The situation in the water sector is worrisome and this year probably no water company in the country will be able to operate positively.
These issues, as announced by the Union of Municipalities, were the focus of the Fifth International Conference on Water, which began today in Budva, organized by the Association of Waterworks and the Union of Municipalities.
The general secretary of the Union of Municipalities, Mišela Manojlović, assessed that water supply companies share the fate of local self-governments as their founders, noting that they function in a difficult environment that is drastically affected by the global economic crisis. When it comes to the functioning of water supply companies, as it was announced, among the various problems, the issue of investment in outdated water supply infrastructure stands out, and especially the issue of the price of water, "which the law views as a kind of social category because it does not cover the justified operating costs of water supply companies in accordance with valid methodology".
"Our goal is for citizens to have fair water prices, as required by law, but also to enable water companies to function, improve their operations and ensure the quality standard that is necessary in this area," said Manojlović.
She stated that the Union of Municipalities and the Association of Waterworks will renew their earlier initiative to change the methodology for determining the price of water and the Law on Communal Activities submitted at the beginning of 2023. She emphasized the importance of the selection of professional staff during the selection of management boards and executive directors of water companies, as well as the employment of experts in the field in key positions.
The President of the Board of Directors of the Waterworks Association, Milan Bulatović, pointed out that in the year when that organization celebrates a quarter of a century of work, the situation in the water sector is increasingly difficult.
"The activity that is an irreplaceable condition for the life and work of citizens and the functioning of the economy is dangerously endangered, and on the very edge of the sustainability of both water companies and water and sewage systems," said Bulatović.
He spoke about the Association's initiative to create a favorable environment in the water sector, in which unacceptably large losses in the water supply system, insufficiently trained staff, insufficient use of innovative software solutions, as well as the use of outdated technology in the operation of wastewater treatment plants were recognized as the most important challenges.
"Among the measures that should be taken in the initiative are changes to the legislation on communal activities and water services, the introduction of a moratorium on the work of the Energy Regulatory Agency until adequate conditions are created for its functioning, the transformation of water companies from LLCs to public enterprises and the avoidance of the introduction of a single tariff for calculation of the price of water services," the statement added.
Lana Radunović from the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Development of the North said that the department is aware of all the shortcomings and problems in the provision of water services and the need to take measures to improve the situation.
For the first quarter of next year, she announced the completion of the draft of the new Law on Communal Services.
Jelena Janevska from the Network of Local Authorities of Southeast Europe (NALAS) pointed out that similar problems in the water supply system exist in all countries of the region. In this regard, she emphasized the importance of the RCDN project, intended to strengthen the capacity of water supply companies.
The conference also discussed the challenges that the closing of the negotiation chapter 27 with the EU, which refers to the environment and climate change, brings to the water sector.
The conference participants were greeted by the vice president of the Municipality of Budva, Jasna Dokić, and the director of the Environmental Protection Agency, Milan Gazdić. The conference continues on Friday, with sessions on access to financing, young professionals and gender equality, as well as digital transformation.
Bonus video:
