Almost four years after the decision of the Parliament of Montenegro to form a new company that will manage the Salt Mine as a Nature Park, there is still no agreement between the state and the Municipality of Ulcinj on financing and ownership stake in the company.
Meanwhile, fears are growing in Ulcinj that announced investments from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) could threaten one of the most important bird reserves in Europe.
Almost half a year after the promised deadline, the authorities have still not presented the Management Plan for the "Bajo Sekulić" Saltworks in Ulcinj to the public.
The document, however, was completed and sent to the Municipality of Ulcinj for review in March, with which, according to the Ministry of Ecology, the formation of a joint venture was agreed upon.
"We are awaiting an agreement from the municipality of Ucinj, and essentially we are waiting for the formation of a management structure, but the finalization of this plan should essentially be linked to the formation of a company that will manage the Nature Park," said Nenad Vitomirović from the Ministry of Ecology.
The Municipality of Ulcinj confirms that everything is still being held back by the unresolved issue of financing the company.
"These funds would, of course, speed up the process of forming a company, a manager, I hope that we will quickly define the model and finally establish the management structure. We have certainly allocated funds in the local budget for the establishment of the company and those funds are still unused, but I hope that we will soon reach an agreement with the Government," said Arta Mučaj from the Secretariat for Ecology of the Municipality of Ulcinj.
While discussions about ownership stakes are still ongoing, the Ministry claims that they are continuing activities to protect the Saltworks. In the last three years, around one million euros have been invested in its restoration, mostly from donations.
"Seven kilometers of concrete have been laid, the plan is to reconstruct and rehabilitate another eight kilometers, and a pumping station has been purchased. As for the ministry, the ministry has allocated funds for the Ulcinj Saltworks," said Vitomirović.
On the other hand, the Municipality of Ulcinj does not hide its concern about the possibility of the Solana being valorized beyond the framework of nature protection, taking into account the Agreement with the UAE and the planned investments in Ulcinj, announced by Prime Minister Milojko Spajić.
"These investments certainly have a negative impact because they would completely degrade the environment at Solana, which is of international importance and one of the most important bird habitats in Europe. This, of course, affects the ecosystem, biodiversity and bird habitat," said Mučaj.
And while time passes and disasters collapse the remaining infrastructure of the former Ulcinj giant, the revitalization of the Saltworks remains one of the key challenges for closing the most demanding, 27th chapter in Montenegro's negotiations with the European Union (EU).
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