The so called Tumour of the Mediterranean- a noxious seaweed, keeps spreading along the coast of Montenegro, venomous fish end up in fishing nets, and by a stroke of luck, they still haven't made it to the dining table, giant crayfish pop up, huge bluefish and dangerous mako sharks are on the horizon... while on the other hand, the authorities have no clue how to respond- for the time being    

The Tivat based St. Mark fishing vessel was gliding the calm open sea a few miles south-east of the Bay of Kotor. As the crew was getting ready to launch a dragnet into the deep, it noticed a commotion some two hundred metres away. A huge fish was locked in a death grip near the surface and its reflection gave off the position. The fishermen sped to the spot and found a dying greater amberjack whose lower half was chopped off. The unidentified 'villain thing' had a half a metre jaw mouth opening.

Some 46 new species of sea plants and animals have been confirmed in the Adriatic in recent years. Nonetheless the number is not final. Among them are some dangerous species like lionfish whose fin rays can be fatal to humans if not treated. Furthermore hazardous mako sharks are frequently spotted closer to the shore than before. The local fishermen have had a growing number of encounters lately with the species that inflict damage to their equipment or spoil the catch. They may have adverse effects on tourism as well.

New animal and plant species arrive due to global warming and increasing marine traffic. Vessels from all over the world carry tiny stowaways on their hulls and in their ballast waters- larvae and full grown fish, molluscs, algae and other creatures.

So far, the government hasn't tried to lay out a plan on how to deal with this global issue besides drafting a few papers. Furthermore there is no systematic marine ecosystem monitoring, especially when it comes to the spread of invasive and hazardous species like Caulerpa Cylindracea algae which many call the Tumour of the Mediterranean. According to Montenegro Investigative Reporting Centre (CIN-CG), it spreads unchecked and takes over seabeds along Montenegro's coast.

Dr Aleksandar Joksimovic is an ichthyologist and until recently on Montenegro's expert team that deals with Chapter 13- fishery of the EU accession talks. He points out that the Adriatic's temperature has risen by 0.6 degree Celsius in the last century. “That doesn't seem to be much, but even small temperature shifts combined with other physical and chemical parametres of the seas and oceans cause substantial changes in the living world. We can certainly say that the temperature shift has tropicalized the Adriatic Sea. The best example of that are new organisms which are bio-indicators of the habitat changes. As a consequence we have 46 new plant and animal species” emphasizes Joksimovic.

Dangerous Lionfish Fin Rays

The majority of non-native (allochthonous) species are unable to adapt and thus they disappear. A few manage to intergrate into the existing native species without causing any serious harm. Nonetheless, some species quickly adapt as they have no natural predators. Consequently such communities exponentially grow and push out native (autochthonous) species. As a result, biodiversity is on the decline, the food chain is disrupted and the whole ecosystem is affected. Invasive species put the ecological balance at risk for they threaten autochthonous fish and other organisms by feeding on them or kicking them out of their habitats. Arrivals of allochthonous fish contribute to social and economic changes. Some bring economic benefits while others pose a threat and harm the fish and fishing trade.

“We can already claim with certainty that about ten new species of fish and crayfish have fully accommodated in the Adriatic”- says Dr Mirko Djurovic, director of the Kotor based Institute of Marine Biology (IMB) in an interview with CIN-CG.

The Institute has been monitoring the impact of invasive species in the Adriatic for awhile. Its 40 experts (of whom 12 have doctoral degrees) and 7 post-graduate students, work together with colleagues around the region and with those further abroad to draft a new biological profile of the Adriatic. They published the 'Allochthonous Species of South Adriatic East Coast' monograph back in 2014 together with the Institute for Marine and Coastal Research of the University of Dubrovnik and the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Split. Nevertheless the monograph is already due for an update given the arrival of new unwanted guests. Kotor's IMB also collaborates with marine biodiversity experts in Albania and Italy.

'Various satellite recordings indicate that the Adriatic in early July was very warm. Even over here ( the south of Adriatic) the surface temperature reached 26-27 degrees Celsius, which is pretty high at this time of the year. The sea temperature is very often the trigger for organisms' behavioural changes, like reproduction, feeding, etc. Hence there's a growing presence of the so called termophilic species which like warmer seas. “That's primarily the case with fish and crayfish” says Djurovic. He stresses that when it comes to the new species here, the lionfish, a native of the southern Pacific and the Indian Ocean, is considered a potential threat.

“The presence of this fish has been confirmed in the Adriatic. It is highly venomous and its toxin in the fin rays can be fatal to infants and older people” warns Djurovic and adds that certain jellyfish turn up in big numbers occasionally and that may affect tourism.

'Montenegro as a tourist destination is appealing because of the attraction of our sea. However, with each year we have more invasive species. We'll see how our tourism and fishery stand the test of time. “The warming up of the sea is also something to count on. It is hard to make any forecast right now”, says Djurovic.

The Mediterranean Tumour keeps spreading

Some of the invasive species like 'the Tumour of the Mediterranean' are harmful to the environment although humans are not directly affected. This algae was first noticed in 2004 when it covered only a few square metres of seabed in the Bay of Budva. Now it covers hectares of the sea floor. Experts warn that it will keep spreading as it has no natural predator while science still hasn't found a way to stop its progress. It grows fast and it spreads over seabeds as a carpet thus destroying sea flora and fauna. It is particularly harmful to posidonia sea grass which is essential for marine biodiversity and as such protected by international conventions. The aforementioned algae discharge an alkaloid substance which causes death to surrounding  organisms. It also affects fish, crustacean and molluscs which feed on seabed plants and live in rocks or sand. The areas covered by this algae become 'underwater deserts' rendering the landscape monotonous and poor in terms of biodiversity. It also harms diving tourism as divers seek areas abounding with fish, corals, clams and other creatures. The noxious seaweed Caulerpa has got the upper hand over substantial part of the Pakleni Islands seabed in Croatia in recent years thus slashing scuba diving revenues as tourists used to travel to see underwater walls with its distinguishing gorgonians.

“Upon discovery of Caulerpa near Budva in 2004 we conducted a certain monitoring so we could keep an eye on the algae and its growth” points out Dr Vesna Macic of IMB, the head of its laboratory for benthos and marine protection. Benthos is all plants and animals living at the sea bottom. Macic is the first one in Montenegro who discovered and scientifically examined Caulerpa. Unfortunately,  the Caulerpa database is not up to date as the government discontinued the monitoring (and the financing thereof).

“What we know for sure is that Caulerpa is spreading to more and more places. Earlier it was identified in Budva, Lustica and Donji Grbalj. Now those areas are even more infested with it, both in terms of size and depth. Now the noxious seaweed is present in previously intact areas south of Bar and Ulcinj. It's present at the entrance of the Bay of Kotor, around Dobrec and Njivice. I believe it hasn't spread further inside the Bay, and perhaps the fresh water influx there has something to do with it. Anyway, we can't be completely certain about it without detailed monitoring and research” – explains Dr Macic.

Apart from global climate changes and marine traffic, Dr Macic claims that the Adriatic biodiversity is also harmed by human activity like pollution of the sea, overbuilding along the shoreline, poaching, use of dynamite for fishing and fishing of date-shells. The latter practice is widespread. The Marine Fisheries Inspectorate conducted intense controls of restaurants and shops in August last year and in just ten days it confiscated 325kg of fish and seafood. It also found 25kg of date-shells in spite of the ongoing fishing ban. The date-shells are offered under the table though. In order to supply a single dish of date-shells in a restaurant (250-300gr) it takes the destruction of about one square metre of rocks by hammer. On the other hand it takes more than 20 years for the habitat to recover.

No Perception and Understanding- Thus No Money for Monitoring

Macic stresses that unlike Italy or Croatia, Montenegro has neither reliable data nor continuous systematic monitoring of physical and chemical parametres of the sea, of which temperature is the foremost.

“This country fails to understand that it cannot rely on single-point data scientific research projects by the IMB“. That's not enough and we must have an ongoing monitoring. Single-point data gathering is not the proper monitoring method. Next year we may do an entirely different project and do something else elsewhere- adds Macic. This kind of situation will pose a problem for Montenegro in accession talks with the EU when Chapter 27 comes to the fore.

Montenegro marine ecosystem monitoring programme is a part of the National Environmental Monitoring Programme and has been in progress since 2008. It is pursuant to the environmental and water resources protection laws, the protocol on classification of surface and underground waters and it's somewhat in harmony with MEDPOL criteria of the European Environment Agency (EPA) in Copenhagen. The EPA is in possession of our marine ecosystem data from 2008 to 2011. It also states on its website that reports for 2012, 2014 and 2015 are of smaller volume 'as a result of under funding while the 2013 monitoring didn't even happen due to inability to follow the obligatory tender protocol. The EPA still hasn't released the report for 2017 while the marine ecosystem data for preceding years are rather scarce and collected without consistency and frequency hence the overall picture remains hazy.

The EPA hasn't responded to questions about the aforementioned problems that CIN-CG submitted. The Agency didn't pay heed to monitoring of the noxious seaweed, except for 2016 when several locations were surveyed although it was known beforehand that Caulerpa had no presence there. There's not a single reference on other invasive animal and plant species that have gained foothold.

Professional and recreational fishermen alike can feel the marine change as the fish catch is not as great as before.. In an interview with CIN-CG the fishermen stated that the Bay of Kotor had an unusually high density of jellyfish with sizeable bell diametres. Also the year before the sea 'flourished' by outburst of algae twice. The second outburst happened in October which is an indicator of sea warming. In recent years 16 new fish species have been discovered.

'I come across the new species almost on a daily basis. They are mostly triggerfish and then lizardfish. Lately I've come across some new very small fish that we haven't seen before. They resemble tropical minuscule fishes in aquariums. Furthermore as we launch closer to the shore the bluespotted cornetfish often ends up in our nets'- says Srecko Andricic, a veteran fisherman from Tivat. He also claims that he spotted mako sharks several times which were chasing their prey and had jumped several metres out of the water. Andricic says that new fish are hard to sell although there are people who like well cooked triggerfish.

'We often net a lot of small squid whose shapes are different from those we know. We bumped into a subspecies of sole which had six spots instead of four. Not many alien fish turn up in my nets but they may in due course prove to be harmful to native fish' –estimates Andricic. He shows all unusual specimen to the IMB experts in Kotor. He says that at times he nets large shrimps of up to 300gr in weight in the waters close to the Bay of Kotor. He saw the same kind of shrimps in Thailand. In Solila near Tivat he found the remains of domicile crabs who lost a fight to a blue crab whose presence is ever growing.

'The blue crabs can be so big that a single one can cover the bottom of a large basket while their pincers can easily cut the 6mm net rope' –says this veteran fisherman from Tivat.

First Hand Encounters in Proximity to Shore

Fellow fishermen from Bar who are into tuna and swordfish 'big game fishing' also run into mako sharks in the open sea. By an unwritten rule the fishermen don't talk to the media about it. Their uploaded photographs and video clips on social network speak about encounters some ten miles off the coast. Sometimes they end up in the catch as it happened near Petrovac recently. Most of sharks are rather small, but witnesses have seen some exceeding three metres in length.

The shortfin mako shark (also blue pointer - Isurus oxyrinchus) is on record as the fastest swimming shark capable of speed of up to 70 km/h. It mainly feeds on tunas, bonitos, mackerels and swordfish. It is considered one of the most intelligent and also one of the more aggressive sharks. Around thirty attacks on humans have been recorded by these sharks around the world.

'It's hard to talk with confidence about mako shark growing numbers in the Adriatic. Those captured are rather small and young. They don't grow fast but we should take notice of them and see what brings them over here' – says Dr Mirko Djurovic.

Joksimovic admits that it's hard to control the spread of invasive species but they have learned something about those arrivals and how they fare in the new environment through information exchange with their colleagues around the region. He expects Montenegro to pass a law on invasive species by the end of this year. He stresses that the EU Directive 1143 on invasive species applies to Montenegro according to the Chapter 27 on environment which is a part of the accession talks with the EU.

