The President of the Board of Directors of National Parks of Montenegro (NPCG) Nebojša Popović announced that he has resigned from that position.
He said that he believes that the only long-term solution for NPCG is to thoroughly restructure and transform the company, but that there is no political will and state support for such a thing.
"As someone who believes that the only correct way to heal the JP for national parks is transformation or the establishment of a new company in order to put it on a sound basis, and given that there is currently no understanding for this, nor the political will or willingness of the relevant ministry to discuss , I consider it fair to withdraw because I consider any other approach to be wrong, with long-term negative consequences for JPNPCG. I am deeply convinced that sooner or later the national parks of Montenegro will undergo a much-needed fundamental reform, which I strongly believe is the only correct solution, which in the first place it implies curbing partitocracy, which is a key factor that makes successful governance more difficult," Popović said.
He points out that for the first six months of this year, all five national parks managed by NPCG recorded "significantly higher revenues compared to the same period in 2021."
"Thus, NP Biogradska gora recorded 62 percent more revenue compared to 2021, Lovćen NP 89 percent more revenue, Prokletije NP 108 percent more revenue, Durmitor NP 70 percent, while Skadar Lake NP recorded even 283 percent more traffic in compared to the first six months of 2021. Therefore, the total income of all five parks has literally doubled, i.e. an increase of 107 percent has been achieved. I have no doubt that the presented data speak more than enough about how 'quality' was managed last year year in the national parks, and that it only takes a little less wastage and a little more discipline to improve the situation," says Popović.
However, as he said, this does not mean "that we can be satisfied".
"As I have already announced, I believe that the only long-term solution for NP is to thoroughly restructure and transform the company. As such an undertaking requires the political will and support of the state, which is currently lacking due to various party interests that view state-owned companies exclusively as my booty, I regret that my decision to retire was very easy. I hope that this act of mine may also contribute to the state paying more attention to national parks, and that the problem begins to be seen and solved strategically and systematically," concluded Popović .
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