Montenegro is a reliable partner of the EU in the fight against climate change

Minister of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism Ana Novaković Đurović participated in the Ministerial Western Balkans and Turkey Conference in Vienna from 31 May to 1 June 2022, at the invitation of Leonore Gewessler, Minister of Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology of the Republic of Austria.

By signing the Sofia Declaration, Montenegro has undertaken the obligation to share the climate ambition expressed in the European Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, to be climate neutral together with the EU by 2050. The EU integration is Montenegro's key strategic goal, and we will invest all our capacities to achieve this goal, said Minister Novaković Đurović.

The conference discussed all aspects and available mechanisms for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the importance of transparent and inclusive procedures for environmental impact assessment and climate change.

Minister Novaković Đurović said that Montenegro reached its 2030 target of up to 30 % reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in 2018. In 2021, we set a new target of 35%. I believe that in 2025 we will go a step further, and that we will set a new goal of 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Furthermore, Minister Novaković Đurović stressed that the EU accession process is the Government's priority. Montenegro is committed to the process of meeting the final benchmarks within Chapter 27 - Environment and Climate Change. This conference was an opportunity to present Montenegro's activities in the fight against climate change.