There are many legal indicators of how far away is Montenegro from meeting the goals of the Green Agenda. But the practice shows best how was this initiative, actually, betrayed.
Although Montenegro signed the Declaration on the Green Agenda four years ago at the summit in Sofia, which committed the country to become climate neutral by 2050, Montenegro, like the rest of Europe, has not yet adopted a long-term strategy related to meeting this goal. "It remains unclear whether and how this goal will be achieved," according to a report from November 2023 prepared by the Secretariat of the Energy Community, which is the regulatory body of the European Union (EU) in the energy sector that monitors the application of European standards and regulations in the countries members of the Energy Community. Montenegro has been doing so since 2007, however, little has drastically changed and improved since then in the area of environmental protection.
Green agenda is legally binding, so it is an important factor in the success of the process of pre-accession of Montenegro towards the EU. It consists of five main pillars - climate, energy, mobility; circular economy; reduction of air, water and land pollution; sustainable agriculture and food production and biodiversity. The implementation of the obligations in this area is defined by the Action Plan for implementation of the Sofia Declaration on Green Agenda for the Western Balkans for the period 2021 to 2030.
According to that plan, Montenegro should implement 58 actions in order to comply with the commitments. However, according to the analysis of the Montenegrin strategic and legislative framework in 2023 done by the non-governmental organization (NGO) "Eco Team", only one measure has been implemented so far, which is two percent of the total number of measures. Currently in implementation are 47 percent of the measures while 51 percent of the total number of measures have not been implemented.
Even today, Montenegro faces various challenges - inadequate waste management, water pollution and irresponsible management of natural resources.
For example, many landfills have not yet been rehabilitated, leading to land and water pollution. Such is the case in Nikšić, where the Mislov Do landfill often burns and where dangerous air pollution has been recorded. There is also the issue of building hydroelectric power plants and some mining projects in delicate ecosystems which is often initiated without comprehensive environmental studies. The environmental activists are once again announcing protests if the construction of a hydroelectric power plant on the Komarnica River is not abandoned, which, paradoxically, is foreseen by the Energy Development Strategy of Montenegro until 2025, as well as the Energy Development Strategy of Montenegro until 2030. Komarnica, by the way, is largely protected at different levels: first as a park and natural monument, then as a candidate for Emerald and Natura 2000 area, important area for plants (IPA), key biodiversity area (KBA), but also by UNESCO and as an area that should be annexed to the National Park (NP) Durmitor. This example nicely illustrates how inconsistent the application of stricter environmental regulations is in Montenegro. These are foreseen by Chapter 27 which refers to the environment and climate change, and which it needs to be closed in order for the country to join the EU. Furthermore, many projects for construction of mini-hydroelectric plants were very harmful, and were awarded in non-transparent and corrupt procedures based on friendly and relative relationships. Since 2021, however, the Government has terminated 10 contracts for construction of MHP.
Due to accession negotiations and obligations towards the EU, Montenegro should recycle at least 50 percent of municipal waste by 2030. However, in 2022, it recycled less than half a percent. This can be seen from the Report of the Administration for Statistics (MONSTAT) on generated and processed waste, which was published at the end of 2023.
Montenegro is also struggling to provide a stable and sustainable supply of electricity, because even today it largely relies on the Thermal Power Plant (TE) Pljevlja, which significantly contributes to the emission of harmful gases. Despite the requirements of the Energy Community for decarbonization, Montenegro is slow to switch to renewable energy sources, although it has great potential for hydro, solar and wind power plants.
All these, as well as many other examples that illustrate the carelessness of the Government about environmental protection (frequent poaching, illegal logging, unplanned construction, use of pesticides, inadequate regulation of tourism...) point to a lack of long-term plans that include reducing emissions and increasing energy efficiency, although Montenegro, as a candidate country for EU membership, is required to follow the Green Agenda, which focuses on ecologically sustainable development, reduction of harmful gas emissions and transition to renewable energy sources.
"The implementation of the Green Agenda in Montenegro so far shows certain developments, such as the improvement of the legislative framework and the initiation of projects related to renewable energy sources. However, the achieved results do not yet fully meet expectations, and the implementation of the agenda itself is still in its initial phase. Although the ambitions are clearly defined, there is a significant gap between the planned goals and the actual situation on the ground. The application of environmental policies is progressing more slowly than planned, and many projects remain in the preparation phase, which leads to the fact that the expected results have not yet been achieved to the desired extent", civil activist Edina Osmanović tells ResPublica (The opinions expressed in this statement represent only her personal position and do not reflect an official position).