The new Montenegrin law on invasive species will mostly be copy-paste of the EU Directive 1143. It will regulate import procedure and prescribe what is allowed or restricted in terms of alien species and draft a list of banned species and those that should be closely monitored. The law will have various provisions for action plans against inadvertent introductions and measures how to contain the invasive species, emergencies, tip offs, tracking and surveillance. The fines will range from 250 to 20 thousand euros.

When it comes to the sea itself the law can't do much there as invasive species arrive there either by chance or due to environmental changes. Deliberate introductions of the invasive species are more likely to happen on land and in fresh waters. The law should primarily aim to prevent deliberate introductions of new species and enable strict control of national borders. Bringing of larvae or grown ups of new species should be either prevented or reduced to a minimum as it is regulated by the already adopted Law on Ballast Water. Importantly, port authorities should be keener in enforcing the law.

'It's a fact that new species are here and they live next to us and with us. Therefore we must find the best way how to scientifically monitor, study and explain them to the public'- concludes  Dr Joksimovic.

Salema porgy and mullet under threat

As for the new species, some came from the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, and they are known as Lessepsian migrants after Ferdinand de Lesseps, the Suez Canal builder. As much as 14 species have been identified in the Adriatic in recent years, from dusky spinefoot (siganus luridus), silver-cheeked toadfish (lagocephalus sceleratus), reticulated leatherjacket, yellowstripe barracuda to yellowmouth barracuda.

Bluespotted cornetfish have settled in the south of the Adriatic and can grow up to 160cm. It's a predatory fish which feeds on economically important autochthonous species like bogue, pickarel, piper gurnard, anchovy and pilchard. As a consequence it is likely to expect adverse effects on local fisheries and the food chain.

Some of these species like the silver-cheeked toadfish, or fugu fish as it is known in Japan, can be very dangerous to humans.It is a fast-reproducing fish and is detrimental to the fishing industry because it cuts the fishing nets and eats the catch. It contains tetrodotoxin which is 1,250 times stronger than cyanide. It is considered one of the greatest delicacies in Japan once the toxin is neutralized. Fortunately this fish is not a part of our menu.

Dusky spinefoot have also been caught in the Bay of Kotor. It feeds on sea grass and lives in rocky seabeds covered by vegetation. It can grow up to 30cm. Its dorsal and anal fin spines contain venom that is not life-threatening to humans. In the eastern part of the Mediterranean it expelled salema porgy which was an autochthonous species.

'One of the most aggressive new species is bluefish (pomatomus saltatrix) which has spread over the entire Adriatic. It is aggressive with strong teeth and it literally decimates the mullet population. People from the Neretva estuary have already encountered such problems since mullet is one of the fishing industry pillars there. The bluefish has a commercial value on the other hand and its meat is very delicious. It also attracts recreational fishermen' states Dr Aleksandar Joksimovic.

Some of the alochthonous species, like the blue crab (callinectes sapidus), are edible and may be commercially exploited. Another species recently discovered is a shrimp (farfantepenaeus aztecus) which came from the Gulf of Mexico. It is very popular on the US east coast and is the hinge of the fishing industry over there.

The yellowstripe barracuda and the yellowmouth barracuda have inhabited the southern part of the Adriatic while the autochthonous European barracuda is very similar to them. Their meat is delicious hence there's a commercial potential for local communities. The Big Game Fishing tourism can also benefit from the above species.

Coming soon- aquarium and turtle asylum  

The IMB in Kotor has embarked on a project supported by Norweigan donors to found the Centre for Marine Biodiversity Protection whereby Montenegro could give its humble contribution to the world. Furthermore, the first public aquarium in Montenegro is expected by next summer, as well as a turtle rehabilitation centre. Similar centres exist in surrounding countries. The project also aims to help the authorities in Montenegro get a better view of all that stands in their way in terms of fulfilling the Chapter 27 goals of the accession talks. Therefore five workshops are on the schedule. They will help to scrutinize the national legislature in regard to the EU harmonization process.

Siniša LUKOVIĆ

 „Prema važećem pravilniku o konkursima, konflikt interesa je prepoznat jedino u odnosu između učesnika i raspisivača konkursa, ali ne i između učesnika i člana žirija. Tako, učesniku, na primjer, u žiriju može biti i uža porodica, a to se po pravilniku ne tumači kao sukob interesa“, kaže arhitektica Milica Vujošević.

Konkurs za najbolje idejno rješenje za urbanizaciju prostora Sadina u Podgorici, koji je građane koštao 170 hiljada eura, nije bio dovoljno transparentan, a propisima je omogućen i potencijalni sukob interesa između kandidata i članova žirija.

Dio stručne javnosti smatra da je konflikt interesa to što se u prvonagrađenom timu, koji je dobio 50.000 eura, nalazi i profesorica Arhitektonskog fakulteta Svetlana Perović, koja je bliska saradnica dekana te univerzitetske jedinice Svetislava Popovića, šefa katedre za urbanizam i - člana žirija.

Propisi, međutim, ne poznaju konflikt interesa između kandidata i članova žirija, koji vrednuju i biraju najbolje radove. Tako je, na primjer, moglo da se dogodi da učesnici konkursa i članovi žirija budu i najbliži srodnici. To, prema važećem Pravilniku o načinu i postupku sprovođenja javnog konkursa, ne bi bio konflikt interesa. Kod nas, očigledno, još nije zaživjela ni praksa EU, da se osobe koje se nalaze u procesu odlučivanja ili konkurisanja i same prijave, ili izuzmu, ako osjećaju da postoji mogućnost konflikta interesa.

Iz Glavnog grada, koji je sa Ministarstvom održivog razvoja i turizma početkom januara raspisao ovaj međunarodni konkurs, Centru za istraživačko novinarstvo Crne Gore (CIN-CG) odgovorili su da sukob interesa nije postojao.

Gradska administracija pozvala se na član 20 Pravilnika, kojim je definisano da učesnici konkursa ne mogu biti lica neposredno angažovana na pripremi i sprovođenju konkretnog konkursa, lica u najužem srodstvu sa njima, kao i oni koji su zaposleni na neodređeno vrijeme kod raspisivača konkursa.

Arhitektica Milica Vujošević, iz nevladine organizacije KANA, ipak, smatra da bi važeći pravilnik trebalo mijenjati, jer je sa pravne strane sve pokriveno, ali u moralnom i etičkom smislu ostavlja prostor za diskusiju o konfliktu interesa.

„Prema važećem pravilniku o konkursima, konflikt interesa je prepoznat jedino u odnosu između učesnika i raspisivača konkursa, ali ne i između učesnika i člana žirija, tako da učesniku, na primjer, u žiriju može biti i uža porodica, a to se po pravilniku ne tumači kao sukob interesa“, ocijenila je Vujošević.

Na konkurs, koji je trajao od 30. januara do 4. juna, pristiglo je 18 radova, od kojih je 12 ispunilo formalne uslove, dok je šest diskvalifikovano.

Pored profesorice Perović, u prvonagrađenom timu su Đorđe Nedeljković, Aleksandar Nedeljković, Radoš Pešić, Marija Ćaćić, Bojana Raspopović i Bojana Cerović. Autori drugonagrađenog rada su Petar Arsić, Mladen Đurović, Danilo Arsić, Jovanka Đorđević - Ciganović, Mirka Đurović, Dragan Tasić, Nevenka Rajković, Ana Virijević, Milica Nikolić, Ana Simić, Aleksandar Simonović. Treći autorski rad činili su Lucija Ažman Momirski, Sara Biščak, Maks Rojec, Peter Sovinc, Andreas Cesarini i Predrag Bulajić.

Prvonagrađeni tim dobio je nagradu od 50 hiljada eura, drugonagrađeni 35 hiljada, dok je za treće mjesto izdvojen iznos od 20 hiljada.

Iz Glavnog grada kazali su da  je za otkup još tri rada  opredijeljeno po deset hiljada eura. Članovi žirija, kao naknadu za rad na vrednovanju konkursnih radova, podijelili su 35 hiljada eura.

U konkursu za najbolje idejno rješenje za urbanizaciju Sadina, Glavni grad i Ministarstvo naveli su da se njihova vizija zasniva na principu održivosti budućeg prostora, od kojeg se očekuje da bude „integralan dio urbanog tkiva Podgorice“.

Prostor Sadine nalazi se u dijelu Podgorice u blizini nekadašnje fabrike Elastik i okružen je Bulevarom SKOJ-a, Ulicom dr Blaža Raičkovića, Knjaza Danila, Rusa Radulovića i Radničkom ulicom. Za to područje, prema ranijem pisanju medija, vlada veliko interesovanje investitora.

Naselje je ranije bilo u privatnom vlasništvu, nakon čega je tim prostorom gazdovalo preduzeće „13. jul – Plantaže“. Potom je zemlja vraćena starim vlasnicima. Prema Generalnom urbanističkom planu Titograda iz 1990. godine, kako su ranije objavili mediji, Sadine su imale namjenu poljoprivrednog zemljišta, kao dio grada sa visokim potencijalnom za razvoj te grane.

Važećim Prostorno-urbanističkim planom (PUP) promijenjena je namjena u mješovito građevinsko zemljište. Vlasnici imanja nekoliko puta su protestovali tražeći urbanizaciju za to područje, kako bi mogli da valorizuju svoju imovinu.

Pobjedničkim konkursnim rješenjem predviđeno je da se u Sadinama izgrade višespratnice od 12 do 17 spratova, urbani park sa trgom, agro park sa poljoprivrednim paviljonima... U obrazloženju žirija piše da suštinski kvalitet ovog rješenja leži u „originalnom prostornom konceptu blokova koji se ne ponavljaju, a karakteriše ih naglašena dinamika i bogatstvo vizuelnih sekvencija koje se mogu sresti u krivudavim ulicama Stare Varoši“.

„Tako se duh stare Podgorice seli preko Morače na jedan nov i savremen način“, ocijenio je žiri.

Autori ovog tima, smatra žiri, imali su u vidu da urbani razvoj Podgorice počinje sa orijentalnim spontanitetom Stare Varoši, da bi se preko Mirkove varoši, modernih blokova i Bloka V, nastavio u Sadinama.

Drugonagrađeni rad zasnovan je na distriktima, koji sadrže programski i tehnološki park, mini sportski centar, kompleks bazena, inovativni dječji centar...

„Urbano - morfološko rješenje razvija se strukturom u 36 blokova sa dominantnom stanogradnjom, spratnosti pet do šest etaža u zelenim međuprostorima gdje se lociraju škole, vrtići i slično“, navodi se u obrazloženju žirija. Stručnjaci su ocijenili da je dobar i interesantan predlog da se saobraćajno povežu bulevari (SKOJ i Cetinjski), uz istočni obod Sadina.

Glavni motiv trećenagrađenog koncepta je „zeleni bulevar“, u pravcu istok - zapad, koji povezuje sve značajne sadržaje, dok se u centru naselja nalazi „mediteransko oblikovani trg“.  Taj rad predviđa da se u južnom dijelu definiše zona mješovite namjene (pretežno stanovanje), dok bi na sjeveru bili objekti od javnog značaja i parkovi.

„Veći dio južnog dijela lokacije Sadina predviđen je za uređenje Sportskog parka Univerziteta. Pojas elitne gradnje (ambasadorska četvrt), definiše južni rub parka, a sjeverni centar naselja. Na sjevernom dijelu lokacije predviđen je Poljoprivredni park, Poslovna zona, zona naučnih instituta i školstvo, te zona stanovanja (za mlađe porodice i starije stanovnike)“, piše u dokumentaciji konkursa.

U nevladinoj organizaciji KANA smatraju da konkurs za Sadine, koji je čak bio međunarodnog karaktera, nije bio dovoljno transparentno predstavljen, posebno kada je riječ o rezultatima.

„Osim šturih novinskih natpisa koji su nas obavijestili o pobjedniku, međunarodna javnost, a naročito struka, nema mogućnost da se na valjan način upozna sa ishodom konkursa i kvalitetom pristiglih radova. Izložba koja je organizovana u zgradi Glavnog grada nije dovoljna za prezentaciju tako značajnih radova, dok na sajtu raspisivača nedostaju izvještaji žirija“, smatra Milica Vujošević.

U NVO KANA ocjenjuju  i da izbor najboljih konkursnih rješenja ne čudi, s obzirom na „veoma homogen sastav žirija“ za konkurs velikog značaja i visokog iznosa naknada.

