MERS: Complete List of Protected Species Established According to Law, EU Directives, Conventions, and the Principle of Precaution

The regulation on establishing the List of Protected Wild Plant, Animal, and Fungal Species was adopted based on Article 85 of the Nature Protection Law, which provides that the list is determined based on assessments of the threat level to individual species and obligations from confirmed international treaties, as well as national and international red lists and other expert documentation. Regarding media reports that the List of Protected Wild Species includes extinct species and species not present in Montenegro, we emphasize that these species were transposed from Annexes of the relevant EU directives and international conventions. The transposition of all species and habitat types from the annexes of the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive into national legislation during the EU accession process is a requirement for all countries to ensure the integrity of EU legal acquis and the functioning of the common European protection system. Since the conservation statuses of wild species change at both international, EU, and national levels, MERS has also defined in both regulations that the lists (the List of Protected Wild Plant, Animal, and Fungal Species and the List of Protected Wild Bird Species) are revised as needed, at least once a year. Any misinterpretation or implementation of regulations aimed at avoiding the application of strict ecological standards prescribed by national legislation, EU legislation, or international treaties will be addressed by MERS based on expertise and regulations, respecting obligations and guidelines received from the European Commission. Fully aware of the intentions of hybrid actions concerning the ecology sector and attempts to slow down EU integration, MERS will continue to expose ignorance and falsehoods and will proceed decisively towards the temporary closure of Chapter 27.