• Representatives of Save Sinjajevina campaign deliver a book of signatures to the EU Delegation for Montenegro and to the Prime Minister of Montenegro.
  
• The EU Parliament regrets that the Sinjajevina issue regarding the installation of a military training ground is “still not solved” and “urges the Montenegrin authorities to enforce effective, dissuasive and proportionate penalties for all environmental offences and to root out corruption in this sector”.

• 250 people among international campers, farmers and shepherds gathered in St. Peter’s day (Petrovdan) to claim that Sinjajevina must be protected and that they will do their utmost to achieve it.

After more than 2 years struggling to establish Sinjajevina as a truly protected area, co-managed and co-designed by its own inhabitants, the members of the international Sinjajevina campaign received a cold shower when noticing the new intentions of the present Minister of defense of Montenegro.

On Monday 4^th July and just after the NATO summit in Madrid,  Mr. Rasko Konjevic stated that, “it is not logical to cancel the decision on the military training ground in Sinjajevina” and that “we are going to prepare for new military practices in Sinjajevina” directly contradicting the Prime Minister, who assured that “Sinjajevina will definetly not be a military training ground”.

Beyond this clear political conflict within the government, and even believing that the prime minister’s words would carry more weight, the truth is that, since the last attempt of a military use of this UNESCO-protected grasslands in 2020 when it was repealed by local communities and rights activists, the national government never implemented any of its well-intentioned statements about protecting this territory.

As a logical consequence, its inhabitants, supported by an international campaign composed by dozens of European and American NGOs, restarted to collect signatures in order to make the EU aware that one of its potential future members is violating the EU Green commitments among other human and environmental rights agreements.

On June the 26th, the European Parliament published its official progress report for Montenegro, reiterating that its Government should take urgent measures to “effectively conserve protected areas, continue identifying the potential Natura 2000 sites” and expresses concern about “damage to bodies of water and rivers related to infrastructure projects, including Lake Skadar, Sinjajevina, Komarnica and others” and finally “regrets that despite initial progress the Sinjajevina issue is still not solved; underlines the need for assessment and compliance with the Habitats Directive and the Water Framework Directive; urges the Montenegrin authorities to enforce effective, dissuasive and proportionate penalties for all environmental offences and to root out corruption in this sector”.

After this important statement by the EU, the Save Sinjajevina Association organized an international solidarity camp next to the Sava lake in Sinjajevina, the most important body of water of all Sinjajevina, and just a few hundreds of meters from the heart of the military training ground which is at the same time one of the best conserved parts of this territory. Around 50 people from Montenegro, Italy, France and other European countries, camped for a few days and gathered with local community members, numbering in total more than 250 people, to celebrate the St. Peter’s day (Petrovdan), one of the most important community celebrations of the year for its inhabitants, vindicating the inviolability of Sinjajevina.

After it, the World BEYOND War celebrated a youth camp where young people from Montenegro and from Bosnia and Herzegovina shared different points of views to overcome the Sinjajevina conflict and create a strategy for a long-term peaceful relations both in Montenegro and the Balkans.

““Respecting local communities is a must. We are willing to organize meetings with the institutions of Montenegro if they don’t agree to meet with members of the Save Sinjajevina association”.”

Laura Zampetti, Deputy Head of Political section in EU Delegation to Montenegro

Finally, after this successful events, the president of the Save Sinjajevina Association, Milan Sekulovic, handed over the international petition with the support of more than 20,000 signatures from worldwide citizens to both to the representatives of the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro and the Montenegrin Prime Minister. More than 25 national and international media reported both the signatures’ delivery and a demonstration of Sinjajevina inhabitants in Podgorica, the Montenegrin capital.

“We are overwhelmed and proud of the enormous show of international support we have received from many countries. It seems that international citizens have realized that destroying Sinjajevina means destroying a green heart of Europe and, as a society, we cannot allow that in our home”, stated Sekulovic.

Ms Laura Zampetti, Deputy Head of Political section in EUD and Ana Stanišić Vrbica, Good Governance and European Integration Advisor received the Save Sinjajevina delegation, and insisted on “respecting the local community” and that were willing to “organize meetings with the institutions of Montenegro if they don’t agree to meet with members of the Save Sinjajevina association”. For the moment the cabinet of the Montenegrin Prime Minister received them but not the Prime Minister Dritan Abazović. Abazović’s cabinet assistant assured that “the majority of the members of the Government are against the military training ground on Sinjajevina and will do everything possible to put the decision out of force”.

