Tonight, a second citizen protest was held in Pljevlja due to the severe air pollution that has plagued the city for years. Despite the cold weather, several hundred citizens gathered in the central city square to highlight the seriousness of the pollution problem and its impact on health and the environment.
Pavle Čolović, one of the organizers of the protest, emphasized that the citizens of Pljevlja have been suffering the consequences of polluted air for years, which exceeds permissible limits.
Čolović denied that he wants the Thermal Power Plant and the Coal Mine to be closed.
"I am not asking for the shutdown of anyone's bread. I am not asking for the shutdown of the Thermal Power Plant and the Mine. I am asking for you to fulfill the promises you made to us, the citizens of Pljevlja, for once. Read what you promised us that would be done for a hundred million, when the Thermal Power Plant started its ecological reconstruction. I am asking for the shutdown of the lungs of this city to stop. The workers are not to blame. The irresponsibility of our armchairs is to blame. The system that has been promising for years and not fulfilling it is to blame. The practice of 'just keep it working, even if everyone breathes poison' is to blame. We are not asking for life and the economy to stop. We are asking for things to work according to the rules. You promised us that when you started spending a hundred million of our money on ecological reconstruction. That the plants that were paid a hundred million work, that the standards apply. That the laws of this country apply. That the measurements be public and online and that the exceedances are not swept under the carpet. That health is not treated as collateral damage. If the thermal power plant can work, let it work, and not kill the city and "People. If it cannot meet the standard, let the authorities finally tell the truth and give us plans, deadlines and responsibility and say who gave a hundred million for a failed overhaul," said Čolović.
He thanked the Mayor of the Municipality, Dario Vraneš, for attending the previous protest, organized about ten days ago due to pollution.
"I am your critic on social media, but to have scoundrels from the energy and political lobby criticize you for coming and threaten you with dismissal because you attended the last meeting. You had the opportunity to dismiss him for other things, but you didn't, but they won't let you do this because you are fighting for healthy air and we are all together messing with various scoundrels," said Čolović.
He said that the people of Pljevlja no longer want to be second-class citizens.
"We want clean air, control, results. We want to know what we're breathing, we want deadlines, and we want accountability on our plate," said Čolović.
Professor Gorica Knežević Jelovac said that "for the first time, the people of Pljevlja are united", not by party, not by religion, not by nation - but by the truth that clean air has no alternative.
"The united people of Pljevlja today stand as a bulwark against the politics that have turned our city into an ecological sacrifice zone. That unity is dangerous for those who have been silent, lying and signing permits for years while Pljevlja is suffocating. And that is why they are afraid of us. Because the people who breathe together - can no longer be suffocated by lies. This is no longer a speech. This is a public indictment! Pljevlja today is not a city - Pljevlja is an experiment on living people. This is the conscious poisoning of a city. The united people of Pljevlja - a threat to the system that kills and that is why there is panic in Podgorica. The united people of Pljevlja today do not ask for favors, do not beg, do not negotiate. And that unity is the greatest fear of those who are used to Pljevlja being silent while the chimneys are working, and the bills and profits go to others," said Knežević Jelovac.
She said that the people of Pljevlja are demanding the right to air, saying that a people who unite around life can no longer be bought or blackmailed.
She also referred to the adoption of the lex specialis law on Pljevlja.
“Yesterday, a lex specialis was passed. Special in what way? Because it is shameful. It is not a law for Pljevlja. It is a law for an alibi. A law to clear consciences, not air. If you wanted a solution, you would have closed the plants until the standards were met. If you wanted health, you would have respected the existing laws. But no, you chose a special law to legalize poisoning. Lex specialis is an admission that the state knows it is guilty and is trying to escape responsibility. It is a law that directly violates European environmental standards that Montenegro is obliged to respect in the EU accession process. It is a law that suspends existing regulations, abolishes those responsible and sends the message that Pljevlja is less valuable than European standards that the state formally accepts. It is not a reform. It is legal violence against a city. It is a law that does not mention TPPs anywhere, has no prescribed penalties for non-compliance and is valid for four years and brings the municipality some money… When will they realize that the people of Pljevlja are not interested in money, we cannot buy air with it! If the laws are not "They apply when the air is toxic - what are the laws for anyway? And is Pljevlja outside the legal framework of this country? Enough with abstract culprits - it's time for names. Responsibility has a name and surname," said Knežević Jelovac.
She identified the President of the Board of Directors of the Electric Power Company of Montenegro, Milutin Đukanović, as the most responsible.
"For years at the helm of the Thermal Power Plant. For years, warnings, reports, exceedances, alarms. For years – nothing. If he knew and did not react, he is guilty. If he did not know – he is incompetent. In both cases, he must answer. In the previous days, he constantly insulted the citizens of Pljevlja, and today, at the Assembly Committee, he publicly admitted that he was the one who allowed our poisoning and that someone will someday write books about this. Only he can write them, but from the place where he should be due to the poisoning of the citizens of this country...", Knežević Jelovac pointed out.
She called on the state, the prosecutor's office and all authorities to prosecute those responsible, "or you will admit that you are complicit."
"If emissions were above the permitted limits, and the power plant continued to operate, that is criminal liability. If the state knew about it and allowed it – that is institutional complicity. We call on the prosecution: either you will open proceedings against those responsible, or you will admit that the law in Montenegro does not apply to the powerful. A call to the European Union: do not close your eyes. This is a direct call to the European Commission, the EU Delegation and European institutions: Pljevlja is a test of the sincerity of Montenegro's European path. If a candidate country can: systematically violate environmental directives, pass lex specialis laws beyond EU standards and poison a city with impunity, then the question is what kind of Europe are we actually building," she said.
She called for international monitoring, pressure on institutions, and a clear message that European values cannot be applied selectively.
"There is no third option. Pljevlja is not collateral damage. We are not a footnote in energy plans. We are not the price of profit. We are not a second-rate city. Every day of silence is a new crime. Every new law without accountability is a new lie. Every ignoring of Pljevlja is a message that human life is cheap here. But let them know one thing: Pljevlja will no longer be silent. Pljevlja will not stop. And Pljevlja will not forget who poisoned them and who defended them. This is not a political demand. This is a fight for survival. And in that fight – we will not retreat," said Knežević Jelovac.
Among the speakers were Radoš Beljkaš, Jelena Mazalica and Emir Pilav, who called for an urgent solution to this problem.
Bonus video:
