Euromost: Montenegro has not met any of the conditions for closing Chapter 27

Montenegro has not met any of the conditions for closing Chapter 27 in negotiations with the European Union (EU) - Environment and Climate Change, although it announced in the media that it would close it soon, announced the non-governmental organization Euromost, which addressed Brussels.

Among the main reasons for the poor state of the environment, they point out that even after a decade of announcements, there is no regional landfill in the north, that there are no legal landfills, and that there is only one collector for purification.

"In 13 municipalities in northern Montenegro, there is not a single legal city landfill, but all are substandard temporary landfills, which are located next to the rivers themselves and which endanger not only the population but also the environment. In 13 municipalities in northern Montenegro, not a single temporary landfill has the necessary permit from the Environmental Protection Agency, in accordance with the Law on Waste Management. Waste is disposed of in an uncontrolled manner at these landfills, starting with medical and veterinary waste, waste tires, various municipal, construction and other waste, and citizens also dispose of it in the same places," the Euromost statement states.

The NGO added that out of 13 municipalities in northern Montenegro, only one has a wastewater treatment collector, while as they said, the municipality of Bijelo Polje, although it received millions in funds from the EU 11 years ago, has not even done 40 percent of the work.

"Communal utilities in the municipalities in northern Montenegro are facing bankruptcy, nor do they have the conditions to regularly provide waste disposal and other services, which is the reason that waste is improperly disposed of in every municipality next to rivers and in other places. There is no selective waste disposal in the municipalities in northern Montenegro. Every river in northern Montenegro is endangered by improper waste disposal, especially the Lim River, which, due to the excessive amount of waste, especially floating waste, also endangers neighboring countries," Euromost states, adding that the air in the north is the most polluted in the region, especially in the municipalities of Bijelo Polje and Pljevlja.

The NGO notes that the laws are not being implemented and respected because the inspections responsible for implementation are not functioning due to widespread corruption.

"Due to corruption in the Environmental Protection Agency and the ministries of ecology, sustainable development and development of the north, as well as the Ministry of Energy, concessions are being issued illegally and quarries are being opened, which endanger the environment, which is the reason why citizens in the north protest daily, while the prosecutor's office is conducting several criminal proceedings on suspicion of abuse of official position and corruption. The Environmental Protection Agency committed a crime against the rivers in the north of Montenegro by issuing illegal permits, which is the reason why they are under the scrutiny of the prosecutor's office, where we hope that indictments will finally be filed against some in the Agency," said Euromost.

The NGO is wondering whether the chapter can be closed with announcements in the media, taking photos at some environmental actions, and meetings with the non-governmental sector.

As Euromost states, in the 20 years since they have existed and since they have been monitoring the environment, the current situation is the worst so far and, as they point out, they do not see that even one condition has been met for Montenegro to be able to close Chapter 27.

"If anyone has evidence that they have met the requirements, then let them publish it, because we have evidence that they have not met the requirements and what the current situation is when it comes to the environment, which we have submitted to Brussels," Euromost said.