„Uz obavezne članove žirija iz inostranstva i predstavnike raspisivača, svi stručni članovi iz Crne Gore su primarno predstavnici Arhitektonskog i Građevinskog fakulteta Univerziteta Crne Gore, stoga ne čudi njihov izbor. U sastav žirija je trebalo uključiti i predstavnike Inženjerske komore ili Komore arhitekata, ili drugog relevantnog stručnjaka koji je javno dokazao sposobnost i brigu za održivi razvoj našeg prostora“, ocijenila je Milica Vujošević.

Iz Glavnog grada nijesu odgovorili na pitanje CIN-CG o tome ko je u žiriju bio predstavnik stručnih komora. Umjesto toga, naveli su da su, od ukupno šest, u žiriju bila četiri „stručna člana“. Predsjednik žirija i stručni član bio je Dimitrije Mladenović. Stručni članovi su još Kaliopa Dimitrovska Andrews, Svetislav Popović, Rifat Alihodžić i Biljana Ivanović, dok su predstavnici Ministarstva i Glavnog grada Dragana Čenić i Zorica Rakčević.

Investitori mogu da mijenjanju

Vujošević tvrdi kako je čest slučaj da odabrano rješenje na konkursu doživi izmjene od investitora, a nauštrb javnih sadržaja i funkcija. Zato bi trebalo pratiti šta će da se dešava u nastavku procesa urbanizacije Sadina.

Ona je podsjetila da je produžen rok za usvajanje detaljnih urbanističkih planova po starom zakonu o planiranju i izgradnji, što ostavlja mogućnost za eventualno usvajanje planova i projekata kao što su Kasarna Morača, Nova Varoš (Njegošev park) i slično.

„Postoji mogućnost da se do tada usvoji i DUP Sadine koji je u izradi, a čijom odlukom o izradi je predviđeno da usvojeno urbanističko-arhitektonsko rješenje putem javnog konkursa čini sastavni dio DUP-a. Ukoliko to ne bude slučaj, a do donošenja plana generalne regulacije, odabrano rješenje bi se eventualno moglo primijeniti u vidu urbanističkog projekta“, naglasila je Vujošević.

Arhitekte gube povjerenje u konkurse
U nevladinoj organizaciji KANA smatraju da su konkursi, po pravilu, najbolji alat za pronalaženje dobrih arhitektonskih rješenja, pod uslovom da se sprovode kvalitetno i transparentno, bez ikakvih sumnji u regularnost postupka, te da omogućavaju struci da zajedničkim učešćem dođe do najboljeg rješenja. To, tvrde, u Crnoj Gori nije slučaj, pa je institucija konkursa u posljednje vrijeme izgubila povjerenje arhitekata.
„Novim zakonom konkursi su predviđeni obavezno za javne objekte u državnoj svojini, za razliku od prethodnog propisa, kada su se odnosili na lokacije od izuzetnog značaja. Ovim je instituciji konkursa umanjen značaj“, smatraju u ovoj organizaciji.

Ana KOMATINA

Unlike other regional and European countries Montenegro has no legal protection of venomous snake species which makes them exposed to trade and smuggling. Biologists warn of looming hemorrhagic fever due to excessive nose-horned viper hunting

Each year more than 200 nose-horned vipers are exported from Montenegro to Serbia thus putting at risk this reptile species which is important for maintaining ecological balance. Montenegro is the only country in the region where law does not protect venomous snakes and hence they are fit for trade and smuggling.

Even though Serbia has never received export license from Montenegro, the nose-horned viper trade between the two countries continues without hindrance. The Serbian Ministry of Environmental Protection has already issued 4 annual licenses to Belgrade’s Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera – Torlak for the import of 300 live nose-horned vipers (Vipera ammodytes) from Montenegro. On the other hand, Montenegro’s Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism and its Environmental Protection Agency has repeatedly denied the export license. But the denial thereof in reality means- approval. The aforementioned Agency argues that the nose-horned viper is not a protected species in Montenegro and hence “the authorities are not obliged to issue a license”.

The Montenegrin Centre for Investigative Journalism (CIN-CG) queried the Serbian Ministry of Environmental Protection on just how many permits it has issued for the return of the nose-horned vipers to Montenegro. The reply came in only one word- “none”.

The same Ministry stressed that the nose-horned viper is amongst the protected species in Serbia and the capturing of vipers in their natural habitats has been illegal since 2013. The Torlak Institute consequently lodged its first request for import of snakes in 2014 when 140 nose-horned vipers arrived from Montenegro. In the next three years 218, 126 and 33 snakes followed respectively. According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection another request for 200 vipers was lodged in May this year.

The authorities in Montenegro say that viper exports cannot endanger the species and don’t bother to step up protection. On the other hand, the field experts who spoke to the Montenegrin Centre for Investigative Journalism (CIN-CG) and the Monitor Weekly claim that such appraisals are reckless

The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism (MSDT) has highlighted that “according to up to date research and monitoring of the aforementioned species and their density (nose-horned viper and common adder) there’s currently no need for their protection on a national level”. Nevertheless the same Ministry says that “if it turns out that the Montenegrin Protected Species List has to be revised upon extensive field research in regard to Natura 2000 nomination, then the nose-horned viper will come to the fore”.

Natura 2000 is a network of core breeding and resting sites for rare and threatened species that stretches across all EU countries.

Furthermore, the MSDT told us that “As the Natura 2000 network criteria have to be met on the part of Montenegro prior to Montenegro’s accession to the EU, it is most certain that the Protected Species List revision will be decided by then”.

Likewise “depending on the state of the species, a total ban on hunting for antiserum may be imposed in certain localities of the country”.

The Agency’s ruling in March of this year quotes the opinion of the Department for Nature Conservation, Monitoring, Analyses and Reporting: “Capture and export of 200 Vipera ammodytes (nose-horned viper) from Montenegro in May-July 2018 (localities: Danilovgrad, Lazine, Koljat, Ocinici, Cetinje, Pecurica, Vladimir, Ostros and the Pljevlja area) does not threaten the species’ survival or has any impact on its population density”.

We repeatedly asked the Agency to explain on what premises it concluded that the capture and export of nose-horned vipers would not threaten that particular species. The Agency replied that it did not have the exact data but its finding was based on regular expert field surveys.

In an interview with CIN-CG/Monitor, biologist Vuk Ikovic emphasized that there were no credible statistics. He stated that “when it comes to a particular species, they conducted research in just a couple of localities but the overall situation has remained unknown”. He says that population research of the common adder and the karst adder took place in the Bjelasica National Park while the nose-horned viper was not included in the research.

Furthermore his colleague Bogic Gligorovic confirms that “there are neither spreadsheets of endangered species along with their locations in Montenegro. The drafting of the same may be in early stages at best”. Jovana Janjusevic of the Bird Protection and Research Centre points out that the estimates about how much the snake species are endangered are clearly made without scientific methodology.

“Therefore it makes sense to ask who determines the expediency and how many units of an endangered species are to be captured since Montenegro doesn’t have the Red Book of reptile populations review” she told CIN-CG/Monitor.

The Agency explained that “real venomous snakes population data requires a long-term research which can be very demanding due to inaccessibility of the terrain and climate conditions”.

There are 15 snake species in Montenegro of which three are the venomous- nose-horned viper, common adder and karst adder. The Nature Museum of Montenegro director Lidija Polovic points out that Montenegro abounds with reptiles unlike almost any other place in Europe, hence the country has a high responsibility to preserve that wealth for the generations to come. She explained to CIN-CG/Monitor that snakes had an important role in the ecosystem as they prevent the spread of rodents and insects. “The excessive spread of rodents could have harmful effects on humans in the sense of harming crops and other goods as well as posing as a health risk since they spread contagious diseases”.

The bubonic plague that killed a third of the European population in the 14^th century had been brought in by the rats that disembarked from the sea vessels that docked in the port cities- reminds biologist Ikovic. As the rats had no natural predators like snakes, the mortality rate was greater than in the country. He warns that certain localities may be deprived of nose-horned vipers due to excessive hunting, thus opening doors to hemorrhagic fever.

Besides the role they play in ecosystem maintenance, the snake venom is also used in cosmetics industry and in manufacturing of medicines that fight tumours, regulate diabetes, blood pressure etc.

The Torlak Institute makes use of Montenegro’s nose-horned vipers for the manufacturing of antivenom. Gligorovic explains that no other institution in the region supplies Montenegro’s health administration with snake antivenom. According to the Public Health Institute data for 2013-2016 there were between 33 and 38 discharges from hospital due to venomous animal attacks.

Ikovic further argues that another problem is the timing of nose-horned viper hunt which happens in early spring when male sperm is still under development. As a consequence, many vipers die upon arrival in the Torlak Insitute. “Likewise the vipers that have been milked for venom should be returned to their original habitat so to keep the population intact. Unfortunately, this has not been the case” says Ivkovic. Thus, the natural habitats cannot maintain the balance.

Biologists also warn about inadequate handling of snakes as hunters use long wooden grippers which squeeze the viper’s neck “thus damaging the esophagus, the mouth opening, and also breaks the neck bones, thus more than half of the captured vipers have such injuries. The hunters only care to have the snakes encased regardless of whether they are injured or not. The Torlak on the other hand never accepts injured or sick snakes thus exacerbating the whole issue – explains Ivkovic.

Herpetologist Rastko Ajtic published scientific research back in 2008 which pointed out that no existing national regulation protected the nose-horned vipers hence they could be hunted without restriction: “In March and April 351 vipers were netted in Montenegro to be sold to The Torlak Institute for antivenom manufacturing. The research emphasized that “the proper training of suppliers (snake hunters from Serbia and Montenegro) was one of the priorities of the Torlak Institute”.

Ajtic is currently a field associate- herpetologist in the Serbian Nature Conservation Institute and he confirms  in the interview with CIN-CG/Monitor that not much progress has been made when it comes to training: “As a matter of fact the snakes have not been hunted in Serbia for the last ten years so no one signed up for training. In Montenegro there are still those who hunt the nose-horned viper, but they are not adequately trained. I can say that because I check every imported snake to establish if it has injuries in the neck area due to inappropriate handling, since those injuries may eventually kill them.”

The snake hunters in Montenegro that CIN-CG/Monitor tried to interview declined to talk about this topic.

“The snake tongs are used to catch them, and then you grip the snake neck by hand so to avoid inflicting injury to a snake” we are told by the Environmental Protection Agency. We further asked the Agency to explain how the snakes are hunted for the Torlak Institute, who does the job, and how much the hunters get paid. The Agency’s responded that “very experienced local snake hunters who live in the hunting areas do the job. The Podgorica based Glossary Ltd. cooperates with the snake hunters when it comes to export of the catch”.

The Glossary ltd. says that the company imports and distributes snake antivenom, while in terms of nose-horned vipers export, it only acts as a forwarding agent. The Torlak Institute has remained silent to our inquiries.

“Montenegro should ban the nose-horned viper hunt until it has a clear situation on the ground and then the authorities should draft long-term measures to keep the stock in good shape” says Ikovic. He also emphasizes that one of the ways forward is to provide conditions for hibernation of vipers in the Institute as well as breeding in captivity.

Ajtic stresses that the Torlak Institute has managed, after 15 years, “to overcome all hurdles for the nose-horned viper breeding in captivity”. Recently the Institute made 300 viper terrariums for breeding, based on expert recommendations of the Nature Conservation Institute of Serbia.

Unlike surrounding countries Montenegro hasn’t changed anything in its treatment of reptile species. “Back then we were still in the federal union, and don’t get me wrong, I made an exhaustive list of animals (amphibians and reptiles) which needed protection in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and later in Serbia and Montenegro. When the list was concluded it turned out that those venomous snake species were expunged from the list. When I asked why, I got derisive responses from some people whom I wouldn’t like to name” recalls Ajtic.

According to biologist Gligorovic all three species of venomous snakes are legally and effectivelly protected in the countries around. That's not the case in Montenegro

In Croatia, the nose-horned viper and the karst adder are strictly protected species while the common adder is also on the protection list. Serbia as well as Albania also protect by law the aforementioned venomous snakes. In Albania the species are a part of the “Red List” with “low risk of extinction” status. Hunting, killing or disturbing those species is prohibited by law. The fine that one had to pay for killing a nose-horned viper in Serbia is 120€, while for killing a common adder the fine is 800€. To kill a protected animal also carries a prison sentence of up to one year. The fine for killing a nose-horned viper in Croatia is almost 1,000€.

