June 05, 2018 - World Environment Day was celebrated all around the globe on the 5th of June. This date was proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1972 at the Conference on Environment in Stockholm to draw public attention to the environmental problem and the need to preserve the environment. This year’s Environment Day was formed around the Clean Seas campaign, which was launched by the United Nation Environment Organization, supported by the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism of Montenegro. The objective of the “Clean Seas” campaign is to include representatives of the government and private sector, as well as the civil society in the fight against pollution caused by plastic waste that ends up in the sea.
Environmental protection is one of the priorities in Montenegro since it became an ecological state in 1991. In all strategic documents which define priorities and directions of development of Montenegro, a significant place is intended for the improvement of the environment, while Montenegro’s commitment to environmental protection and development based on sustainability principles is recognized in the highest political and legal act – the Constitution.
The fact that Montenegro is persistent in raising the level of environmental awareness among its citizens is significantly contributing to the more effective conservation of the environment in general. The country can do this through various activities that are being carried out, as well as through regularly available information that is delivered to the public and which is about the state of the environment in which they live and registered problems.
Montenegro has almost 13% of its territory under national protection, and it is recognized as an area in this part of both Europe and the Region, which is rich in diversity, biodiversity and the animal world. Data says that there are over 3.200 plant species located on the territory of Montenegro and that 60% of the country is enriched with high-quality woods, which only supports the country’s persistence while continuously investing in further development.
For the additional preservation of the environment, it is crucial that all social actors work in a way that will contribute to faster and more balanced economic and social development that is not in conflict with basic ecological principles. Also, promoting the concept of environmental protection requires a constant dialogue between all stakeholders, with the primary goal to ensure the final results that will bring the most significant benefits to the society as a whole.
Considering these facts, in the context of a more intensive process of the European Union integration of Montenegro, the country chose this path as one of its developments. Montenegro is intensively working on transposition and implementing the demanding European Union’s standards, which are aimed at ensuring adequate protection of the environment. The process of adopting new legal standards is dynamic, so it is necessary to continuously work on the improvement of the legal and institutional capacities of Montenegro, which will, together, contribute to the more efficient protection of the environment.
