Ćulafić and Nimanbegu signed an agreement on the establishment of a company that will manage the saltworks

The Government of Montenegro and the Municipality of Ulcinj have signed an Agreement on the Establishment of a Limited Liability Company for the Management of the Nature Park "Ulcinj Salt Pans", the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development (MERS) announced today.

As stated in the statement, the contract was signed by the Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development, Damjan Ćulafić, and the President of the Municipality of Ulcinj, Mr. Genci Nimanbegu.

Minister Ćulafić, as reported, said on that occasion that the Ulcinj Salt Pans are not a classic protected area, "it is a symbol of our awareness, as a state with a small territory, that it is extremely important to preserve what we have."

"The salt pan is proof of patriotism, our fulfilled obligation and permanent responsibility, which we as the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development consistently assume," he said.

He pointed out that after the official closure of Chapter 27, the resolution of the management is one of the most important obligations that we have successfully completed.

"The Ulcinj Saltworks is the pride of Ulcinj and all of Montenegro, living proof that we can preserve nature responsibly, with love and a vision for the future. It is the ambassador of Montenegro, a place where ecology and tradition meet in a sustainable way. That is why we stand here today proudly before our European partners, because we have shown that as a society we are valuable and that we know how to agree on important issues.

"Although some processes seemed to take a long time, I believe that some things could not have happened earlier and are now happening at the right time, and in this case, before our final round of completing obligations and closing Chapter 27," concluded Minister Ćulafić and thanked everyone who truly contributed to the finalization of the Ulcinj Saltworks issue.

Nimanbegu said that "we are signing a decision to permanently protect, restore and responsibly manage the Ulcinj Saltworks, in the interests of the citizens of Ulcinj, former workers of the Saltworks and future generations."

"A political agreement to declare the Salt Pans a Nature Park was reached in 2016, and the Ulcinj Municipal Assembly adopted a decision in 2019 formally confirming that status. In the period from 2021 to 2025, we worked dedicatedly to implement that decision and create conditions for legal and sustainable management," Nimanbegu pointed out.

He said that Ulcinj chooses long-term values ​​over short-term interests, "that natural resources are not for sale, but a heritage that we preserve and promote."

The signing was attended by the Ambassador of the European Union to Montenegro Johan Sattler, the Ambassador of Germany Peter Felten, the Minister of Finance Novica Vuković, as well as representatives of the Center for the Protection and Study of Birds (CZIP) and the Dr Martin Schneider-Jacoby Association (MSJA).