Members of the Committee on Tourism, Agriculture, Ecology and Spatial Planning today have met representatives of the Assembly and Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning of the Republic of Kosovo, headed by Mr Muharrem Nitaj, Chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Rural Development, Environment and Spatial Planning.
The meeting discussed experiences and data concerning regulations in the field of air quality.
Representatives of Kosovo were interested in Montenegro’s experiences in implementing relevant EU regulations in Montenegro. They informed their Montenegrin counterparts about draft law on air quality, relevant institutional framework and facts related to air pollution in Kosovo. They were also interested in how Montenegro dealt with air pollution, disposal of waste that can cause pollution, National Strategy on Air Quality Management, types of polluting substances, limit values, etc.
Representatives of the Committee on Tourism, Agriculture, Ecology and Spatial Planning stated that preservation of air quality was closely linked to a number of sectoral policies. They mentioned the establishment of the Agency for Nature and Environment Protection which, in accordance with its powers, took care of the implementation of legislation in this area, so in the past period a network for monitoring air quality has been established in Montenegro, data quality has been improved, while air quality reporting in accordance with EU requirements has also been provided. Also, they explained that monitoring of cross-border air pollution, due to exceptional importance of meteorically conditions for transboundary pollution transfer, is under the jurisdiction of the Institute of Hydrometeorology. They emphasised that the Centre for Ecotoxicological Research was also a very important institution, since it represents the only accredited laboratory for examining air quality in Montenegro, with long-term experience.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Sustainable Development, which informed the present about the previous experience, stressed the importance of secondary legislation, Strategy and plans for air quality. Representatives of the Ministry emphasised the need every specific action should be preceded by scientifically based the elaborate and the prominent role of the scientific community in all, even in this area. They showed the readiness to provide support to their counterparts from Kosovo.
The interlocutors proposed strengthening of the regional cooperation in the field of air protection and stressed that the Republic of Kosovo had a reliable partner on its European road.
