Today, in Podgorica, the “Fourth meeting of the Committees on Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Serbia” was held, organised by the Committee on International Relations and Emigrants of the Parliament of Montenegro. The topic of today’s meeting was “Protection of Environment and Sustainable Development – experiences of Montenegro and the countries in the region – the need for mutual cooperation”.

In the introductory part of the meeting, the participants of the meeting were addressed by the Chairperson of the Committee on International Relations and Emigrants Mr Miodrag Vuković, professor PhD; the Vice President of the Parliament of Montenegro Mr Suljo Mustafić and the Head of the EU Delegation to Montenegro H.E. Mitja Drobnič. Addressing the participants of the gathering, the Chairperson Vuković welcomed the initiative that had been launched in 2012 in Zagreb, and said that establishment of permanent cooperation between the four parliamentary foreign affairs committees contributed to strengthening of relations and stability in the Balkans and encouraged quicker resolution of open issues. In his address, the Vice President Mustafić pointed out that, in the past twenty three years, the Parliament of Montenegro, through its legislative activities, had done a lot in the field of creation of quality legal solutions that systemically and in detail, in normative practice, regulated the field of protection of the environment and created assumptions for sustainable development.  In his speech, the Ambassador Drobnič pointed out that the Government of Montenegro had adopted the EU accession plan, pointing out an impressive number of laws to be forwarded to the Parliament of Montenegro for consideration in the period 2014-2018, and emphasised that it demonstrated the significance of the Parliament and its role in the EU accession process. Mr Drobnič also pointed out that the negotiation “Chapter 27 – Environment” was one of the most significant chapters in the EU accession process. Sustainable development represented a comprehensive EU policy aimed at continuous improvement of life for all generations. The concept of sustainable development was focused on finding the balance between the economic and ecologic goals of society, concluded Mr Drobnič.

The participants of the meeting have also been addressed by the Secretary of the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism Ms Daliborka Pejović, MA, who spoke on the concept of ecological state of Montenegro, on challenges of sustainable development, as well as the protection of the environment in the context of European integration.   

The participants of the meeting agreed that raising awareness on the significance of protection of the environment at all educational levels (from pre-school to university) was highly significant. At the meeting they noted the necessity for enhancement of regional approach of the participating states in the field of protection of the environment and sustainable development, including mutual exchange of information, experience and good practice, as well as strengthening of dialogue at the regional level in order to more effectively face joint challenges from the field of ecology and sustainable development. The participants pointed out the significance of sharing experiences during the course of the EU membership negotiations, especially on the possibilities of using the IPA funds and joint projects of transboundary cooperation and advocated to establish a sustainable balance between valuing natural resources and adequate degree of their protection as the concept of regional development. Additionally, they pointed out the need for “ecological” laws to have priority during adoption at the national parliaments and agreed that the already signed bilateral and multilateral agreements in the field of environment protection and sustainable development should be honoured and implemented.

At the end of the conference, they adopted the conclusions and a joint statement.

The joint statement that notes the concern regarding the events in Bosnia and Herzegovina reads as follows:

“Expressing regret due to inability of the colleagues from the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina to attend the “Fourth meeting of the Committees on Foreign Affairs”, caused by social and political events that culminated in the recent days in the form of protest, but also in the form of destruction, we, as representatives of the Committee on International Cooperation and Foreign Policy, express concern due to the danger that the expressed social discontent could bring with it.

We consider that everything should be done in order to start the necessary dialogue on the reasons for social and political discontent. Additionally, we believe that these events demand greater dedication to the European perspective of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with regard to the policy of Bosnia and Herzegovina and especially the European Union policy. We, the gathered representatives of the Committees on Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Serbia, are ready to support such dialogue and such dedication to the problems of Bosnia and Herzegovina”.

The first meeting of the Committees on Foreign Affairs of the four countries was held in Zagreb on 18 and 19 October 2012, the second in Sarajevo on 15 March 2013, while the third was held in Belgrade on 5 July 2013.