According to her, the key challenges faced by Montenegro in the implementation of green policy and environmental standards are primarily related to the lack of political will, bad application of regulations, as well as weak supervision. "Environmental topics are not attractive enough, which leads to the fact that a small number of political entities deal with these issues. Even parties with a green orientation often deviate from that course under political pressure, which makes it difficult to implement environmental measures. The lack of financial resources is also a big problem for the implementation of large infrastructure projects in the field of green energy and environmental protection. In addition, existing laws and regulations are often not strictly applied, which further slows down progress", says Osmanović and points out that the corruption and political pressures make it difficult to effectively implement environmental measures, while the lack of continuity in political decisions often results in the subordination of environmental goals to short-term political or economic interests. All these factors together, as this citizen activist warns, constitute significant obstacles in the implementation of green policy in Montenegro.
Source: freepik.com
In the report of the European Commission (EC) for Montenegro for 2023, it is stated that "in the field of climate change, the level of compliance of the national legislation of Montenegro with the EU is still limited". "Although Montenegro has a strategy to combat climate change, it is necessary to intensify work in order to ensure compliance with the climate and energy goals of the EU for 2030. The National Energy and Climate Plan for Decarbonization by 2050 has not yet been adopted", this report states, which also emphasizes that Montenegro should significantly accelerate its ambitions towards the green transition. ,,It should intensify work on the implementation of regulations in order to achieve the final conditions in Chapter 27, especially in the areas of water, nature protection, air quality, industrial pollution and climate change, to start the implementation of the Law on Waste Management, the National Plan for Waste Management and Air Quality Management Strategy for the period 2021 to 2029, as well as to complete, adopt and start implementing the national energy and climate plan in a transparent manner, in accordance with the EU goal of zero emissions by 2050 and the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans", it is noted in this document.
Res Publica addressed the Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development and Development of the North with various questions regarding the fulfillment of the goals of the Green Agenda, however, even after a long wait, we did not receive answers.
"The implementation of the Green Agenda in Montenegro so far has made some progress, but the challenges are still large and achieving the expected results can be much faster. I would especially emphasize the importance of adopting the Law on Waste Management, which we adopted during the mandate of the 43rd Government. The application of this Law can really change the ecological image of Montenegro in the long term. The Law was pending for five full years, and because of that delay, our evaluations of progress in the negotiated Chapter 27, among other things, were extremely low," former Minister of Ecology, Physical Planning and Urbanism and current member of the Parliament of Montenegro Ana Novaković-Đurović tells Res Publica.
Although, as she says, Montenegro is making progress in projects from renewable energy sources and investments in solar energy and wind farms have increased, this transition is likewise slow. "Our reliance on Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant and coal as the dominant source of energy represents a huge challenge. This includes the issues of a just transition for which we, as a country, still do not have a clear answer and plan," Novaković-Đurović points out.
Abandoning fossil fuel technologies, on which the Montenegrin economy relies significantly, and switching from, primarily coal, to renewable energy will yield serious socioeconomic challenges that the Government does not yet know how to solve, in order to prevent unwanted consequences such as unemployment, economic disruptions, labor migration...
In a recent letter to the Energy Community to help Montenegro achieve its national energy and climate goals by 2030 in a sustainable manner, Minister of Energy Saša Mujović reminded that the Government is committed to reduce the level of greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent compared to 1990. "The measured level of emissions at the end of 2022 was 3,307 kt CO2 e, and the defined goal by 2030 implies the need for a reduction of approximately 887 kt CO2 e (about 27 percent). The goal is difficult to achieve and would imply radical moves, such as a significant reduction in the number of working hours of the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant, replacement of conventional cars with electric cars in the amount of about 50 percent or action on the non-energy sector - agriculture", the Ministry of Energy announced earlier. Since none of these "radical moves" have been taken so far, it is clear how far Montenegro is from achieving these objectives.
Novaković-Đurović notes that meeting the standards in the area of the Green Agenda requires large financial resources. "The funds from the state budget, with this allocation dynamics, are insufficient to achieve results. Support from the EU, especially through European funds, currently represents the biggest contribution to meeting EU standards in this area. That is why it is extremely important to use all available funds and apply for quality projects that will be supported. Professional capacities are also limiting, especially in the field of climate change," she states.