The Nature Museum director Polovic believes that the reptile species protected list should be revised as soon as possible. “The populations of the nose-horned viper, the common adder and the karst adder are under threat due to destruction of their habitats, excessive hunting for either milking of venom or to have them in various collections. Also the merciless killing of snakes out of sheer fear further exacerbates survival of snakes''.

Biologists call for harmonization of the national legislature with the Bern Convention (on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats) which Montenegro did sign. “The nose-horned viper is strictly under legal protection pursuant to the Bern Convention and hence the snakes should be on the protected species list of Montenegro” says Ivkovic.

The Agency (EPA) explained that the protected species list was drafted and adopted in 2006 while Montenegro ratified the Bern Convention in 2008: “So the aforementioned list should be revised. Furthermore it is necessary to comply with the current norms and because new species have been detected in Montenegro lately”.

The Coalition 27 (named after Chapter 27 of the EU accession talks which deals with environment and the issues thereof) which gathers akin non-governmental organizations (Green Home, Bird Protection and Research Centre- BPRC, North Country, Niksic Youth Environmentalists Association and the Green Action from Croatia) in its Shadow Report points out that the species which are protected by law on the European level are not protected in Montenegro which is a daring example of the national legislation being out of step with the European regulations.

“The three venomous snake species along with some other species that didn’t make it to the protected species list in Montenegro will be back on the agenda once Chapter 27 is open. Consequently the government will have to meet a number of technical criteria including the Approximation Strategy adoption. That will be a clear action plan with time tables so as to produce visible results instead of earlier “progress has been made” remarks. Earlier very critical European Commission reports and European Parliament resolutions have made that clear”, says Jovana Janjusevic of the BPRC 

Officially there is no smuggling, but the market is thriving

There are many sales adds of Montenegrin nose-horn vipers on international websites where snake lovers get together. The most popular vipers are those from Ada Bojana which are highly valued because of their unique red shades.

We reached out to the seller in the Czech Republic and found out he had already sold the female viper from Ada. Nevertheless he said he would get another one during the summer and the price would be 100€. On another site a Dutch seller announced the sale of a Montenegrin viper. He explains that he sells a female viper from 80€. Both individuals declined to share how and where they got the vipers.

Biologist Vernes Zagora warned about the issue two years ago saying that a grown pair a male and a female) can reach the price of 700€.

In an interview with CIN-CG/Monitor Zagora stressed that the situation has not  improved: “We kept writing to the Agency to warn about particular cases. We haven’t received any reply”, ends Zagora.

The Agency acknowledges that it has received information from the Environmental Inspectorate, the Customs Administration, NGOs and concerned citizens about snakes being smuggled out of Montenegro. Consequently, “The Protocol for Handling” is currently being drafted in order to deal with the smuggling.

However, the Environmental Inspectorate claims that it has no findings about venomous snakes being smuggled out of Montenegro. The inspectors were called up only once by the customs officers at the Dobrakovo Border Crossing in July 2017 when a Red Tail Boa had been left by an unknown person between the border crossings and was subsequently caught and handed over to the Natural History Museum in Podgorica.

The Customs Administration has reported only 4 cases of nose-horned viper export since 2008 while no smuggling attempts have been reported. Nevertheless, that doesn’t prove that there is no smuggling though.

“Had our country protected the snakes on time we would not have had such a massive and illegal snake hunt and exhibitions of the same at the Terraristika Hamm in Germany -the largest European stock exchange of reptiles which happens three times a year” concludes Jovana Janjusevic.

Others do it better

Vipera ammodytes (Linnaeus, 1758); nose-horned viper, sand viper – the most venomous snake throughout Montenegro up to the altitudes of 1,500m and sometimes beyond. The nose-horned viper is not protected in Montenegro. It is listed as protected in the Appendix II of the Bern Convention and in the Appendix IV of the Natura 2000 network of protected habitats.

Vipera berus (Linnaeus, 1758); common adder – it is found in the altitudes exceeding 1,200m. The common adder is not protected in Montenegro, but it is in the surrounding countries of the region. It is listed in the Appendix III of the Bern Convention.

Vipera ursinii (Bonaparte, 1835); karst adder, steppe adder, meadow viper – the smallest venomous snake in Montenegro. It has remained in mountainous habitats. It can be found only in the altitudes above 1,100m. The Karst adder is not protected in Montenegro. However, other countries within the region have imposed strict protection. It has been listed in the Appendix II of the Bern Convention and in the Appendix IV of the Natura 2000 network of protected habitats.

Predrag NIKOLIĆ

Za razliku od zemalja regiona i Evrope, Crna Gora nije zakonom zaštitila otrovnice, pa su one predmet trgovine i krijumčarenja. Biolozi upozoravaju da se na pojedinim lokalitetima, zbog prekomjernog lova poskoka može pojaviti i mišja groznica

Iz Crne Gore godišnje se u Srbiju izveze i više od 200 živih primjeraka poskoka i tako ugrožava opstanak ove vrste zmija, značajnih za ekološku ravnotežu. Crna Gora je jedina zemlja u regionu koja ne štiti zakonom otrovnice, pa se njima trguje i švercuje.

Iako Srbija nikada nije dobila dozvolu, trgovina poskocima između dvije zemlje odvija se neometano. Ministarstvo zaštite životne sredine Srbije već četiri godine izdaje beogradskom Institutu za virusologiju, vakcine i serume Torlak godišnju dozvolu za uvoz 300 živih primjeraka poskoka (Vipera ammodytes) iz Crne Gore. Crnogorsko Ministarstvo održivog razvoja i turizma, odnosno Agencija za zaštitu prirode i životne sredine, s druge strane, svake godine uredno odbije zahtjev za dozvolu za izvoz sa svoje teritorije. Ali to odbijanje je u stvari – pristanak. U obrazloženju Agencije se navodi da poskok nije zaštićena vrsta u Crnoj Gori i da „nije propisana obaveza izdavanja dozvole od strane nadležnog organa“.

Ministarstvo zaštite životne sredine Srbije, na pitanje Centra za istraživačko novinarstvo Crne Gore (CIN – CG) i Monitora, o tome koliko je izdato dozvola za povratak poskoka u Crnu Goru, kratko je odgovorilo – nijedna.  Iz ovog resora podsjećaju da je poskok u Srbiji zaštićen i da njegovo sakupljanje u prirodi nije dozvoljeno još od 2013. godine. Institut Torlak je prvi zahtjev za uvoz iz Crne Gore uputio 2014. godine. Tada je uvezeno 140 poskoka, sljedeće godine 218, pretprošle 126, a prošle 33 otrovnice. Prema podacima Ministarstva zaštite životne sredine Srbije, u maju ove godine podnijet je zahtjev za uvoz 200 živih otrovnica.

Dok nadležni u Crnoj Gori tvrde da izvoz poskoka ne može ugroziti opstanak te vrste i ne žure sa mjerama zaštite, stručnjaci u razgovoru za CIN-CG/Monitor kažu da su te ocjene paušalne.

Ministarstvo održivog razvoja i turizma Crne Gore (MORT) ističe da se „na osnovu dosadašnjih istraživanja i monitoringa pomenutih vrsta (poskok, šarka), smatra da se usljed stanja brojnosti ovih populacija trenutno ne zahtijeva njihova nacionalna zaštita“.  Ipak, iz MORT-a kažu da će „ukoliko se ukaže potreba za revizijom i usklađivanjem Liste zaštićenih vrsta u Crnoj Gori, a nakon završetka opsežnih terenskih istraživanja u kontekstu nominacije Natura 2000 vrsta i staništa, u prvom planu biti vrste koje su u režimu korišćenja, odnosno poskok“.

Natura 2000 je mreža područja zaštite prirode na teritoriji EU.

„Kako se nominacija Natura 2000 mreže od strane Crne Gore mora završiti do dana punopravnog članstva u EU, zasigurno da će se u navedenom vremenskom periodu najkasnije donijeti odluke o reviziji Liste zaštićenih vrsta“, kazali su iz MORT-a.

„U zavisnosti od utvrđenog stanja populacija, prioritetna mjera biće i potpuna zabrana izlova jedinki za proizvodnju antiseruma sa određenih lokaliteta u državi“, naglašavaju u Ministarstvu.

U Rješenju Agencije iz marta ove godine navodi se mišljenje Sektora za zaštitu prirode, monitoring, analizu i izvještavanje: „Sakupljanje i izvoz jedinki vrste Vipera ammodytes (poskok) na području Crne Gore u periodu maj-jul 2018. (lokaliteti: Danilovgrad, Lazine, Koljat, Očinići, Cetinje, Pečurica, Vladimir, Ostros i područje Pljevalja), u količini od 200 jedinki, neće ugroziti opstanak vrste, niti se negativno odraziti na brojnost populacije“.

Na ponovljeno pitanje, o tome na osnovu čega tvrde da sakupljanje i izvoz poskoka neće ugroziti ovu vrstu, iz Agencije su odgovorili da ne posjeduju egzaktne podatke, ali da oni na koje se pozivaju proizilaze iz redovnih terenskih istraživanja koje sprovode njihovi eksperti.

Biolog Vuk Iković za CIN-CG/Monitor ističe da vjerodostojnih podataka nema: „Za pojedine vrste su rađena istraživanja na svega par lokaliteta, ali opšte stanje je nepoznato“. On kaže da su populaciona istraživanja šarke i šargana obavljena u Nacionalnom parku Bjelasica, ali ne i za poskoka.

I njegov kolega Bogić Gligorović potvrđuje da u Crnoj Gori „baze vrsta i njihovog rasprostranjenja i nivoa ugroženosti nijesu formirane, ili su u početnim fazama“. Jovana Janjušević, iz Centra za zaštitu i proučavanje ptica, kaže da je zbog toga jasno da se procjene ugroženosti zmija daju bez naučnog osnova.

„Postavlja se logično pitanje, ko utvrđuje opravdanost i kvotu hvatanja određenog broja jedinki neke nezaštićene vrste, ako znamo da Crna Gora nema „crvenu knjigu“ u kojoj su naznačene procjene populacija“, kaže ona za CIN-CG/Monitor.

Iz Agencije navode da „stvarno stanje populacija zmija otrovnica povlači za sobom dugotrajna istraživanja koja su izuzetno zahtjevna, zbog uslova rada na terenu (pristupačnost terena i klimatski uslovi)“.

U Crnoj Gori živi 15 vrsta zmija, od kojih su tri vrste - poskok, šarka i šargan - otrovne. Lidija Polović, direktorica Prirodnjačkog muzeja Crne Gore, napominje da je Crna Gora jedno od  najbogatijih područja Evrope po broju vrsta gmizavaca, te da imamo veliku odgovornost da sačuvamo to bogatstvo za buduće generacije. U razgovoru za CIN-CG/Monitor, ona objašnjava da zmije u ekosistemu imaju značajnu ulogu kao regulatori brojnosti populacija sitnih sisara (naročito glodara) i insekata. „Prenamnožavanje glodara uzrokovalo bi štetne posljedice po čovjeka u smislu uništavanja dobara, usjeva, kao i u pogledu ugrožavanja ljudskog zdravlja zato što su oni prenosioci mnogih zaraznih bolesti“, naglašava Polović.

Kugu, koja je tokom 14. vijeka usmrtila trećinu evropskog stanovništva, upravo su prenijeli pacovi koji su brodovima došli u lučke gradove, podsjeća biolog Iković. Kako u gradovima nije bilo predatora ovih glodara – zmija, stopa smrtnosti je bila značajno veća nego na selu. On upozorava da se može desiti da na pojedinim lokalitetima  dođe do prekomjernog lova poskoka i da se u tom mjestu pojavi mišja groznica.

Pored značajne uloge zmija u ekosistemu, njihov otrov se koristi u kozmetici i u medicini za proizvodnju ljekova, za suzbijanje tumora, regulisanje šećerne bolesti, krvnog pritiska...

