director.

The formation of a new manager also implies the formation of a company, with the specification of the founding shares of the Government and the Municipality, which is currently in the final stage of coordination.

Ćulafić stressed that there are no obstacles to completing the entire process by the end of this week, or next week at the latest, and that the Ministry is already preparing a new Law on Nature Protection, which has been finalized. One of its goals will be to prevent situations like the one with Solana, when the area was declared protected but had no established manager.

"The new law will clearly stipulate that every declaration of a protected area must also include the formation of a responsible manager," said Ćulafić.

Referring to the Government's financial relationship with Ulcinj, Ćulafić emphasized that it is partnership-based and supportive.

"I would not agree with the thesis that the Government has a negative financial relationship towards Ulcinj. On the contrary, a few days ago a grant agreement worth over 30 million euros was signed for a wastewater project," said Ćulafić.

According to him, the new manager will have an expert council and a supervisory board that will monitor professional and financial issues, with a clearly defined dominant role in natural resource management.

Ćulafić also pointed out the importance of avoiding mistakes from the past, when the state in some cases failed to protect its natural values.

He recalled that the Ministry has already proposed several projects for the capital budget, including funds for the start-up of pumps that would be taken over by CZIP, as well as the rehabilitation of parts of the Ulcinj Saltworks in the amount of around 540 thousand euros.

"We can expect significant support from the European Union (EU) and I believe that by working together we can ensure the sustainable management of this exceptional natural resource," concluded Ćulafić.

"Vijesti" announced today that the Municipality of Ulcinj has returned to the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development (MERS) the proposed draft agreement on the formation of a joint venture that would manage the Saltworks, in another attempt to find solutions to the sophisticated problems that burden Ulcinj's oldest collective.

In Solana, a programmed bankruptcy was introduced in 2005, while the company has been in classical bankruptcy since 2011.

The President of the Municipality of Ulcinj, Genci Nimanbegu, told "Vijesti" that the responses from MERS have not yet reached the local authorities.