"For the adequate implementation of data collection in the field, it was necessary to hire highly qualified professional staff"

The Environmental Protection Agency announced that for the adequate implementation of data collection on the ground for habitats and species, it was necessary to hire highly qualified professional staff available in Montenegro and outside the Environmental Agency.

"As it is extremely important to continue work on this issue during 2022, and as the beginning of the field work season was underway, and the aforementioned is of extreme importance because these jobs cannot be realized in another due to the vegetation season and the presence of plant and animal species period of the year, after a series of meetings held in the Ministry of Finance and written correspondence with the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, the payment of the contracted expenses was made, all with the aim of fulfilling one of the most important obligations from Chapter 27, on the way to EU integration," their announcement states.

The Agency reacted to the allegations of the NGO MANS that the Agency exceeded the monthly average by 365 thousand euros, and that the largest overrun within the budget of that institution was recorded from the budget bowl - consulting services, studies and projects.

"On October 10, 2014, the Government of Montenegro signed a loan agreement with the World Bank for the project "Industrial waste management and cleaning - IWMCP", which became effective on November 17, 2014. Through the said project, the implementation of which is in charge Environmental Protection Agency, the problems of ecological black spots are being solved, namely: the former Bijela shipyard, the Maljevac ash and slag landfill (closing of Cassette II, relocation of the Paleški potpk, rehabilitation of the landslide) and the Gradac flotation tailings pond in Pljevlje, preparation of technical documentation for the rehabilitation of the red pool sludge and solid waste landfills at the KAP location, and work is being done to resolve the issue of hazardous and non-hazardous waste treatment," said the Agency.

They state that contracts with contractors and consultancies were signed during 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, and funds for the realization of all contractual obligations were provided from World Bank loans.

All payments, the Agency adds, are made on the basis of submitted temporary monthly statements and invoices, which contractors and consultants deliver in accordance with the work performed, as defined in the individual contracts, which were concluded in accordance with World Bank procedures.

"According to certain Contracts, after submitting the temporary monthly situation/invoice, the Agency is obliged to make the payment within 56 days from the day of approval by the supervisory authority or 28 days from the day of approval by the project manager (the deadlines are precisely defined in the Contracts) , otherwise, the consultant and the contractor to whom the payment is late, calculate interest for each day of delay. The interest for any delay would be charged from the state budget, because that amount of funds is not provided for in the project budget," they point out in the statement.

The amount of the temporary monthly situation, they explained, depends on the scope of the completed construction works, so that they are significantly increased in the summer period compared to the winter period.

"It is very important to inform the public that the Budget Law defines that Expenditures of consumer units in the Current Budget that are financed from loans are carried out to the extent of their realization (Article 10 of the Budget Law for 2022), this is because every project has its own budget, dynamics of realization, and proper legally based execution can be checked in its entirety in the Law on the final account of the budget. Therefore, the Agency is obliged to implement the Contracts in accordance with the contracted dynamics, within the overall framework of the budget of Montenegro, in order to avoid new levies for citizens," they said.

They also add that the joint position of the European Union and Montenegro for Negotiating Chapter 27 - (Environment and Climate Change) defines eight final benchmarks that Montenegro is obliged to fulfill in order to achieve internal readiness for closing the chapter in the coming period.

"In the field of nature protection, part of the final criterion defined in Chapter 27 states that "Montenegro submits to the Commission Lists of proposed Natura 2000 sites, which sufficiently cover habitat types and species in accordance with the requirements of the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive." Therefore, taking into account that the definition of the proposal for the Natura 2000 area is a condition for Montenegro's accession to the European Union, continuous work on this issue is foreseen as an obligation in the Action Plan for meeting the final benchmarks in Chapter 27 - Environment and Climate Change adopted by the Government of Montenegro in February 2021. (measures 5.1-5.3)", it is written in their response.

The Agency points out that according to the Law on Nature Protection (Official Gazette of Montenegro 54/16) they are obliged to collect data with other professional and scientific institutions for the establishment of an ecological network.

"Given that for the adequate implementation of data collection in the field for habitats and species, all highly qualified professional staff available in Montenegro and outside the Environmental Agency were necessary, it was necessary to hire them. In this regard, in 2019, 2020 and 2021 , the Environmental Protection Agency carried out field research with expert teams that have professional references for conducting field work on this issue, but also started training young experts in order to maintain and improve the started dynamics," they said.

"As it is extremely important to continue work on this issue during 2022, and as the beginning of the field work season was underway, and the aforementioned is of extreme importance because these jobs cannot be realized in another due to the vegetation season and the presence of plant and animal species period of the year, after a series of meetings held in the Ministry of Finance and written correspondence with the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, the payment of the contracted expenses was made, all with the aim of fulfilling one of the most important obligations from Chapter 27, on the way to EU integration", concludes their response.