Institut Torlak koristi poskoke iz Crne Gore za proizvodnju protivotrova. Gligorović objašnjava da u regionu ne postoji drugi institut iz kojeg zdravstvene ustanove u Crnoj Gori mogu obezbijediti serum za zmijski ujed. Prema podacima Instituta za javno zdravlje, u periodu od 2013 – 2016 bilo je između 33 i 38 bolničkih otpusta godišnje sa dijagnozom – otrovno dejstvo kontakta sa otrovnim životinjama.

Iković navodi da je dodatni problem što se poskoci hvataju za vrijeme sazrijevanja spermatozoida mužjaka (početak proljeća), pa kada stignu u Torlak dolazi do njihove povećane smrtnosti.

„U cilju održivosti populacije, sakupljene jedinke poskoka nakon cijeđenja otrova u Institutu trebalo bi da se vrate u svoje prirodno stanište. Međutim, to nije slučaj“, kaže Iković. Prirodno stanište tako gubi svoju ravnotežu.  Biolozi upozoravaju i na nestručan lov, jer se koriste dugačke drvene hvataljke koje stegnu vrat poskoka. „Tako dolazi do oštećenja jednjaka i usnog otvora i lomljenja vratnih rebara što je slučaj sa više od 50 odsto jedinki. Glavno je da budu sakupljene, a koji je stepen povreda, na to se ne obraća pažnja. Problem se dodatno komplikuje što Torlak ne preuzima bolesne jedinke“, objašnjava Iković.  Herpetolog Rastko Ajtić objavio je još 2008. godine naučni rad u kojem navodi da zakonska regulativa o zaštiti poskoka u Crnoj Gori ne postoji, te da se svake godine oni nesmetano love: „Tokom marta i aprila, na teritoriji Crne Gore sakupljeno je 351 jedinka poskoka, koje je Institut Torlak trebalo da otkupi za proizvodnju antiseruma“. U radu se ističe da je „edukacija snabdjevača (lovaca zmija iz Srbije i Crne Gore) za Institut Torlak jedan od prioriteta“.

Ajtić je sada stručni saradnik-herpetolog u Zavodu za zaštitu prirode Srbije i u razgovoru za CIN-CG/Monitor potvrđuje da se nije mnogo odmaklo sa obukom: „U Srbiji se praktično ne sakupljaju posljednjih desetak godina, pa se niko nije prijavljivao za obuku. U Crnoj Gori postoje ljudi koji i dalje hvataju poskoke, ali nijesu stručno osposobljeni. Kažem to, zato što ja pregledam svaku zmiju koja se uveze i konstatujem da li ima povreda nastalih pri nestručnom hvatanju, koje se nalaze na vratnom regionu. Te povrede dovode do uginuća poslije određenog perioda“.

„Lovci“ na zmije u Crnoj Gori, s kojima je CIN-CG/Monitor stupio u kontakt nijesu htjeli da govore o ovoj temi.  „Izlovljavanje zmija se vrši pomoću hvataljki, isključivo ručnim hvatanjem za vrat zmije  kako ne bi došlo do njihovog ozljeđivanja“, objašnjavaju u Agenciji za zaštitu prirode i životne sredine. Na pitanje, na koji način se u Crnoj Gori za Institut Torlak sakupljaju poskoci, ko obavlja taj posao i koliko se plaća, iz Agencije su odgovorili: „Postupak hvatanja vrše zmijolovci mještani koji žive na prostoru predloženih lokaliteta za izlov i imaju veliko iskustvo u ophođenju sa zmijama. Privredno društvo Glosarij doo iz Podgorice, kao partner u izvoznom dijelu posla sarađuje sa zmijolovcima“.

Iz Glosarija kažu da su oni uvoznici i distributeri protivotrova u Crnoj Gori, a da prilikom izvoza poskoka obavljaju samo špediciju. I pored više urgencija, iz Torlaka nijesu stigli odgovori o ovoj temi.

„Crna Gora mora što prije da zabrani sakupljanje poskoka na svojoj teritoriji, dok se ne odredi stanje na terenu, a onda bi trebalo da definiše dugoročne mjere za unapređenje postojeće situacije“, navodi Iković. Jedan od načina za unapređenje zaštite ove vrste, kako ističe, jeste stvaranje uslova za prezimljavanje i razmnožavanje (hibernaciju poskoka u institutu, sparivanje u zarobljeništvu, te rađanje mladih).

Ajtić ističe da su u Torlaku nakon 15 godina otklonili „sve nedostatke vezane za uzgoj poskoka u zarobljeništvu“. Institut je nedavno napravio 300 terarijuma za uzgoj poskoka, po preporukama stručnjaka iz Zavoda za zaštitu prirode Srbije.  U okruženju se stvari mijenjaju, ali ne i u Crnoj Gori. „Tada smo još bili u zajednici, i da me ne shvatite pogrešno, ja sam radio kompletan spisak životinja (vodozemaca i gmizavaca) koje je potrebno zaštiti u SRJ i kasnije u SCG. I onda su otrovne zmije izbačene sa spiska. Na moje pitanje zašto, dobio sam neke podrugljive odgovore od nekih ljudi koje neću da imenujem“, prisjeća se Ajtić.

Za razliku od Crne Gore, biolog Gligorović navodi da su sve tri vrste otrovnica  zaštićene ili strogo zaštićene zakonom u regionu, a takođe i u evropskim zemljama.

U Hrvatskoj su poskok i šargan strogo zaštićene vrste, a šarka spada u zaštićene. Kao i u Srbiji, u Albaniji su pomenute tri otrovnice zakonom zaštićene – dio su „crvene liste“ i imaju status „niži rizik“. Lovljenje, ubijanje ili uznemiravanje ovih vrsta zabranjeno je zakonom. Kazna za ubijanje poskoka u Srbiji je oko 120 eura, a za šarku više od 800 eura. Ubijanje životinja, pored toga, tretira se kao krivično djelo, pa pored novčane, prijeti kazna zatvora do jedne godine. Kazna za ubijanje poskoka u Hrvatskoj iznosi gotovo hiljadu eura.

Direktorica Prirodnjačkog muzeja Polović smatra da je spisak vrsta gmizavaca koji su zakonom zaštićeni neophodno što prije revidirati: „Populacije poskoka, šarke i šargana su ugrožene, kako uništavanjem prirodnih staništa tako i nekontrolisanim sakupljanjem u komercijalne i kolekcionarske svrhe. Nemilosrdno ubijanje iz straha takođe je jedan od ugrožavajućih faktora“.

Biolozi naglašavaju da je neophodno domaće propise usaglasiti sa Bernskom konvencijom (o zaštiti evropskih divljih vrsta i prirodnih staništa) koju je potpisala i Crna Gora. „Poskok je prema Bernskoj konvenciji strogo zaštićen i on bi morao biti na listi zaštićenih vrsta Crne Gore“, kaže Iković.

Iz Agencije objašnjavaju da lista zaštićenih vrsta datira iz 2006, a da je Crna Gora Bernsku konvenciju ratifikovala 2008. godine: „Svakako da postoji potreba da se pomenuta lista revidira. To je neophodno u cilju usklađivanja sa aktuelnom nomenklaturom, kao i zbog dopune novim vrstama koje su u posljednje vrijeme registrovane u Crnoj Gori“.

Iz Izvještaju iz sjenke Koalicije 27, koja okuplja nevladine organizacije Green Home, Centar za zaštitu i proučavanje ptica (CZIP), Sjeverna zemlja, Društvo mladih ekologa Nikšić i Zelena akcija iz Hrvatske, konstatovano je da je najočigledniji primjer neusklađenosti nacionalnog sa evropskim zakonodavstvom u oblasti zaštite prirode, gdje vrste zaštićene na nivou Evrope ne uživaju zaštitu Crne Gore.

„Tri otrovnice, ali i neke druge vrste koje nijesu našle mjesto na spisku zaštićenih vrsta u Crnoj Gori moraće biti predmet rasprave onoga trenutka kada se Poglavlje 27 otvori. Otvaranje tog poglavlja je isključivo rezultat ispunjenja tehničkih uslova koji su postavljeni pred Vladu, a to je donošenje 'Strategije aproksimacije', odnosno jasnog akcionog plana s vremenskim okvirom, a ne signal zasluga da je napredak u ovoj oblasti zapažen. To je vidljivo i iz prethodnih, vrlo kritičkih izvještaja Evropske komisije i rezolucija Evropskog parlamenta“, kaže Jovana Janjušević, iz CZIP-a.

Zvanično nema šverca, a berza radi

Na internacionalnim sajtovima, koji okupljaju ljubitelje zmija, mogu se naći oglasi o prodaji poskoka iz Crne Gore, prije svega s Ade Bojane, koji su na cijeni zbog karakteristične nijanse crvene boje.

Kontaktirali smo prodavca iz Češke i saznali da je ženku poskoka s Ade već prodao, te da će novi primjerak nabaviti tokom ljeta, a ponudiće je po cijeni od 100 eura. Na drugom sajtu, prodavac iz Holandije oglasio je prodaju poskoka iz Crne Gore. Objasnio nam je da je riječ o ženki koju prodaje za 80 eura. O tome kako i gdje su nabavili poskoke nijesu bili voljni da odgovaraju.

Biolog Vernes Zagora je prije dvije godine skrenuo pažnju na ovaj problem, navodeći da par odraslog mužjaka i ženke može dostići cijenu i do 700 eura.

Zagora za CIN-CG/Monitor upozorava da se situacija nije promijenila: „Slali smo dopise Agenciji da ih upozorimo na ovaj i druge slučajeve. Nijesmo dobili odgovor“, kaže Zagora.

Iz Agencije kažu da informacije o krijumčarenju zmija iz Crne Gore dobijaju od Ekološke inspekcije, Uprave carina, NVO  i savjesnih građana. Da bi se preduprijedilo krijumčarenje u toku je definisanje „protokola o postupanju“.

Iz Ekološke inspekcije, međutim, tvrde da nemaju saznanja o tome da se iz Crne Gore krijumčare zmije otrovnice. Intervenisali su samo jednom, kada je, na poziv carinika, na graničnom prelazu Dobrakovo, u julu 2017. godine uhvaćena  „crvenorepa boa“, koju su nepoznate osobe ostavile između dva granična prelaza. Zmija je predata Prirodnjačkom muzeju u Podgorici.

Iz Uprave carina navode da su od 2008. godine registrovali samo četiri slučaja izvoza poskoka i da nijesu registrovali pokušaje krijumčarenja, ali to ne znači i da toga nema.

„Da ih je kojim slučajem naša zemlja na vrijeme zaštitila, danas ne bismo imali situaciju da otrovnice Crne Gore nezakonito masovno hvataju i izlažu na najvećem sajmu reptila u Evropi Terraristika Hamm u Njemačkoj koji se organizuje i tri puta godišnje“, navodi Jovana Janjušević.

Drugi štite bolje

Vipera ammodytes (Linnaeus, 1758); poskok, crnokrug - naša najotrovnija zmija, zastupljena je na području čitave Crne Gore do 1.500 metara nadmorske visine, a može se sresti i na većim visinama. Poskok nije zaštićen u Crnoj Gori. Na Aneksu II je Bernske konvencije i na Aneksu IV Natura 2000 mreže zaštićenih područja.

Vipera berus (Linnaeus, 1758); šarka - zastupljena na visinama iznad 1.200 metara nadmorske visine. Šarka nije zaštićena u Crnoj Gori, ali jeste u zemljama regiona. Na Aneksu III je Bernske konvencije.

Vipera ursinii (Bonaparte, 1835); šargan, stepska šarka, žutokrug - najmanja otrovnica u Crnoj Gori. Ostao je na planinskim staništima tako da se sada može naći samo na visinama iznad 1.100 metara nadmorske visine. Šargan nije zaštićen u Crnoj Gori, a zaštićen je strogo u zemljama regiona. Na Aneksu II je Bernske konvencije i na Aneksu IV Natura 2000 mreže zaštićenih područja.

