Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development Damjan Ćulafić said that key laws and strategies in the field of environmental protection will be adopted by the middle of this year, while preparations for the construction of four regional waste management centers continue in parallel.
In an interview with the MINA agency, he said that last year was challenging, but productive, and that the Ministry expects a series of environmental protection laws, which are almost fully prepared, to be adopted in the first half of this year.
Ćulafić also pointed to significant results in the previous year, including the adoption of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and the "Protect and Let It Protect You" campaign, which is aimed at raising citizens' awareness of the importance of environmental protection.
He recalled that the Parliament recently adopted the Climate Change Law, with the aim of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, in accordance with the Paris Agreement, and that the Low-Carbon Development Strategy has also been completed, the adoption of which is expected in the first quarter of this year.
As he stated, one of the decisions that is being implemented very successfully and which also goes towards raising awareness among the population is the decision to ban the use of plastic bags.
"This decision is already yielding results. According to recent data from the Podgorica Landfill, the amount of plastic bags now being disposed of at the landfill has been reduced by 70 percent," said Ćulafić.
He highlighted the projects for the rehabilitation and closure of illegal and unsanitary landfills as particularly important results achieved during the past period.
"The large Mislov do landfill in Nikšić has been closed, the rehabilitation of the Zakršnica landfill in Mojkovac has been completed, while the municipal inspection has closed the Mostina landfill in Rožaje. In this way, we confirm that the constitutional status of Montenegro as an ecological state is not just declarative," said Ćulafić.
The state plan envisages the construction of four regional waste management centers – in Podgorica, Nikšić, Bijelo Polje and Bar. According to Ćulafić, concrete steps have already been taken, and the first results are expected this year, especially in Nikšić and Bar.
"We have a conceptual design for the construction of a regional waste management center in Nikšić. We have almost agreed on the location. We expect formalization with Željezara, because I think one of their abandoned halls can meet the conditions needed for the construction of a quality and modern regional center," Ćulafić explained.
When it comes to Bijelo Polje, Ćulafić pointed out that there is quality communication with the local government, which has in principle determined the location for the future regional center - the settlement of Zaton, but that this decision has not yet been formalized.
He said that the situation is much simpler when it comes to the landfill in Podgorica and the Možura location in Bar, which are already planned as future regional waste management centers.
According to Ćulafić, funds from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in the amount of almost 20 million euros have already been secured for Možura, which will be used to implement several projects, strengthen capacities and improve the technological process of waste processing.
"The next phase involves consistent and transparent communication with the local population about the benefits of these projects and the absence of any potential harmful environmental consequences that citizens may be concerned about," added Ćulafić.
Last year, Montenegro finally joined the LIFE program, the European Union's largest program for the environment and climate action.
"We expect the first results in the first half of this year. The Ministry has already submitted several applications and this will be an important lesson for future calls," said Ćulafić.
Last year, Montenegro received significant grants from European funds. Ćulafić stated that in recent months, contracts for the award of grants worth tens of millions of euros were signed for the construction of sewage and water supply systems in Ulcinj, Rožaje, Mojkovac and Kolašin.
As he stated, a project worth around 35 million euros, which is being implemented in cooperation with the World Bank, is in its final phase and includes the improvement of the water supply and sewage network in 18 municipalities, as well as the improvement of the capacity of the Bolje sestre water source.
He said that an agreement was recently signed, making a total of 80 million euros available to Montenegro, of which more than 48 million are intended for the environmental sector, and that the start of the implementation of these projects is expected this year.
Commenting on the problem of elevated radon concentrations in schools, Ćulafić said that there is no justification for the fact that the 2017 report, which showed that elevated values of this radioactive gas were measured in 62 schools, was not considered earlier.
"The increased concentration of radon in schools is something that should be an alarm, because the health of our children is at stake," said Ćulafić. He added that new measurements have been ordered, after which urgent and effective measures will be taken.
"This is an indication to all citizens of Montenegro that the Ministry and the Government are reacting decisively to all environmental incidents in society and a message that the state has no dilemma when to close down a polluter and when to act responsibly, even when it comes to sensitive issues," said Ćulafić.
He said that last year was very successful in terms of Chapter 27, and that all reports during his mandate showed significant progress in that area.
According to Ćulafić, the Ministry's analysis shows that all obligations that rest on the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, could be successfully completed by the first half of this year.
Ćulafić said that a number of key laws are expected to be adopted in the first half of the year, including laws on nature protection, sustainable development, national parks, utility services, and environmental noise protection.
"Work on almost all legal solutions has been completed or is in the final phase," said Ćulafić.
He emphasized that the law on nature protection is also ready for assessment by the European Commission, and its adoption in the Parliament is expected in the first quarter of this year, which will open the way for the rapid adoption of the law on national parks.
According to Ćulafić, in addition to the law, the Ministry has also worked on preparing key strategies, including the Biodiversity Protection Strategy, the Marine Environment Protection Strategy, the Low-Carbon Development Strategy, and the Air Protection Strategy, all of which are expected to be adopted in the first half of this year.
"I expect this year to be even more successful than the previous one," said Ćulafić, emphasizing that Chapter 27 is one of the most complex and expensive chapters in the negotiation process.
He recalled that estimates from 2021 indicated that around 1,4 billion euros were needed for the successful and permanent closure of that chapter.
"However, according to internal estimates, which will be officially presented in the first half of the year, at current market prices, perhaps over three billion euros will be needed to permanently close this chapter," said Ćulafić.
He pointed out that the Ministry of Ecology is not the only one responsible for closing Chapter 27, but a total of 25 institutions, which, as he stated, shows the complexity and multidisciplinary nature of the task.
"It seems to me that we have warmed up well and that our methodological approach to an interdisciplinary, very successful and high-quality work will bring Montenegro to the very doorstep of the European Union," said Ćulafić.
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