Members of the informal association "Right to Ancestry and Private Property" once again blocked the Mojkovac-Kolašin main road in Kraljevo kolo today, from 12:13 to XNUMX:XNUMX PM, to point out, as they claim, "the state's discriminatory attitude towards private property problems within the borders of the Biogradska gora National Park (NP)."
At today's meeting, they sent requests to the relevant government departments and institutions. First of all, they are asking for a review of the measures of the Ministry of Spatial Planning, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ministry of Ecology, in order to "adapt these measures to the local population and enable the construction of auxiliary facilities necessary for agriculture and tourism."
They demand that representatives of the informal association "Right to Ancestry and Private Property" be urgently interviewed by Ministers Slave Radunović and Damjan Ćulafić, as well as EPA Director Milan Gazdić.
"That all parliamentary groups and members of the Parliament of Montenegro be informed as soon as possible about the manner in which certain state bodies implement discriminatory measures against citizens of the north. That the competent EU institutions, including the European Commission in Podgorica, be informed about this situation. We are asking for a clear definition of the criteria for protection zones, with the mandatory participation of representatives of the municipalities of Mojkovac, Berane and Kolašin. Also, that all private real estate located outside the rainforest reserve be included in zone III protection, which would enable their functional use," are some of the demands of the landowners within the NP.
Among their demands to the state is “the establishment of a transparent and lawful system for all citizens, without selectively granting privileges to individuals.” They also demand that “an initiative be urgently launched before the Constitutional Court to review the constitutionality of all acts that restrict private property without fair compensation.”
Members of the informal association also demand that "the municipal assemblies of Berane, Mojkovac and Kolašin adopt conclusions and requests to the competent state authorities to harmonize the legal framework with European standards."
"We are continuing our fight for our ancestral lands, for private property, which is guaranteed to us by the Constitution of Montenegro. This is a fight against the bureaucratic apparatus, which is alienated from the people and focused on the interests of the privileged, not the citizens who live and create here. For years, no one has heard us, no one has asked us what we want and demand. Instead, from offices in Podgorica, they are cutting the borders of the Biogradska Gora National Park, drawing protection zones that suit business interests, while our lives, forests and properties are being erased with an eraser, as if we, the owners, do not exist," said Svetozar Bogavac at today's blockade of the highway.
He said that "nature is not threatened by the huts and stables of landowners, but by the systematic neglect of everything that is local, domestic, traditional and valuable." Bogavac announced that the landowners would seek compensation for damages, but also file lawsuits and initiatives before the Constitutional Court, and write letters to the EU and embassies.
"We will not stop. This fight is not just for us - this is a fight for every person for whom their ancestors are sacred. For every child who has the right to inherit and use what their ancestors left behind. For every family that wants to stay here, not to look for a home abroad. Enough of the silence. Enough of the injustice. This is a fight for the right, for justice and for Montenegro that belongs to all its citizens," said Bogavac.
Members of the informal association "Right to Ancestry and Private Property" blocked the highway last Saturday as well.
As previously jointly announced by the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development, the Public Enterprise National Parks of Montenegro (NPCG) and the EPA, "they are continuously open to dialogue and cooperation with the local population and all stakeholders regarding NP management issues."
They explained that the public debate on the Draft Audit Study for the NP lasted 55 days, that all interested parties were given the opportunity to review the document, submit comments and suggestions, and that two public forums in Kolašin and one round table were organized.
The NP protection zones were finally defined by the Special Purpose Spatial Plan (SPSP), which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property, to which the Study was submitted as an expert basis in 2024.
The Ministry, JP NPCG and EPA remind that "nature protection laws clearly regulate the issue of property rights and the possibility of compensation in the event of restrictions on the right to use real estate", and that there are legal mechanisms that protect the interests of owners and enable compensation if legally valid restrictions occur.
They claim that the park's borders have not been changed except in a technical sense, so as not to intersect cadastral plots. Nearly 80 percent (4.720 ha) of the NP's area is state-owned. Within this protected area, three protection zones have been defined.
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