Predrag NIKOLIĆ

Od ponedeljka 02.07. do srijede 04.07. Centar za istraživačko novinarstvo Crne Gore (CIN-CG) i dnevnik Vijesti, u saradnji sa Udruženjem za zaštitu i zdravlje na radu Crne Gore (UZNRCG) organizuje trening "Izvještavanje o zaštiti i zdravlju na radu".
Cilj treninga je jačanje svijesti o značaju ove teme koja je još nedovoljno prisutna u medijima u Crnoj Gori, iako je samo u ovoj godini u našoj zemlji pet ljudi poginulo usljed povreda na radu, dok se svake godine na stotine žena i muškaraca povređuju u toku radnog vremena.
Nažalost, mediji u Crnoj Gori ne posvećuju dovoljno pažnje ovoj temi, iako je širenje svijesti o izazovima vezanim za sigurnost i zdravlje sa kojima se građani i građanke susrijeću na radu jedan od važnih koraka za bolje i sigurnije radno okruženje.
Trening se organizuje u okviru projekta "Za zdravo i sigurno radno okruženje" koji sprovode CIN - CG i dnevnik Vijesti u okviru regionalnog projekta "Podizanje kapaciteta i jačanje uloge regionalnih građanskih organizacija u unapređenju uslova rada preko dijaloga sa javnim institucijama", koji finansira Evropska unija.

Koristeći rupe u zakonu, osuđenima u aferi “Snimak” u Pljevljima pronađeno novo uhljebljenje, uz uporno nastojanje da se obesmisli inspekcijski nalaz. Institut alternativa upozorava i na „potencijalni politički uticaj” nad odlukama Upravne inspekcije

Ministarstvo javne uprave poništilo je zaključak Upravne inspekcije koja je utvrdila da su osobe osuđene za aferu “Snimak” nedostojne da rade kao rukovodioci u pljevaljskim opštinskim službama.

U Ministarstvu su, odlučujući po žalbi predsjednika pljevaljske opštine Mirka Đačića, krajem prošle godine utvrdili kako je “nejasno upuštanje upravne inspektorke” u ocjenu o tome da li osuđeni Sead Vesnić i Joka Đačić , kao i njihov kolega Goran Čavić ispunjavaju uslove za vršioce dužnosti opštinskih sekretarijata i službi.

U obrazloženju rješenja, u koje je Centar za istraživačko novinarstvo Crne Gore (CIN-CG) imao uvid, piše da institut vršioca dužnosti na lokalnom nivou ne prepoznaje nijedan propis. To znači da Ministarstvo nije dovelo u pitanje to što su pravosnažno osuđena lica imenovana za vršioce dužnosti, iako oni, prema ovakvom tumačenju, ne bi trebalo ni da se imenuju jer ih zakon nije prepoznao.

Ipak, iz Ministarstva javne uprave sada tvrde za CIN-CG da je u postupku, taj resor kao drugostepeni organ odbio žalbu predsjednika opštine kao neosnovanu. Oni, međutim, nijesu pomenuli u zvaničnim odgovorima da su Đačićevu žalbu prethodno usvojili, niti šta se u međuvremenu desilo, iako je CIN-CG imao uvid i u to njihovo rješenje.

Iz Ministarstva su istakli i da je predsjednik pljevaljske opštine, nakon što su mu odbili žalbu, tužbom pokrenuo spor kod Upravnog suda protiv njihovog rješenja i da je spor u toku.

Joka Đačić, koja je imenovana za vršioca dužnosti rukovodioca Građanskog biroa, osuđena je na kaznu zatvora od šest mjeseci uslovno zbog kupovine glasova uoči lokalnih izbora 2014. godine. Vesnić, izabran za vršioca dužnosti Sekretara sekretarijata za opštu upravu, osuđen je na istu kaznu zbog zloupotrebe jednokratnih novčanih pomoći Centra za socijalni rad uoči parlamentarnih izbora dvije godine ranije.

Čavić je, sa druge strane, upravnoj inspekciji bio sporan, zato što nije imao položen stručni ispit za rukovođenje Službom zaštite.

Inspekcija je u vanrednu kontrolu opštine pošla krajem 2016. godine, po prijavi Demokratskog fronta.

To je, ujedno, bila i jedina potpuno usvojena žalba na rješenje upravne inspekcije, koju je tokom prošle godine u jednom trenutku, kao drugostepeni organ, usvojilo Ministarstvo javne uprave, na čijem je čelu Suzana Pribilović. Nevladina organizacija Institut alternativa (IA) u izvještaju “Ka boljoj upravi u Crnoj Gori”, tim povodom upozorava na potencijalni politički uticaj nad odlukama Upravne inspekcije.

Zakon o državnim službenicima i namještenicima, koji se primjenjuje i za lokalni nivo, kako navodi IA, propisuje kriterijum da u organu ne mogu zasnovati radni odnos lica osuđena za krivična djela koja ih čine nedostojnim za obavljanje tih poslova.

“Upravna inspekcija je prepoznala nepravilnosti imenovanja na rukovodeće pozicije osoba koja ne ispunjavaju uslove, jer su osuđena za krivična djela. Međutim, nakon što je predsjednik opštine izjavio žalbu, Ministarstvo je utvrdilo da institut vršilaca dužnosti nije uređen Zakonom o lokalnoj samoupravi i da se Zakon o državnim službenicima i namještenicima shodno primjenjuje samo na prava i obaveze lokalnih službenika. U skladu sa tim, Ministarstvo je smatralo da nijesu pravilno utvrđene nepravilnosti u datom slučaju i poništilo rješenje Upravne inspekcije”, pojašnjavaju u IA.

Iz te NVO tvrde da je ovaj slučaj ilustrativan iz nekoliko razloga. Prvo, navode da je utvrđena nepravilnost relativizovana činjenicom da imenovana lica nijesu službenici, već vršioci dužnosti, a primjena propisa sa državnog na lokalni nivo moguća je samo u odnosu na službenike. Iz IA kažu da je Ministarstvo utvrdilo da institut vršioca dužnosti kao takav na lokalnom nivou uopšte ne postoji, a ne određujući se u odnosu na to i niz drugih nepravilnosti.

Institut alternativa, u svom izvještaju, zaključuje da kapaciteti Upravne inspekcije i dalje nijesu u potpunosti ostvareni, što se odražava i na ažurnost u radu. U prilog tome, tvrde da se u pojedinim slučajevima, a prema prikupljenim podacima, zapisnici sačinjavaju i od četiri do sedam mjeseci nakon izvršenog inspekcijskog nadzora.

“Jačanje kapaciteta Upravne inspekcije je prioritet ne samo reforme javne uprave, već i direktna obaveza Vlade u okviru poglavlja 23 (pravosuđe i temeljna prava) pregovora sa Evropskom unijom. U izvještajnom periodu, broj upravnih inspektora je povećan sa rekordno niskog broja od četiri upravna inspektora (početkom 2017. godine) na osam, koliko je bilo zaposleno u martu 2018. godine prema posljednjem objavljenom spisku zaposlenih u Ministarstvu.  To i dalje predstavlja tek nešto više od polovine od broja predviđenog aktom o unutrašnjoj organizaciji i sistematizaciji Ministarstva”, stoji u izvještaju IA.

Ova NVO, međutim, navodi da je nakon razrješenja glavne upravne inspektorke Dragice Anđelić u martu prošle godine,  rukovodeće mjesto u ovom odjeljenju ostalo upražnjeno, što potvrđuje i spisak zaposlenih na sajtu Ministarstva.

Prema nalazima IA, izvještavanje o radu Upravne inspekcije je šturo, pa je nemoguće procijeniti koliko je ona stvarno učinkovita na terenu.

Statistika Ministarstva pokazuje da je prošle godine bilo 438 izvršenih inspekcijskih nadzora, od čega redovnih 69, vanrednih 293 i kontrolnih 76.

U tom periodu, podsjeća IA, utvrđeno je 266 nepravilnosti. To, smatraju, potencijalno ukazuje na visok udio nepravilnosti koje inspektori utvrde prilikom kontrola. Prema mjesečnim izvještajima o radu inspekcije, dostavljenim IA, skoro je tri puta više neotklonjenih, nego otklonjenih nepravilnosti.

IA ostvarila je uvid u 15 žalbi na rješenje upravne inspekcije. U izvještaju Ministarstva piše da je pripremljeno 27 rješenja po žalbama na mjere i aktivnosti koje preduzimaju upravni inspektori, a izrađeno je 53 odgovora na tužbe u prošloj godini.

Većinu su uložile opštine Rožaje i Kolašin, koja je tokom 2016. godine bila najčešće kontrolisana opština, o čemu je CIN-CG ranije pisao.

U Opštini Rožaje prošle godine je utvrđeno 46 nepravilnosti, obavljeno je 24 kontrolna nadzora, a nepravilnosti nijesu uklonjene u 23 slučaja. Iz te Opštine, nijesu odgovorili CIN-CG u kojoj mjeri su primijenili naredbe Upravne inspekcije, kao ni kakav je ishod sporova koje su vodili protiv tog tijela. Iz službe  predsjednice Opštine Kolašin kazali su da su izvršili svaku na zakonu utemljenu i opravdanu naredbu Upravne inspekcije.

“Protiv onih za koje smo smatrali da za njih nema utemeljenja u zakonu pokrenuti su odgovarajući postupci. Tako je pokrenut upravni spor protiv sedam naredbi za otklanjanje nepravilnosti od kojih su do sada završena tri spora, sva tri u korist Opštine Kolašin. Takođe, pokrenuti su upravni sporovi protiv sedam zaključaka o kažnjavanju od kojih su završena dva , takođe u korist Opštine Kolašin”, piše u odgovoru.

Iz Opštine Kolašin su naglasili da je Upravna inspekcija prihvatila njihove zahtjeve o odlaganju izvršenja zaključaka o kažnjavanju do okončanja postupka, tako da kazne koje su “pale” kod Upravnog suda nijesu plaćane.

Ministri se žale i na simbolične kazne 

Osim pljevaljskog slučaja, Ministarstvo javne uprave poništilo je, ali djelimično, rješenje Upravne inspekcije nakon žalbe ministra saobraćaja i pomorstva Osmana Nurkovića.

Inspekcija je još sredinom 2016. godine ukazala tadašnjem ministru saobraćaja i pomorstva Ivanu Brajoviću na nepravilnosti povodom razrješenja Mladena Lučića, bliskog Socijaldemokratskoj partiji (SDP), dužnosti direktora Lučke uprave i popune tog radnog mjesta po osnovu javnog konkursa.

Na Lučićevo mjesto tada je došao Vladimir Stjepčević (Socijaldemokrate), za koga je inspekcija utvrdila da je dobio rješenje o imenovanju četiri dana nakon sjednice Vlade, ne čekajući sljedeću sjednicu i verifikaciju zapisnika sa prethodne i počeo da obavlja poslove direktora Lučke uprave “prije sticanja svojstva izvršnosti rješenja”.

Kako je ministarstvo saobraćaja i pomorstva nije obavijestilo o mjerama i radnjama koje su preduzeli da bi otklonili nepravilnosti, inspekcija je taj resor kaznila sa 500, a Brajovića sa 50 eura. Upravna inspekcija je, zbog neizvršavanja mjera  iz 2016, u septembru 2017. godine ponovo izrekla novčane kazne, ovaj put novoizabranom ministru Osmanu Nurkoviću i, ponovo, Ministarstvu saobraćaja i pomorstva. Kažnjeni su sa 100, odnosno 1000 eura.

Nurković se Ministarstvu javne uprave žalio da je inspekcija mogla i na drugačiji način da utiče na otklanjanje nepravilnosti, iako ih, prema stavu Vladinog resora koji vodi, nije ni bilo. On je naveo i da u trenutku donošenja rješenja 2016. godine nije bio ministar i da su se mogle primijeniti blaže, minimalne mjere. Nurković je ukazao da inspekcija nije išla na minimalnu kaznu od 50 eura za fizičko i 500 za pravno lice, “već je zakonom propisani minimum duplo uvećala iako Osman Nurković do sada nije kažnjavan”.

Ministarstvo javne uprave, odlučujući po žalbi, djelimično je poništilo rješenje Upravne inspekcije u dijelu visine novčane kazne od 100 eura, koja je izrečena Nurkoviću.

Iz Upravne inspekcije su kazali da su u ponovljenom postupku umanjili kaznu Nurkoviću na iznos od 50 eura.

