Minister Ćulafić: We are opening a new chapter in the development of Montenegro as a truly European and ecological country

He emphasized that Natura adoption of the Information is not just about fulfilling one of the final criteria in Chapter 27, but a strategic decision, and he thanked institutions, the NGO sector, experts, and partners involved in this process. "We have established a comprehensive normative and strategic framework for nature protection, fulfilled a significant part of the obligations from Chapter 27, and demonstrated that Montenegro decisively follows European standards in environmental protection," said the minister. "In the upcoming period, we expect an evaluation of the submitted documentation by the European Commission and the European Environment Agency, as well as the organization of biogeographical seminars, during which, together with EU member states, the adequacy of proposed areas will be discussed. Extensive field research was conducted across Montenegro, habitat types were mapped across the entire land territory, data on species and habitats of European importance were collected, and at the same time, a domestic expert workforce was developed to continue working on nature conservation and management of Natura 2000 areas," said Alorić. "Regarding further steps, the Environmental Protection Agency yesterday submitted the technical database to the European Commission as requested, and this database will undergo verification by the European Commission through biogeographical seminars, where experts from Montenegro and independent experts from abroad and NGOs will be present. The potential benefits are certainly the possibility of drawing funds from European funds, which are very significant in the context of Natura 2000, and the Natura 2000 brand itself is very similar to the UNESCO brand, and in EU countries, tourists seek these areas and want to stay in them," said Bataković.