The Montenegrin Parliament adopted the Law on Waste Management, amendments to the Law on Industrial Emissions, as well as amendments to the Law on Biocidal Products.

Minister of Tourism, Environment, Sustainable Development, and Northern Development, Vladimir Martinović, stated that the Waste Management Law is one of the most important laws in the field of environmental protection and in meeting the very demanding goals of the European Union (EU) directives that are being incorporated into Montenegrin legislation.

According to him, there has been a recognized need for improved waste management in the previous period, with a higher degree of waste separation at the source, increased re-use and recycling rates, and the construction of necessary infrastructure, which required innovation of the legislative framework.

He emphasized that special emphasis was placed on the efficient organization of the collection, the collection, and processing of waste from products: packaging, electrical and electronic equipment, batteries and accumulators, vehicles, fishing gear with plastics, single-use plastics, and tires.

“In this regard, the best EU practice, incorporated into the Law, is the Extended Producer Responsibility Program, which aims to ensure that producers or importers of products bear financial and organizational responsibility for managing the mentioned type of waste,” Minister Martinović added.

He reminded that the Law envisages a ban on the use of lightweight plastic bags, with a wall thickness of 15 to 50 microns, while the use of lightweight plastic bags with a wall thickness of up to 15 microns is allowed at the place of packaging of goods or products.

“One of the main benefits of adopting this Law is that it creates conditions for the application of a circular economy, which, above all, entails more efficient use of our natural resources,” Minister Martinović said.

Prior to the adoption of the law, EU4Green experts have been engaged to perform the Compliance check, establish the level of compliance with EU regulations and thus advise the Montenegrin government in the drafting of the law. This is already the second time that EU4Green experts from the Environment Agency Austria have been able to assist Montenegro in adopting new environmental laws, in compliance with the EU laws and regulations.