Sporno bilo i zapošljavanje u Rožajama

Upravna inspekcija je 2016. godine utvrdila nepravilnosti u Službi Komunalne policije u Opštini Rožaje. Tada je, između ostalog, utvrđeno da je, rješenjem načelnika, petoro inspektora, komunalnih policajaca i nadzornika zaposleno na neodređeno vrijeme, bez prethodno sprovedenog postupka zasnivanja radnog odnosa po osnovu javnog oglasa.Dio njih se na rješenje žalilo Ministarstvu javne uprave, ali je taj resor odbio njihovu žalbu krajem prošle godine.

CIN-CG ranije je objavio da je Opština Rožaje od 2014. do 2017. godine zaposlila 189 osoba, uprkos tome što su potpisali ugovor o reprogramu poreskog duga, a plate kasne gotovo pola godine.

Ana KOMATINA

Ovaj članak je nastao u okviru projekta “Civilno društvo za dobru upravu: Da služi i zasluži!”, koji sprovode Institut alternativa, Bonum, Natura, Novi horizont i Centar za istraživačko novinarstvo, a podržavaju Evropska unija i Balkanski fond za demokratiju (BTD), projekat Njemačkog Maršalovog fonda SAD (GMF). Sadržaj ovog članka je isključiva odgovornost autora i ni na koji način ne odražava stavove Evropske unije i Balkanskog fonda za demokratiju (BTD).

Irena Rašović, novinarka RTCG-a, Matija Otašević, novinar TV Vijesti i Mustafa Canka, slobodni novinar iz Ulcinja, u narednih nekoliko mjeseci radiće multimedijalna novinarska istraživanja iz oblasti životne sredine i održivog razvoja, tj. pregovaračkog poglavlja 27.  Njihove priče komisija je ocijenila kao najbolje, nakon treninga za istraživačko novinarstvo, multimedija i izvještavanje o zaštiti životne sredine, koji je održan od 26. do 28. aprila. Trening je bio prilika da novinari koji su se prijavili na konkurs predstave istraživačke radove koje su prijavili i pojasne na koji će način istražiti temu. Na treningu su učestvovali i drugi novinari iz Crne Gore, koji su i prijavili istraživačke novinarske projekte na konkursu raspisanom sredinom marta.

Tri izabrane istraživačke priče imaju regionalni karakter i baviće se pitanjima koja nemaju samo uticaj na životnu sredinu Crne Gore, već utiču i na zemlje okruženja. Urednički tim sastavljen od predstavnika iz zemlje i inostranstva radiće skupa sa odabranim novinarima. Sve priče biće objavljene dvojezično na lokalnom i engleskom jeziku i imaće multimedijalni aspekt.

Pored odabranih tema na konkursu, novinari CIN-CG-a i nedjeljnika Monitor u narednih godinu dana objaviće više istraživanja vezanih za održivi razvoj i životnu sredinu, u okviru  projekta Media investigations: Stop to READ (Regional Environmental Acts of Devastation) koji sprovode CIN-CG, BIRN i nedjeljnik Monitor, a finasira Evropska unija.

Kroz intenzivne treninge, mentoring iz inostranstva i istraživačke radove, ovim se projektom nastoje podići  kapaciteti CIN-CG-a, nedjeljnika Monitor, ali i drugih medija čiji će novinari i novinarke biti uključeni u aktivnosti.

Projekat traje 14 mjeseci, a započeo je 1. marta.

Despite his excellent English, Montenegrin Businessman Dragan Buric has been having trouble explaining to his American partners and friends why – until recently – he had been unable to start a project in which he invested 13 million euros in Montenegro.

It was because of – electricity. The project, to build stables and dairies was supposed to mean that 60,000 liters of milk would start flowing each day last March. But, administrative problems in the municipality of Bijelo Polje over the supply of water and power to the site, got in the way.

“I tell them that Montenegro is just a baby that has not even started crawling and we are nursing it … Slowly, it will learn to walk, and soon enough, to walk properly,” this Honorary Montenegrin Consul in Panama says.

The new stables and hangers in the huge complex in Pavino Polje, on the road between Bijelo Polje and Pljevlje, remain empty.  Were it not for guards and some newly set-up power transformers – and the mast with the flag of Montenegro – it might look like an abandoned film set.

During 2015 and 2016, these buildings really were a set for frequent TV reports, however.

They were the backdrop to the promotion the large loan project for the development of agriculture in Montenegro, which the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, ADFD, was backing with 50 million US dollars.

Before the then Minister of Agriculture, Petar Ivanovic, brought the cameras and diplomats from Abu Dhabi, Buric and his company, Milkraft, had already bought the land, secured the permits and erected the buildings for a future modern farm, with 420 cows, milking and calving machines.

The ministry signed an agreement loaning Buric 3 million dollars late in 2015. Completion of works was announced for 2016 – and production was to start last March.

Eight more companies were financed from the 50-million-dollar loan that the Abu Dhabi Fund granted the Montenegrin government in June 2015.

Announced with much fanfare, the loan was intended mostly for big players in the market, as they were expected to drive the development of the Balkan country’s otherwise fragmented agriculture system.

However, even when money, ideas and entrepreneurs were ready, collisions with administrative barriers, messy plan documents and the modest capacities of the local communities created problems, according to research by CIN-CG/BIRN.

This caused delays and unnecessary costs related to the postponement of production and the storing of equipment.

The debts of some of the companies meanwhile increased, due to exchange rate differences, as the result of the US dollar strengthening.

It turned out that, even with the help of loans of 1 to 3 million dollars – even after investing significant sums themselves – when it comes to agriculture, Montenegro still does not have sufficiently good ideas and entrepreneurs to realise big projects over a short period of time.

By June of last year, 23 of the 50 million dollars had been handed out in loans.

The government then decided to separate the Fund from the Agriculture Ministry and to place it under the jurisdiction of an Investment Development Fund.

The conditions for obtaining loans were also changed, so that small farmers could take part as well.

But all the information on the loans remains a secret, including the findings of the internal and external auditors.

While the new credit line is awaited, through the Investment Development Fund, experts are divided about the initial strategy – whether supporting major companies was correct, and whether the conditions of the loans should have been tailored to them or to smaller producers.

Contracts kept under a veil of secrecy

Agriculture remains underdeveloped and fragmented in Montenegro, which is estimated to have as many as 49,000 small farms.

The intention of taking the loan from the Abu Dhabi Fund was to provide incentives for export and employment in the farming sector, especially in the undeveloped north of the country.

http://www.vijesti.me/vijesti/ivanovic-obecao-2000-novih-radnih-mjesta-u-poljoprivredi-836726

Although the board of directors of the Fund seated in Abu Dhabi offered Montenegro a loan in June 2014, the government wanted first to negotiate a cut in the interest rate and a longer repayment period.

The agreement, therefore, was not signed until June 2015, under more favourable conditions – with an interest rate of 2.5 per cent, a grace period of four years and a repayment period of 17 years.

By the middle of 2017, the government had signed contracts with 11 companies for projects worth 23.2 million US dollars.

Only nine of the 11 them actually got any money; two did not get loans after the government conducted additional checks.

However, according to the government itself, by halfway through last year, only one of the nine companies, Vektra Jakic, which got a loan to produce wooden fuel bricks, had actually started production.

The loan terms favoured larger companies, which were asked to invest 25 per cent of their own funds for loans up to 3 million US dollars.

The specific conditions under which these loans were granted to various companies are unknown, however, because the individual agreements are not publicly available.

That is why it cannot be proven whether some companies violated the loan conditions, or whether they are running late with implementation.

The Ministry of Agriculture, now run by Milutin Simovic, has refused to show the contracts and accompanying documentation.

“The Investment Development Fund is in charge of the project, so they [the ministry staff] do not have the requested information,” it said.

Meanwhile, the Investment Development Fund rejected CIN-CG/BIRN’s request for information on the contracts, saying that “giving them [to the public] would have an adverse effect on the commercial and other interests of both the Fund and other contractual parties”.

Milorad Vujovic, Deputy Prime Minister at the time, from the ranks of the opposition, says he also failed to see the master agreement and its annexes, agreements and mortgage securities, despite asking to see them.

“Declaring these documents secret is … illegal because they do not meet any of the requirements of the Law on Secrecy of Information, and such a decision of the Investment Development Fund would have to be disputed before the Administrative Court,” he said.

He said he also suspected that the information was “deliberately made unavailable to hide the illegal use of funds from the public”.

However, the former Agriculture Minister, Petar Ivanovic, from the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS, claims the process of selecting companies was entirely transparent.

He says they received 32 applications and rejected more than half of them, because the companies - instead of applying for new and development projects – applied for a loan to repay previous debts or solve liquidity issues, which was not in line with project goals.

No power flowing – but interest rates rising

Some of the nine companies that were financed faced serious difficulties in the municipalities where they operated from the start.

Some of the projects are now in the final stage, while others are thinking of abandoning the loans because of the high interest rates they are paying due to the currency’s unfavourable exchange rate.

In the municipality of Bijelo Polje, Dragan Buric, owner of Milkraft, says he faced unresolved property-legal relations, there were no water connections, and he waited a year for the electricity connection.

He lost both time and, with each passing month, tens of thousands of euros of “hard-earned” money.

“I want to make something for Montenegro and I am greatly affected by what has been happening,” Buric told CIN-CG/BIRN at the seat of his company, GNC, in Podgorica.

He says he decided to invest in agriculture even though it is the most difficult sector of the economy.

“Serious companies did an analysis and a business plan, and estimated that the north of the country was best for this. When I saw Pavino Polje, I felt that was it,” he said.

The municipality of Bijelo Polje and the Ministry of Agriculture have confirmed that problems occurred in the realisation of this project, but say they have since been rectified. Buric himself now hopes that his dairy farm will be up and running by summer.

But it is not just electricity and water that have created problems for Buric. While he waited to start production, the US dollar rose in value.

When the companies took out loans indexed in dollars, their owners did not expect to lose tens of thousands of euros due to the rise in the dollar in just one year.

Milkraft is paying 70,000 euros in interest per year as it is, during the grace period. Because of exchange rate changes, he claims that he has already lost an additional 50,000 euros.

Cedomir Popovic, director of the company Carine, which is the sole owner of the company AgroCarine, also complains about the exchange rate changes.

“The amount of the principal debt went up from an initial 2.5 million US dollars to 2.56 million … So, in a year and a half, the negative exchange rate differences amount to about 60,000 dollars, or 51,000 euros,” Popovic said.

He now wonders whether such a loan agreement in the long run is profitable.

When the loan agreement was signed, he said, it was acceptable, given the interest rate and repayment period for his loan, which was set at 16 years, with a three-year grace period.

For now, despite the difficulties, Popovic says his company is settling its liabilities under the loan from the Abu Dhabi Fund. But the future is uncertain.

“It will soon be possible to get a loan under the same conditions with commercial banks, and without the risk of negative exchange rate differences, so the possibility of withdrawing from this loan agreement is not ruled out,” he said.

Dilemma of supporting big or small businesses

Although the decision was made to transfer the project from the Ministry of Agriculture in the middle of last year, the Investment Development Fund says it is still in the take-over, analysis and agreement phase with the Abu Dhabi Fund, surrounding the realisation of the loan.

However, it is known that the loan conditions will change and that the minimum size of a loan, now set at a million US dollars, will fall to 200,000 dollars.

http://www.gov.me/sjednice_vlade_2016/30

The government said the change reflects a wish to secure “a considerably wider scope of users”, and to adjust the conditions to loans’ “real absorption capacity”.

This is interpreted as an admission that the initial loan conditions overestimated the potential of Montenegro’s farmers.

Former Minister Ivanovic, under whose mandate the Fund was formed, still believes it was right to back bigger projects, which would then clear the path for smaller ones like icebreakers.

He doubts that small producers can spearhead the development of Montenegrin agriculture, manage the currency risks or provide guarantees for loans easily.

“Nowhere in the world are small producers driving agriculture forward. Whether someone likes it or not, this can only be done by the major players,” he said.

But, according to the agriculturalist Zeljko Vidakovic, the new concept is a better one. The loan from the Abu Dhabi Fund could have been a good locomotive had it been directed towards “ordinary farmers,” he believes.

