The Parliament adopted amendments to the Law on Legalization of Illegal Buildings, extending the deadline for submitting the registration of illegal buildings in the real estate register by another six months. This deadline expired on February 14th.
MPs gave the green light that, due to urgency, these measures will enter into force on the day of publication in the Official Gazette.
This is the epilogue of today's parliamentary session, which discussed amendments to this Law.
Minister of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property Slaven Radunović said that the changes were requested by the Union of Municipalities and the Real Estate and State Property Administration, because several measures proved to be unenforceable - due to problems such as legalization of buildings based on distance from the end of the plot.
The Law on the Legalization of Illegal Buildings officially entered into force on August 14th of last year, and now the deadline for reporting illegal, unregistered buildings in the cadastre has been extended from six to 12 months.
Contracts for Velje Brdo at the end of 2026.
The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) asked Radunović when citizens would begin moving into the new settlement on Velje Brdo in Podgorica.
Radunović emphasized that he had previously said that there would be no immigration before 2027.
"The first contract distribution will be made at the end of this year, because it will already be well advanced - at least in terms of grey construction. You from DPS said that nothing will come of it," said Radunović.
The Social Democrats' parliamentary group also addressed the Spatial Planning Law, asking how many municipalities have established companies for the preparation of local planning documents and how many are operational. They stated that certain ministers have ownership in some organizations, while the Government gives the same companies 100.000 euros under certain contracts.
Radunović emphasized that in the case of companies for the development of local plans, currently only Nikšić and Herceg Novi have licenses to operate, while decisions have been made in Podgorica and Kolašin and Budva and Kotor are also being prepared.
"It was clear to me that municipalities could not cope with this, which is why we introduced the possibility of creating a joint agency. Municipalities are inert. One of the mayors of the municipalities, who realized that they could not do what they asked for, came to the Ministry today to make an agreement with a state agency to work out a plan for them. I am afraid that this will happen more and more...", said Radunović.
Radunović pointed out that some Serbian MPs are co-owners of the "Serbian House" in Podgorica, but that they have no rights to income from sales or services, but rather that they are simply guarding the property.
"DPS created the problems"
DPS MP Nikola Milović said that they expect more changes to the law and that citizens have not received the promised free legalization. He emphasized that those who worked regularly will suffer the worst because of this law, and that, as he claims, they have lost decades.
Radunović emphasized that DPS created all these problems and built campaigns on blackmailing illegal builders, and that he personally never promised free legalization - but rather told the residents of the Zagorič Forest Park that the municipality would reach an agreement with them and enable them to legalize.
Milović added that their MPs will correct everything that was previously wrong, because the last six years have cost Montenegro a lot.
The Socialist People's Party said that they want a solution to be found through dialogue, so that citizens in several cities receive fair prices for the purchase of state land and legalization.
Radinka Ćinćur, a member of the Special Club of Deputies, said that this law was forced by Montenegro's EU agenda, and that it is still not known how many illegal facilities there are.
Radunović also addressed the price of urban rehabilitation and emphasized that it is determined by the municipality, and that residents of Podgorica's Mali Brdo with buildings measuring 200 square meters can pay in installments of 20 euros per month.
The Europe Now Movement said they wanted this issue resolved as soon as possible, while the Democrats said that from 2017 to 2020, general regulation plans for the south, central and northern parts of the country were not adopted - which is why citizens could not legally build on their property.
MPs did not give the green light to the amendment by Democratic MP Zdenka Popović, which requested a 60 percent discount for urban rehabilitation.
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