National Strategy for Transposition, Implementation and Application of the EU Acquis in the Field of Environment and Climate Change adopted by Montenegro in 2016 also included an estimate of the costs required for the realization of these obligations. She showed that the total cost of compliance with EU standards by 2035 will amount to 1.42 billion euros.
There are many examples, according to Osmanović, where the Government deviated from the Green Agenda for the sake of short-term economic goals. "One of the most visible problems is uncontrolled and illegal construction on the Montenegrin coast, which devastates the landscape and creates many negative externalities, including illegal landfills near the sea, rivers and settlements. These examples clearly indicate the presence of corruption within institutions and the inability of the Government to protect public interests against powerful individuals, often in favor of apparent economic benefits. Cases of construction of small hydropower plants (MHE) on rivers, construction of quarries near settlements, often without adequate ecological studies and without consultation with local communities, also confirm that short-term economic interests often overcome long-term environmental protection goals. "No financial gain should be more important than health, preservation of natural resources and well-being of citizens," notes this civic activist.
The decarbonization of the country and the achievement of the goals set out in the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans can only be achieved with the establishment of a functional mechanism of intersectoral coordination, cooperation at all levels of government and regional cooperation. Taking into account the complex administrative structure and a large number of institutions at different levels of government, it is necessary for the Government to urgently improve cross-sectoral management - through public administration reform, public finance management, economic reform program and mobilization of own resources.
Osmanović also believes that, along with continuous education of citizens about the importance of the Green Agenda, it is necessary to increase the pressure on political elites. "Regional cooperation with neighbors can speed up the implementation of the necessary changes. The introduction of stricter penal policies for devastation of nature and finding models to motivate citizens and entrepreneurs to adopt sustainable work models through subsidies, tax breaks and awards, such as scholarships or mobility programs, can also significantly contribute to changes. Special emphasis should be placed on motivating young people to be innovative and create additional value through ecologically oriented projects," she says.
Montenegro has not developed a National Energy Policy until 2040 in accordance with the Law on Energy. It has not developed a National Energy and Climate Plan in accordance with the EU Governance Regulation (EU 2018/1999), which is part of the Clean Energy for Europe package. Nor did it develop a Long-term Low-carbon Development Strategy in accordance with the provisions of the EU Climate Act, the Regulation of Governance and other elements of the EU climate policy framework. Montenegro did not even join the initiative of the European Climate Pact.
"Montenegro has not built any major capacity for generation of electricity from renewable energy sources for a long time. It has not started the preparation of the Study on Improving the Energy Efficiency of Buildings. It did not introduce a carbon price in the energy consumption sectors, as well as an 'offsetting' system for the forestry sector. Montenegro has not updated the Traffic Development Strategy until 2035, in accordance with the Law on Energy. The country has not transposed the relevant EU directives on alternative fuels and prepared justification studies for the development of alternative fuels. It has not developed a national methodology for installation and construction of electric charging stations, nor has it adopted relevant legislation that will regulate the issue of electric vehicle charging stations. Montenegro has not prepared the Law on Railways and the Law on Inland Waterways. A regional agreement on the prevention of plastic pollution has not been concluded and implemented, including the special resolution of the priority issue of marine waste...", inter alia, says the analysis of the NGO "Eco Team" from 2023.
These are legal indicators of how far Montenegro still is from meeting the goals of the Green Agenda. However, this is best seen in practice. A few days ago, the ban on the use of plastic bags and single-use plastics (from 15 to 50 microns - bags that were obtained at the cash register and in which fruits, chemicals, meat...were separately packed), in accordance with the Law on Waste Management, came into force. Fines for non-compliance with this legal provision vary between a thousand to 40 thousand euros.
However, the law that was supposed to ban and prevent the use of plastic bags not only did not do it, but also allowed the owners of supermarket chains to earn a few cents per bag sold, because now they pack groceries in bags of over 50 microns, which they charge 15 cents. Instead of just switching to bags, men and women mostly continued to buy these bags, which, according to the old, bad practice, will again be found on the streets, trees, river and sea shores.
This case is an example of how much the Green Agenda was let down in the absence of political will and vision. Instead of striving for real environmental improvements, Montenegro is still on the verge of superficial changes.