Podgorica, (MINA) – Chapter 27 – Environment and climate change covers the area of ​​environmental protection, climate policy and sustainable development in the process of Montenegro’s EU accession. This chapter includes waste management, water and air quality, nature protection, industrial pollution, chemicals, noise and climate change.

 

The aim of European policy is sustainable development and environmental protection. It is based on the principles of preventive action, the “polluter pays” principle, prevention of pollution at the source, shared responsibility and the inclusion of environmental protection in all other sectoral policies.

 

 

Chapter 27 was opened on December 10, 2018, and since then Montenegro has been working on aligning its legislation with the EU acquis.

 

Closing Chapter 27 would bring long-term benefits to citizens through a cleaner environment, better health protection, a more modern waste management system and alignment with the highest EU standards in the areas of environmental protection and climate change.

 

The implementation of EU standards would reduce air, water and soil pollution through stricter control of industry, traffic and waste. 

 

Alignment with EU rules would also introduce a system of separate waste collection, recycling and modern landfills, which would reduce the number of illegal landfills and overall pollution. 

 

Closing the chapter means full compliance with the EU environmental protection system, which provides a stable and long-term sustainable environmental framework for citizens. 

 

Montenegro has submitted to the European Commission its complete legislative and strategic framework for Chapter 27, including laws, strategies and numerous by-laws required for alignment with the EU legal acquis. This is a key step towards meeting the final benchmarks for closing this chapter.

 

Within this chapter, Montenegro is gradually harmonizing its legislation with the EU acquis in the areas of air, water, waste, nature and climate change protection.

 

There are currently four laws in the parliamentary procedure falling under the ​​Chapter 27 – laws on environmental liability, on noise protection, on waste management and on nature protection.

 

The text was produces as part of the “EU Reality Check” project, implemented by the MINA News Agency. The project is supported through the broader program “MedIA-Lit” led by the Center for Civic Education (CGO) in partnership with the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in North Macedonia, the Tirana Center for Journalistic Excellence and the Atlantic Initiative from Bosnia and Herzegovina, with financial support from the EU and co-financing from the Ministry of Regional Development, Investments and Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of Montenegro.