The ambition of the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Development of the North is to fulfill all the obligations from the negotiation chapter 2026 - Environment and climate change by the end of 27, said relevant minister Damjan Ćulafić.
He said that the Government carries out six-month monitoring and that so far six reports on the implementation of the Action Plan for meeting the final criteria in Chapter 27 have been adopted, which, as he assessed, is the most complex and demanding in the accession process.
"What can instill a dose of optimism is the fact that progress was detected between the fifth and sixth reports - from 39 percent of the fulfillment of our obligations from that chapter, we increased to 46,5 percent," said Ćulafić in an interview with the MINA Agency.
He pointed out that this represents a positive trend and that he is happy about it.
"I hope that we will continue to follow this trend in the future, if not speed it up in many ways," added Ćulafić.
Chapter 27, as he reminded, was opened in 2018.
"For the previous six years, we worked as much as we did, and now we have this balance of 46,5 percent fulfillment of obligations", said Ćulafić.
As he said, the desire and target, which the Government has set, is for Montenegro to join the European Union (EU) in 2028.
"The period ahead will have to be a time of much more fruitful and efficient work than it has been so far," Ćulafić said.
He emphasized that he deeply believes that the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Development of the North has a very professional and serious team of people working on it.
"The people with whom I have had several conversations so far inspire me with optimism, that their energy and enthusiasm can produce adequate results within the deadlines we have set," said Ćulafić.
When asked when Montenegro, bearing in mind the dynamics of fulfilling its obligations, could close chapter 27, he replied that it is not gratifying to talk about deadlines, when such a complex and serious chapter is in question.
"The ambition of the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and the Development of the North is precisely the end of 2026 - to fulfill all the obligations ahead of us, should we not then leave the next two years to examine the results achieved and get an opinion from the European Commission (EC)", said Ćulafić .
He added that he believes that the end of 2026 can be a realistic or optimal deadline for the fulfillment of absolutely all obligations facing the Ministry headed by him.
Ćulafić, answering the question whether chapter 27 can be an obstacle in fulfilling the goal of Montenegro becoming a member of the EU by 2028, said that this chapter is the most complex and demanding, but that at the same time it gives them additional motivation to work hard and deliver results which are expected of them.
"Of course, a lot of work and monitoring of the fulfillment of the obligations before us is needed, so there are also external conditions that will depend on it, but I deeply believe that, with teamwork and good intentions, we will not represent an obstacle in our accession negotiation process", said Ćulafić.
According to him, it is also a measure of patriotism, considering the strategic direction that Montenegro has taken, namely full integration into the European community.
Ćulafić, speaking about the way in which they plan to solve environmental problems, said that in the first days of his mandate he faced major challenges and long-standing problems that Montenegro is struggling with, such as Mislov do in Nikšić, Mostina in Rožaje, as well as the spilling of feces , that is, waste water and chemicals into the natural flow of the Bojana River.
Ćulafić recalled that he and representatives of the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development visited the Municipality of Nikšić and that together with the presidents of the Municipality and the Municipal Assembly, as well as their associates, they visited the site where the Mislov do landfill is located.
He added that it was a very fruitful working visit.
"They are working very successfully to rehabilitate the existing situation and are using the money that the Government has allocated - 400 euros to rehabilitate that landfill. I think they are in the final phase and that they are rehabilitating the third section these days," said Ćulafić.
He reminded that a joint decision was made to close that landfill completely and that in the future the garbage will be taken to the Livade landfill in Podgorica.
"I have to take this opportunity to send a message to all other local self-governments, so that people do not have any hope that only the Ministry is working on this, on closing Mislo dol and financing the removal of garbage to the landfill in Podgorica," said Ćulafić.
As he pointed out, this is a partnership with the municipality of Nikšić and local authorities.
"Because they have decided to finance garbage removal themselves in the future, until we solve the issue of the regional center for waste management", stated Ćulafić.
He said that the regional center for waste management will be stationed precisely in Nikšić, because the municipality itself has expressed its desire for it, and it will serve the municipalities of Savnik and Plužine, and perhaps some coastal ones.
"So, as far as Mislovi dol is concerned, a very concrete, decisive, perhaps somewhat rigid measure and decision is to close that locality, considering the level of environmental protection it has caused so far," said Ćulafić.
Ćulafić said that the specific location where the waste management center will be located has not yet been determined, but that the Ministry will do its best to help with its construction.
"We will see whether it will come from the budgetary resources of Montenegro, or from some available funds, in the meantime. But it is certainly a major issue, which will certainly be resolved during the mandate of this Government", said Ćulafić.
Speaking about the problem of the Mostina landfill in Rožaje, he said that the local self-government did not fulfill what they were obliged to do by the decisions of the Ministry and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Ćulafić said that, among other things, the landfill was not properly arranged or fenced, that video surveillance was not installed, adequate working hours were not posted, and that there were no employees who should be guarding the site.