However, he fears that Montenegrin agriculture is in such a poor condition that the new loan terms will also be difficult to fulfill, because they are still a stiff test for small producers.

“If you take a loan of 100,000 euros, you will have to provide guarantees worth 150,000, or usually 200,000, euros, so the collateral will always be 50 to 100 per cent of the value of the loan,” he noted.

“I fear that it would be a business barrier, exactly because of the collateral. Only a few farmers have high-value real estate in their villages, which they could mortgage,” Vidakovic added.

He says Montenegro needs a proper Agricultural Fund first. This would provide the guarantees for the farmers, and assess whether their pledged property is of any value.

It would also monitor any possible misappropriation of the funds, “so that the money does not go on buying cars, instead of tractors”.

Fund works in region as well as in Montenegro

The Abu Dhabi Fund is a state agency of the emirate, which mostly provides loans for financing economic and social projects throughout the world.

Apart from aiding development projects in agriculture, the Fund loaned 130 million US dollars to a water supply project in Montenegro.

https://www.adfd.ae/english/Countries/Pages/countrydetails_new.aspx?104

It funds similar projects in Serbia and Albania.

Some are content with their loans

At the end of November, CIN-CG/BIRN visited Mesopromet in Bijelo Polje, which got 3 million US dollars from the ADFD loan to modernise and expand its production of cured meats and fermented sausages.

Lejla Haskovic, from Mesopromet, said the funds had been used to get equipment and, in part, to finance permanent working capital.

“We are completely happy with the realisation of the contract as well as with the terms of the loan. The company invested 2 million euros of its own capital,” Haskovic said.

Agro Carine, from Podgorica, claims that, apart from the difficulties over the dollar exchange rate, no problems have arisen over the realisation of its project.

Up to now, they say they have built a restaurant for product tasting, procured agricultural machines and reconstructed the facilities for housing and farming sheep and hay.

A dairy still has not been built, nor has the water tank of 400 cubic meters, but they have been slowed down only by the short construction season.

By mid 2017, nine projects had received backing as part of the Abu Dhabi Project: Agro Carine, Vektra Jakic, Mesopromet, HM Durmitor, Milkraft, Eko-per, F.M.L., MI Goranovic and IM Gradina.

A government document, however, confirms that only one of them, Vektra Jakic, completed all works by the middle of last year.

http://www.gov.me/sjednice_vlade_2016/30

Ana KOMATINA

Nevladine organizacije ukazuju na apsurd, da se pozivanjem na nova zakonska ograničenja odbijaju i stari zahtjevi, a član savjeta Agencije Radenko Lacmanović  upozorava da podaci mogu biti proglašeni poreskom i poslovnom tajnom na neograničeno vrijeme

Ponovo sve može biti skriveno od javnosti.

To je posljedica prošlogodišnjih izmjena Zakona o slobodnom pristupu informacijama (ZoSPI), na osnovu kojih državni organi, podatke koji se traže od njih, sve češće označavaju poslovnom ili poreskom tajnom i to na neodređeno vrijeme. U stopu ih prati i Agencija za zaštitu ličnih podataka i slobodan pristup informacijama, kada odlučuje po žalbama.

Sagovornici Centra za istraživačko novinarstvo Crne Gore (CIN-CG) tvrde da se Agencija, odlučujući po žalbama kao drugostepeni organ, poziva na nove odredbe čak i u starim slučajevima započetim prije maja 2017. godine kada je zakon izmijenjen.

Koordinator pravnog programa u MANS-u, Vuk Janković to ilustruje slučajem koji je ova NVO pokrenula još 2014. godine, tražeći od Poreske uprave zapisnike o izvršenim kontrolama "Montenegro Tabaco Company" doo Podgorica.

“U odgovoru, Poreska uprava je ograničila pristup podacima ne pozivajući se na odredbe ZoSPI, već samo na Zakon o poreskoj administraciji. Podnijeli smo žalbu Agenciji, krajem marta 2014. godine, a ona je tek u januru ove godine, nakon isteka svih mogućih zakonskih rokova, donijela odluku i pozvala se na novu odredbu zakonja, koja u momentu podnošenja zahtjeva, odnosno žalbe, nije ni postojala”, objašnjava Janković.

Na taj način, prema njegovim riječima, Agencija je počinila grube povrede, jer posljednje izmjene predviđaju da će se postupci, započeti prije početka ovih promjena, okončati po ranijem zakonu.

“MANS se nakon toga žalio Upravnom sudu, koji je, odlučujući po tužbi, takođe odbio naše navode, zanemarujući činjenicu da je Agencija bila u obavezi donijeti odluku u skladu sa odredbama ranije verzije ZoSPI. Ovaku odluku suda smatramo krajnje skandaloznom, iz razloga što sud među prvima treba da garantuje zaštitu od ovako grubog kršenja zakona. Nezadovoljni ovakvom odlukom, sredinom marta 2018. godine podnijeli smo Zahtjev za vanredno preispitivanje presude Vrhovnom sudu Crne Gore, te postupak još traje”, istakao je Janković.

On kaže da je toj nevladinoj organizaciji (NVO) ograničen pristup brojnim informacijama uz pozivanje na novu odredbu zakona. Među njima su i podaci o svim žiro i deviznim računima političkih partija, carinske deklaracije koje je Uprava carina izdala firmi Uniprom, ili ko je oslobođen plaćanja carine na građevinski materijal, opremu i postrojenja za izgradnju autoputa.

Da su prošlogodišnje izmjene ZoSPI bile korak unazad, za CIN-CG tvrdi i član Savjeta Agencije Radenko Lacmanović.

“Posebno je problematično što su izmjene koje su izazvale najviše “bure” u javnosti predložene I usvojene preko noći, pa čak i bez znanja Vlade, bar je tako saopšteno iz Ministarstva kulture”, rekao je Lacmanović.

On je, tvrdi, ukazivao na spornu odredbu koja se odnosi na poresku i poslovnu tajnu:

“Da apsurd bude veći, predlagači nijesu dopunili član 15, koji se odnosi na rokove u slučaju razloga za ograničenje pristupa informaciji, ili njenom dijelu. Tako je ostalo da poslovna i poreska tajna nemaju rok za isticanje razloga za ograničenje pristupa informacijama, te da ga Agencija teško može preispitivati. Ukazivao sam i da se članom 1 u značajnoj mjeri ograničava pravo javnosti da zna I da ga treba dopuniti”, istakao je Lacmanović. Tom odredbom definisano je da se ZoSPI ne primjenjuje na informacije za koje postoji obaveza čuvanja tajne.

Član Savjeta Agencije odgovorio je da je tačno da se prvostepeni organi prilikom ograničavanja pristupa informaciji ili njenom dijelu često pozivaju upravo na poslovnu i poresku tajnu.

“U više navrata na sjednicama Savjeta sam ukazao da to može biti razlog za neudovoljavanje zahtjevu za slobodan pristup informacijama, ali da ne mora biti tako. Naime, svih šest tačaka stava 1 člana 14, može da bude jedan od razloga, ali nikako ne znači da mora. Zbog toga mi u Savjetu kao drugostepenom organu ne bismo uvijek morali uvažiti odluku organa vlasti koji je zahtjev odbio pozivajući se prije svega na tačku 6. Mi smo valjda i zbog toga organ koji preispituje prvostepena rješenja, a to znači da možemo imati drugačiji stav od prvostepenog organa”, kazao je Lacmanović.

On ocjenjuje da bi praksa Savjeta trebalo da bude korišćenje mogućnosti iz člana 40 zakona  i traženje informacije od državnih organa, kako bi procijenili zašto je određeni dokument ili ugovor proglašen poslovnom, odnosno poreskom tajnom.

Lacmanović, međutim, priznaje da je praksa Savjeta Agencije da u svim slučajevima prihvata prvostepena rješenja, kojima se zahtjev za slobodan pristup informacijama odbija. Njemu nijesu poznati slučajevi, kao što je MANS-ov, da je Agencija odbila žalbe na rješenja, koja su državni organi donijeli prije maja prošle godine, a da je razlog bio poslovna ili poreska tajna. Rekao je da bi to značilo da je napravljen propust.

U posljednjem Izvještaju Evropske komisije o napretku Crne Gore piše da je prošle godine upućeno  5.577 zahtjeva za slobodan pristup informacijama, a da traženi podaci nijesu dostavljeni u 1.951. predmetu.

Agencija za zaštitu podataka i slobodan pristup informacijama primila je 1.086 pritužbi, od kojih je potvrdila 356. Većinom se radilo o žalbama zbog “ćutanja administracije”. U izvještaju piše da zabrinjava to što je je najviše slučajeva u kojima javne ustanove nijesu odgovorile na zahtjeve.

U dokumentu se navodi da je Upravni sud presudio u 12 predmeta protiv odluke javne institucije da ne dopusti pristup informacijama, ali da sudske odluke nijesu učinkovito sprovedene.

Prema izvještaju, javne ustanove trebalo bi hitno da poboljšaju sprovođenje Zakona i da se pridržavaju pristupa zahtjeva za informacijama, posebno gdje postoji rizik od korupcije.
Preduzeća tiho sklonjena van domašaja javnosti

Istraživačica javnih politika u Institutu alternative (IA), Milena Milošević, tvrdi da su izmjene ZoSPI, utvrđene ne samo bez javne rasprave, već i mimo strateškog okvira, koji navodno teži većoj otvorenosti javne uprave.

“Paradoksalno je, medjutim, što ni Vlada ni Agencija za zaštitu ličnih podataka i slobodan pristup informacijama ne prate efekte rješenja koja su “provučena” u Skupštini”, ocijenila je Miloševićeva.

Ona je kazala da paralelno u Srbiji teče šira akciju civilnog društva protiv izuzimanja preduzeća sa državnim udjelom u vlasništvu iz domena tamošnjeg zakona. Istakla je da je u Crnoj Gori veliki dio poslovanja takozvanih javnih preduzeća tiho sklonjen van domašaja javnosti, uvođenjem poreske I poslovne tajne.

“Ako ovo sagledamo u kontekstu izmjene Zakona o državnoj upravi, kojim su organi oslobođeni obaveze da sprovode javne rasprave o pitanjima budžeta, umjesto osnaživanja gradjana na djelu je njihovo “razoružavanje”. Osnovno načelo demokratije je vladavina za narod, ali ako narod nema mehanizme da preispita efikasnost vlasti kroz potrošnju javnog novca, onda se nameće pitanje za koga se vlada u Crnoj Gori: za građane ili za one koji imaju interes da svoje “poslovanje” sakriju od javnosti”, zaključila je Milošević.

U nacrtu izvještaja IA “Ka boljoj upravi”, u koji je CIN-CG imao uvid, piše da su negativni efekti spornih odredaba ZoSPI već osjećaju kroz odbijanje pristupa informacijama koje se odnose na upravljanje javnim dugom i na poreske obaveze crnogorskih opština.

Takođe, u izvještaju se navodi da se IA suočio već i sa negativnim efektima odbijanja pristupa informacijama, uz obrazloženje da je riječ o poreskoj tajni.

Tako je toj NVO odbijen uvid u kopije izvještaja o sprovođenju plana Poreske uprave za upravljanje dugom i jačanjem mjera naplate za period 2017-2021. godine i informacije o ispunjavanju obaveza 16 opština iz ugovora o reprogramu poreskog duga, pod izgovorom da je riječ o poreskim tajnama.

Ovakvim tumačenjem, smatraju u IA,  organi uprave koji su prvenstveno u službi građana izjednačavaju se sa privatnim kompanijama, a javnost ostaje uskraćena za podatke koji su vrlo važni za procjenu njihove efikasnosti.

Ana KOMATINA

Ovaj članak je nastao u okviru projekta “Civilno društvo za dobru upravu: Da služi i zasluži!”, koji sprovode Institut alternativa, Bonum, Natura, Novi horizont i Centar za istraživačko novinarstvo, a podržavaju Evropska unija i Balkanski fond za demokratiju (BTD), projekat Njemačkog Maršalovog fonda SAD (GMF). Sadržaj ovog članka je isključiva odgovornost autora i ni na koji način ne odražava stavove Evropske unije i Balkanskog fonda za demokratiju (BTD).