September 27, 2019 - The Government of Montenegro adopted the Bill on Amendments to the Law on the Protection of the Natural and Cultural-Historical Area of Kotor at its session held on Thursday, September 26.
After the meeting, Minister of Culture Aleksandar Bogdanovic addressed the media, who said that the proposal was preceded by a period during which many other activities were implemented.
"The determination of the proposed changes to the existing legal solution was, first of all, motivated to preserve Kotor status on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Action Plan, which also became the Government's strategy in the past, preceded the drafting of this document. It was during the three years that we made some other very significant decisions and implemented complex activities to receive significant encouragement and positive evaluations from UNESCO. The result is the positive comment we have got this year from the Committee Session held in Baku," emphasized Minister Bogdanović.
One of the implemented measures was the introduction of a moratorium on construction in the protected area of Kotor. Also, for the first time, a mechanism for the preparation of a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) was introduced into national legislation, he emphasized.
Minister Bogdanovic also spoke about the critical changes envisaged by the enacted act.
This document amended the articles on the drafting of the Heritage Impact Assessment in terms of more precise guidelines for the procedure itself. The new solution also envisages introducing a difference in method for the protection zone and the protected environment/buffer zone. The impact assessments for the buffer zone should be defined based on a separate act to be adopted by the Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Property. The document should identify locations in the buffer zone that have an impact on the universal value of the Kotor area and for which it is necessary to operate the HIA - he said.
Minister Aleksandar Bogdanovic concluded that the proposed amendments further define the procedures for making individual assessments for heritage, but also leave room for these procedures to be drafted only within the zones defined by a particular act of the Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Property.
Source: Vlada Crne Gore
