Only with the formation of a new Government and after the appointment of a new Council for the Management of the Natural and Cultural-Historical Area of Kotor will the revision of the Management Plan, as the basic document for the management of this protected area, which has been on the United Nations World Heritage List since 1979, continue. nation for education, science and culture (UNESCO).
This, among other things, is stated in the answers sent by the Municipality of Kotor to the UNESCO Committee for World Heritage.
In the Draft Decision for the Kotor area, which will be proposed for adoption at the next UNESCO summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, among other things, the Committee expressed concern about the slow revision of the Management Plan and demanded that the issue be completed as a priority.
Ten years ago, the Parliament of Montenegro passed the Law on the Protection of the Natural and Cultural-Historical Area of Kotor, which stipulates that the area be managed in accordance with the Management Plan. The law also states that the Plan is adopted by the Government, and that, in order to coordinate the performance of protection, conservation and management tasks, the Government also establishes the Council for the Management of the Kotor Region.
According to the document that "Vijesti" had access to, the Municipality responded to the comment on the Management Plan that the audit was started in 2019, but that it was paused for several reasons that affected the functioning of the Council - due to the coronavirus epidemic, and due to numerous elections process, both at the state and local level.
"The continuation of the work is expected during 2023, after the formation of the new Government and the appointment of the new Council", it is stated in the answers of the Municipality of Kotor.
President of the Municipality Vladimir Jokic, along with that document, also sent a letter to the Committee, in which he states that he believes that the answers will be respected and that the Committee will take them into consideration when finalizing the text of the Decision itself.
The question of the status of Kotor on the UNESCO list has been the topic of some of the public and the media in recent days, in light of the upcoming summit in Riyadh.
In the letter accompanying the document, Jokić states, among other things, that he is sorry for the poor communication between the state and the Committee, but also that the impression that the state is not taking the necessary measures to preserve Kotor's status on the UNESCO list is not correct.
Speaking about the PUP Kotor, he said that it was UNESCO that approved that planning document.
"Also, the Municipality of Kotor and the state, due to the rejection of the request for the issuance of building permits in the Kostanjica location, and due to the change in the purpose of the plots from construction to plots on which construction is not allowed, exposed themselves to multimillion-dollar lawsuits and even international arbitration, which further confirms our intention to persevere on the path of preserving the status on the UNESCO list", says Jokić.
Tourism with the development of agriculture
In addition to criticism due to the slow revision of the Management Plan of Kotor, the Committee cited as particularly important issues that, among other things, concern the preservation of material and immaterial attributes that convey the exceptional universal value of Kotor, but also those that concern the reduction of the risk of natural disasters, tourism management ... The Municipality replied that the content of the Management Plan included the points proposed by the Committee, and that they were mostly processed in the form of a draft.
As they added, the vision of the development of the municipality's space follows the vision of the development of the coastal region, that it "should develop in a directed and controlled manner, using its natural, cultural and created potentials in a sustainable way".
"In further development, European standards and values must be respected and rules for quality regulation and space management must be established. The development of tourism in the narrower coastal zone, which will be a key link in development, should be supported by the development and preservation of rural areas, along with more intensive development of agriculture", the Kotor Municipality states.
Regarding the part of the Committee's comments related to natural disaster risk management, the Municipality of Kotor stated that Montenegro adopted the National Disaster Risk Assessment in December 2021, that it prescribes the adoption of local disaster risk reduction strategies and that one of them refers to Kotor.
In response to the comment on tourism management, they stated that the Spatial Plan proposed locations with touristic purposes, that within the settlement it is possible to realize tourism and hospitality facilities in accordance with the needs of the users of the space, "but only in accordance with the guidelines of the Plan".
The municipality is not in favor of extending the moratorium on construction
The World Heritage Committee pointed out that the Municipality of Kotor had previously introduced a moratorium on new construction activities, and called for that ban to be extended until all planned protection measures are fully implemented, which will adequately enable sustainable development in an area in a sensitive landscape and prevent any impact on the cultural and landscape values of the object.
The Municipality replied that the moratorium on construction was introduced in March 2017, that it lasted until the adoption of the PUP Kotor in October 2020, and that they believe that introducing another moratorium would be a step backwards.
"But we advocate and propose additional monitoring mechanisms such as more frequent reporting to the World Heritage Center, the creation of a multi-institutional team for field tours or some other form of control of the potential works themselves", they state from the Municipality of Kotor.
They also asked about quarries
The UNESCO Committee also expressed concern about the quarries for which permits were granted, so they asked the Kotor authorities for information about plans for such future projects, precise maps indicating the exact location of existing quarries...
The Municipality of Kotor stated that they have no formal responsibility for the issue, but that they use their influence to speed up the resolution. They also said that, according to information from the Municipality, individual HIAs were conducted for the quarries, that the EPA refused to issue consent in the Environmental Impact Assessment procedure, until the Committee's opinion is received...
“The HIA has been approved by the Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Properties, but it needs to be translated to be sent to UNESCO. The municipality will influence the Ministry of Culture to urgently translate the HIA and submit it to the Committee", they stated in the comments.
"Vijesti" announced at the end of May that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will not give consent for the Krivošija, Ledenica and Stupna quarries, which are located above Risno, until UNESCO issues an opinion in this regard.
Waiting for Verige Bridge, "Fjord"...
In response to comments regarding other projects, the Municipality responded, among other things, that they were informed by the Municipality of Tivat that the Detailed Urban Plan for Lepetani and the Urban Plan for the Lepetani Tourist Zone were never adopted, and that the PUP Tivat from for which it is not possible to obtain urban-technical conditions for construction directly...
For the HIA for the Verige bridge project, they said that the team for the preparation of that document will be formed in the coming period, adding that the accommodation complex in Morinje was abandoned, after the negative opinion of UNESCO, and that this can also be seen in the PUP of Kotor.
When asked about the conversion and construction of a hotel complex on the site of the former hotel "Fjord" and the building "Jugooceanija", they said that the documentation has been submitted for translation and will be delivered later.
In a comment regarding other projects proposed within the area, protection zone or wider environment, which may have a potentially negative impact on Outstanding Universal Value, such as projects on the island of Sveti Marko, and projects on both sides of the entrance to the Bay of Kotorska, from the Municipality of Kotor stated that all communication about potential projects goes through Article 172 of the Operational Guidelines.
"And we will continue with that practice," they stated in their answers to the World Heritage Committee.
Bonus video:
