The Zeta Municipal Assembly adopted the Proposal for a Decision on the Prohibition of the Implementation of the Project for the Construction of a Wastewater Treatment System for Podgorica in Botun with 17 votes in favor, while two councilors abstained.
The decision was approved by councilors from the ZBCG coalition and independent councilors, while two Democratic councilors abstained.
After voting on the decision, the Assembly also considered the amendments proposed by Democratic Councillor Luka Krstović, which were not supported. 17 councillors voted against the amendment, while two abstained.
Krstović had submitted a set of amendments to the decision to ban the implementation of the project to build a wastewater treatment system for Podgorica in Botun.
Zeta Municipal Council members are discussing the Proposal for a Decision to Ban the Implementation of the Project for the Construction of a Wastewater Treatment System for Podgorica in Botun, proposed by the President of the Municipality of Zeta, Mihailo Asanović.
Asanović said that the proposed amendments would mean "acceptance of the construction of the plant."
Reacting after the parliamentary committees failed to adopt his amendments, Krstović said that representatives of his party had proposed a decision to ban the construction of the plant in Botun in previous years, but that those proposals were not accepted.
"The Democratic Councilors' Club proposed in 2023, 2024, and 2025 that the Municipality of Zeta make a decision to ban the construction of the plant in Botun, but Mr. Mihailo Asanović rejected those proposals each time," said Krstović, stating that such proposals were submitted both while they were part of the government and while they were in opposition.
He said that if those decisions had been adopted then, "we would not be in a position to discuss this issue today," adding that after the referendum, in which 98,5 percent of citizens voted against the plant, there was, as he stated, "a unique opportunity to make a lawful and legally enforceable decision."
Krstović assessed that the proposed decision of the Mayor lacks mechanisms for its implementation.
"This decision does not say in a single word how the construction of the plant will be prevented. It is more like a political pamphlet and is completely declarative in nature," he said.
Speaking about Article 2 of the proposed decision, Krstović stated that it is contrary to applicable laws.
"Municipal authorities are actually and locally competent and no one has the right to prohibit their actions with a single decision, which is below the law in terms of legal force," said Krstović.
He particularly questioned the part of the decision that obliges the Mayor to inform the Government and the Capital City about the results of the referendum.
"The entire activity of this decision comes down to the Mayor writing a letter to the Government and the Capital City. That's all the work in this decision," said Krstović.
According to him, it is also controversial that the decision attempts to oblige bodies that are not under the jurisdiction of the Municipality of Zeta.
"The decision can and should bind the bodies of the Municipality of Zeta, but not the bodies that are not under its legal jurisdiction," he said.
Krstović stated that the Municipality should use all available legal means to protect its territory, but said that "not a single word explains how this decision will prohibit the construction of the facility."
Finally, he said that the issue of building the facility must be viewed outside of party interests.
"The fact is that this decision is being proposed by the Mayor whose party previously voted for the documents that envisaged the construction of the facility at this location. I believe that this issue should have been approached in a much more responsible manner and party interests should have been put aside," said Krstović.
The Zeta Municipal Assembly session is attended by 20 councilors, which ensures a quorum for valid decision-making. Aleksandar Petričević and the DPS Councilors' Club announced their absence.
Asanović previously assessed that the amendments were an attempt to shift responsibility from, as he stated, the responsible state bodies and the security sector, and recalled the police interventions during the protests of the citizens of Zeta.
Commenting on the individual amendments, Asanović stated that the obligation to initiate talks should not be on the Municipality of Zeta, but, as he said, on those who had previously promised dialogue with the citizens of Botun. Speaking about the third amendment, Asanović assessed that it abandons previous political positions and offers the citizens a project with "guarantees" that, as he said, should not be trusted.
He also stated that the issue of demarcation between the Municipality of Zeta and the Capital City is within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Administration, claiming that representatives of Zeta attended all meetings, while, according to him, representatives of Podgorica did not respond. Asanović also assessed that accepting co-financing of the system conversion would mean that the Municipality of Zeta is financially participating in the project it opposes.
The amendments have been referred to the Committee for Social Affairs, the Committee for Spatial Planning and Communal and Housing Activities, and the Committee for Statute and Regulations for consideration, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure. The discussion on the Proposal for a Decision will continue after the committees submit their opinions.
The first amendment he submitted related to the deletion of Article 2 of the proposed decision, which he said was in conflict with acts of greater legal force.
The second amendment proposed that the Zeta Municipal Assembly oblige the Mayor to initiate talks at all levels of government in order to fulfill the freely expressed will of the citizens expressed in the referendum, while the third amendment provided for the obligation to submit a request to the Government of Montenegro for a guarantee that the sewage sludge incineration plant would not be put into operation.
Krstović also said that construction work has also begun on part of the territory of the Zeta Municipality, namely in the cadastral municipality of Botun, and that the proposed amendments seek to prevent the commissioning of the incinerator, which he assessed as the most dangerous part of the planned complex. According to him, the amendments also stipulate that waste sludge will not be burned in Zeta or its vicinity.
The fourth amendment provided that the Assembly would oblige the Mayor to initiate talks on the continuation of the demarcation and property division process between the Municipality of Zeta and the Capital City of Podgorica, specifying deadlines for completing the demarcation by July 1, 2026, and property division by January 1, 2027.
The fifth amendment envisaged joint co-financing of the conversion of parts of the system that would, after demarcation, fall under the administrative jurisdiction of the Municipality of Zeta, while the sixth amendment required the Government of Montenegro to translate any guarantees into a special legal solution to be adopted by the Parliament of Montenegro.
Asanović: This is a legal act that everyone in Montenegro must respect
After the Assembly session, Asanović said in a statement to the media that the Zeta Municipal Assembly had made a decision to ban the construction of a collector for the municipality of Podgorica on the territory of the municipality of Zeta, namely in Botun, emphasizing that the decision was adopted by the votes of the councilors of the ruling coalition.
He stated that Krstović submitted seven amendments, which he proposed to the councilors to reject, because, as he said, they meant not recognizing the results of the referendum and enabling construction against the will of the citizens of Zeta.
"These amendments meant that the Zeta municipality was allowing something to be built on our territory, against the will of the citizens, and even allowing us to participate in it," Asanović said.
He particularly highlighted the sixth amendment, stating that it envisaged that the municipalities of Zeta and Podgorica would jointly oversee the facility in order to reduce negative odors, assessing that such amendments had nothing to do with the interests of the citizens of Zeta and would only verify the continuation of construction.
Asanović said that Krstović did not support the decision, adding that, according to him, by doing so, he sided with those who, as he stated, on December 30, against the will of the citizens, the Constitution and the laws, forcibly removed citizens from the territory of Zeta in order to enable the construction of a facility in another municipality.
"That December 30th is a defeat for democracy, rights and the Constitution of Montenegro," said Asanović.
He said that the municipality of Zeta has the right, in accordance with the Law on Territorial Organization, to decide what can and cannot be built on its territory, and called on the Government of Montenegro and state authorities to, as he said, "put their finger on their forehead" and sit down at the table to solve the problem with the participation of experts.
"One municipality cannot build a facility on the territory of another municipality without its consent," said Asanović.
He added that the Assembly's decision will be sent to the Government of Montenegro, the Assembly and the Capital City of Podgorica, and announced that tomorrow at 11 am he will personally deliver the decision to the Mayor of Podgorica, Saša Mujović, together with the citizens.
"This is a legal act that must be respected by everyone in Montenegro," said Asanović.
He announced that the Municipality of Zeta will use all available legal means, including going to court and filing criminal charges, but that if the institutions do not react, they will continue with protests and other forms of resistance.
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