We invite the Environmental Protection Agency to inform the public about information related to air quality, which we requested in accordance with the Law on Free Access to Information and the Law on Confirmation of the Convention on the Availability of Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and the Right to Legal Protection in Environmental Matters, and we did not receive it within the deadline provided by law, which once again confirmed that the interested public and citizens of Montenegro are inadequately and untimely informed about the data to which they are undeniably entitled, according to the statement of the Ecological Movement "Ozone" signed by director Aleksandar Perović.
"Specifically for the purposes of the document with which we want to inform the public about the details related to informing the public about air quality in Pljevlja, Nikšić and Podgorica, and why we need official data which, we believe according to the logic of jurisdiction, is in the possession of the Environmental Protection Agency, a request for free access to information from January 25 of the current year, we requested the following:
- Mean annual PM10 values for 2015 for Podgorica, Nikšić and Pljevlja;
- Mean annual values of PM2,5 for 2015 for Nikšić and Pljevlja;
- Record or information about a failure of the sampler, which is why the average daily measurement was not performed values of suspended particles PM2,5 during January 2015 in Pljevlje;
- Record or information about a failure of the sampler, which is why the average daily measurement was not performed values of suspended particles PM2,5 during February, March, April, May, June and July 2015. in Nikšić;
- Record or information about a failure of the sampler, which is why the average daily measurement was not performed values of suspended particles PM2,5 during November 2015 in Pljevlje;
- Record or information about the service of the sampler, which is why the average daily measurement was not performed values of suspended particles PM2,5 during December 2015 in Pljevlja and Nikšić;
- Are there data on the average daily values of PM2,5 in the period when the samplers from the state network were out of order or on service, for the municipalities of Pljevlja and Nikšić, during 2015, from some alternative sources?
- During the calculation of the average annual value of PM2,5 for 2014, were there data for the average daily values of PM2,5 for the month of December of that year, i.e. were they taken into account when obtaining the value of 41,53μg/m3 for the average annual value the concentration shown in the Information on the State of the Environment for 2014, which was done by the Environmental Protection Agency?
- How did the Environmental Protection Agency inform the public about technical malfunctions at the stations that make up the national air monitoring network, when it specifically concerns the samplers that caused the average daily values of suspended particles PM2,5 in the municipalities of Nikšić and Pljevlja not to be measured?
"As we have not received any response to date, which is not only a gross violation of the Law on Free Access to Information, but also a senseless Aarhus Convention, which should have great importance in the relationship between the Environmental Protection Agency and the interested public, we filed a complaint against the silence of the administration in accordance with the law for the Agency for Personal Data Protection and Free Access to Information. Bearing in mind the multi-year successful cooperation of the network of Arhus Centers in Montenegro, two of which in Podgorica and Berane were established in the Environmental Protection Agency, while the Arhus Center Nikšić is an organizational unit of the Environmental Movement "OZON", whose activities are highlighted through three the last Report on the progress of Montenegro in Chapter 27 - Environment and climate change, we note with regret that this attitude towards the interested public renders meaningless all the efforts and positive practices that we achieved through joint activities in the previous period, which were very much noticed by the relevant of international organizations that monitor the implementation of the Aarhus Convention," Ozon said in a statement.
From this movement, they believe that they are obliged to inform the entire public about this case.
"The fact is that for now we have been deprived of the information we need to look at all the relevant details in a professional manner before going public with an analysis that should, among other things, contribute to better informing the public and also monitoring air quality, where there is significant space for promotion. We have witnessed that, especially lately, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency has emphasized that non-governmental organizations that deal with this topic should not only criticize but also offer solutions to existing problems, and on this occasion we also call on the institutions of the system not to keep public data in drawers and computers, but to present them to the public in a timely and adequate manner so that they can get a realistic impression of what, say, the air we breathe is like," stated Ozon.
They claim that their intention is to use continuous public appearances, constructive criticism and concrete proposals to influence the application of the Aarhus Convention in Montenegro in the most effective way, because this is how public and not private interests are protected.
"We hope that with almost ten years of dedicated work, we have proven that we do not give up on initiatives that are intended for a better quality of life for citizens and the environment, and we will try to continue to be the ones who will not only open up important topics, but also influence the valid laws , public policies and strategies are applied effectively and indiscriminately, which is a prerequisite for the improvement of the existing catastrophic situation in the area of air quality. And at the very end and this time, we point out the need to replace the leaders of the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism and the Environmental Protection Agency, who are most responsible for the worsening communication and cooperation with environmental non-governmental organizations that are focused on protecting public and not private interests. concludes Ozon's statement.
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