On the occasion of the European Coastal Cleaning Day, which was organized for the sixth time in Montenegro this year, the Delegation of the European Union, representatives of the embassies of the EU countries in Montenegro and young European ambassadors organized the cleaning of the Ribnica riverbed near the Delegation building.
This was announced by the EU Delegation in Montenegro.
"This year, the neighborhood of the Delegation joined the action, as well as several city secretariats whose premises are nearby. All with a common message that the fight for a cleaner environment starts "from home", the announcement states.
EU Ambassador to Montenegro Oana Kristina Popa reminded, as stated, that sea pollution, especially plastic pollution, causes problems not only for the ecosystem but also for the health of all of us.
"That is why it is very necessary not only to save the banks of rivers, lakes and seas for everyday activities, but also to save the oceans and the life in them from the 37 million tons of plastic waste that ends up in them every year," she said.
Popa said, as reported, that the majority of plastic waste in water bodies is single-use plastic, which the European Union has banned, and she called on the authorities in Montenegro to do the same.
"This essentially forces large companies to reduce the production and use of plastic packaging. The idea of the European Coastal Cleaning Day is that everyone can help and that actions of this type start in our small community," said Popa.
It was the local community that responded to the Delegation's call to, as announced, jointly celebrate the European Coastal Cleaning Day, and Popa said that the Delegation intends to organize actions similar to this much more often and at different locations in Podgorica.
"She also invited the citizens of Podgorica to organize themselves in cleaning the banks of the rivers in their city from plastic waste," the announcement states.
The Secretary of the Secretariat for Sustainable Development, Miljan Barović, thanked the Delegation of the European Union for the invitation to join the city administration in the clean-up operation.
"We took advantage of the good weather today and we are carrying out the action in a good mood. We are very glad that in this way we are sending a message to preserve the environment and to preserve our riches, which we have a lot in Podgorica," said Barović.
The representative of the Environmental Protection Agency, Bojan Bašanović, said, according to the announcement, that the action was aimed at motivating citizens to take care of the cleanliness of their city and its surroundings, to use the city's communal infrastructure, to select waste and to dispose of it in the prescribed manner. way.
"We also call on the competent inspection authorities to sanction irresponsible individuals who improperly generate waste, endanger watercourses and create an ugly image of the most beautiful river in Podgorica, which we witnessed today," Bašanović said.
Young European ambassadors traditionally support similar actions, it added, and as Bojana Lalatović said, the desire to preserve the environment is one of the key values they promote.
"As well as the desire to make young people aware of the importance of the environment and the importance of the European green agenda for the Western Balkans," said Lalatović.
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