"Then what happens is that the waste that is deposited there is set on fire, and therefore the emission of harmful gases into the air. The environment in that locality and the population living in the immediate vicinity are simply endangered," said Ćulafić.
He said that he is willing to approach this problem in a partnership way and to make some decisions in a working atmosphere with the representatives of the Municipality of Rožaje.
Ćulafić said that the Ministry, if necessary, is willing to financially assist in the rehabilitation of the landfill, as well as in fulfilling its obligations.
"And yes, in the meantime, we are looking for a solution, both in Rožaj and in other municipalities, which is the construction of a regional center for waste management in the north", said Ćulafić.
He pointed out that they must look for an interim solution.
"Nothing that could be condemned, first of all, by the locals, because my focus is precisely on the citizens who live in Rožaje", emphasized Ćulafić.
He said that he would not like that story to have any political connotation, because, as he said, they are only interested in environmental protection.
"Understanding all the challenges that the Municipality of Rožaje itself is facing, primarily of a financial nature, and also of an infrastructural nature, I am willing to help as much as possible, and it seems to me that enough can be done", Ćulafić repeated.
He said that the third challenge he faced at the very beginning of his mandate was the spilling of chemicals and waste water into the natural course of the Bojana River.
Ćulafić said that, when it comes to this problem, they acted very efficiently and that EPA representatives immediately visited the Bojana river.
"Our initial findings were that waste water from the neighboring town of Velipolje in Albania, but also chemicals from the factory in the town of Juarez, also in Albania, are being poured into the Bojana River," said Ćulafić.
He added that, of course, waste water is not desirable, but that it is much less dangerous for the environment and the population than the chemicals that were poured into the natural flow.
"We got in touch with the Ministry of Tourism and the Environment of Albania and it was agreed that my colleague from Albania and I will have a working meeting in September where we will raise not only that, but also other open issues between that country and Montenegro when the protection environment," said Ćulafić.
He recalled that the representatives of the Montenegrin and Albanian environmental protection agencies had a working meeting.
"They located the factory from which those chemicals originate and their spilling has been stopped for now, as far as I am informed, and will be stopped permanently, so this is the first result of our work until Montenegro and Albania find a sustainable joint solution," he said. is Ćulafić.
He said that he will provide maximum support to the municipality of Ulcinj, all in order to protect the environment, as well as people's health.
When asked what stage the drafting of the new law on nature protection and the law on protection against the negative effects of climate change is in, Ćulafić replied that these two legal acts are in the final drafting stage.
"The law on nature protection is, to put it colloquially, in the phase of "packaging" and sending it to the relevant institutions for their opinion. I expect that by the end of the year we will have adopted the proposal, that is, submitted it to the Assembly for further procedure, as well as the law related to negative impacts climate change", said Ćulafić.
As he said, the Law on Protection from the Negative Effects of Climate Change received a large number of proposals, but also criticism from the EC.
"They are also in the implementation phase, but, as I said, the end of the year is the time target for both laws to be adopted", stated Ćulafić.
He said that horizontal legislation is one of the sub-areas that must be dealt with and assessed that this is where the most has been achieved so far.
Ćulafić, answering the question of how Montenegro should prepare for the negative impacts of climate change, said that the country cannot remain immune to these impacts, because it is a global trend.
As he reminded, Montenegro has undertaken to reduce the level of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 percent by 55 compared to the reference level of 1990.
Ćulafić emphasized the importance of the national plan for adaptation to climate change, which was prepared with partners from UNDP.
He said that all sectoral areas will be represented there and that there will be a very clear road map of how to act in which sector.
"However, it is not just a question of adopting some strategic document and laying out the path and covering ourselves with adequate legislation. We as a society must also have a much greater degree of responsibility when it comes to climate change, in order to prevent, or at least mitigate the negative effects that are evident", said Ćulafić.
He said that, among other things, he means a more conscientious attitude towards forests, the environment, spatial planning, as well as the prevention of illegal construction or construction that is not in accordance with recommendations of an ecological nature.
Ćulafić said that the area of climate change is the focus of the department and will remain so until the closing of chapter 27.
"How seriously we are committed to this is shown by the fact that in the new act on the organization and systematization of workplaces, we created a special directorate that will deal with climate change," said Ćulafić.
Asked what he sees as the main challenges of nature protection in Montenegro, he said that they are illegal construction and unscrupulous attitude towards nature.
He said that there are many challenges, but that he would focus precisely on the awareness of citizens, which, he added, should be changed in a positive direction.
"If each individual does what is up to him, I firmly believe that all these challenges will be reduced to a reasonable extent, which will not negatively affect the nature around us", said Ćulafić.
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