““We are overwhelmed and proud of the enormous show of international support we have received from many countries. It seems that international citizens have realized that destroying Sinjajevina means destroying a green heart of Europe and, as a society, we cannot allow that in our home.”

Milan Sekulovic, President of the Save Sinjajevina Association

A few days after the protest in Podgorica and the submission of the petition to the Prime Minister and the EU Delegation on the 18th of July, the Ministry of Ecology has announced that Sinjajevina should become a protected area, and that the Decision on the military training ground should be repealed.

As Sekulovic says, “the last Save Sinjajevina campaign was thoroughly planned and well executed, even with the scarce resources it has. And this is just one more proof of the team’s good coordination, because results continue coming in. Now there is a growing support to Save Sinjajevina among other different members of the Government (beyond the larger society), and even if the Ministry of the Defense, in hands of a minority political party of the Government, insists on the need to maintain its current official status and relaunch its use as military training ground”

 Finally, at the best, “we only get good words from Montenegrin politicians: until we have a law to protect Sinjajevina, we will never stop protesting”, states Sekulovic.

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According to the Constitution of Montenegro, the right to a healthy environment is a human right. The Constitution also stipulates that everyone has the right to timely and complete information on the state of the environment.

[ GUEST OPINION POST ] @ Dr Maja Kostić-Mandić. Professor of Environmental and International Environmental Law. University of Montenegro, Faculty of Law. Contact: majak@t-com.me. [Article originally published in serbian: dan.co.me]

In Montenegro, many decisions are made without public participation and prior expert analysis, and this position is best confirmed by the decision to establish a training ground for the needs of the Army of Montenegro in Sinjajevina. The question arises on the basis of which criteria the Government decided on Sinjajevina in 2019 and which procedures were (or were not) followed in the decision-making process on that issue. Sinjajevina is the largest pasture in Montenegro and one of the largest in Europe, and while the area where the Army planned to build a training ground is the main water source and a center for feeding cattle from the Katun (highland pastoralist settlements).

Until recently, numerous requests for access to information sent to the competent ministry, as well as to municipalities, remained unanswered. However, in October 2021, more than a year after the request was submitted, the Ministry of Defense provided access to all requested information. We now know that in July 2018, it was established that the municipalities in whose area the construction of the military range is planned, never formally gave their consent to the Government’s plan (according to available information, the municipality of Mojkovac gave oral consent, the municipality of Kolasin did not give consent, expressed a negative opinion on the project, while the municipality of Savnik was not even consulted and no information is available for Zabljak).

What about the people who would be directly affected by the implementation of this decision? What does this mean for about 22,000 inhabitants in the vicinity of this area, as well as for about 250 families and over 4,000 people who have hutspass all their summers on Sinjajevina and live off the mountain?

“Around Savina Voda, which is the largest water source on the southwest side of Sinjajevina, katuns were never built for the purpose of healthy water storage. These were the unwritten rules that people respected, and when they caught went with cattle, they stayed there for only 20 minutes, while the cattle drank. And that’s exactly where they found what local people kept conserved, so I don’t believe that these people kept it for our government to build a military training ground or a shooting range there, but people kept it for themselves, for these after them and after us “- says one of the cattle breeders.

The fact is that to date, no expert analysis has been made of the possible negative effects on the local community and the environment of the creation of the military range on the local community and the environment . The reports provided up to now, where made for a similar purpose and for the needs of Northern Macedonia at the site located in that country. Obviously, this cannot be applied to Sinjajevina as these are two completely different sites.

To the question of why Sinjajevina should be preserved, the significant answer is “this is the only thing left untouched. Here, they took the sea, they took the rivers, they took everything. If they take this from us, where are we going then?”

This attitude of cattle breeders from Sinjajevina explains in an original way the principle of sustainable development, which is achieved by establishing a balance between the needs of development and preservation of the environment. The author of this text had the opportunity to gain insight into the content of seven more interviews (out of a larger number) that were conducted with
cattle breeders in Sinjajevina in the summer of 2020. What all the interlocutors have in common is that they learned about the decision to build a military training ground from the media (usually from television) and that they only heard unverified information from other locals, and that no state institution, government or municipality informed them of the intention to build the military range.

Therefore, they were not allowed to express their position. If that was the case and they were given the opportunity, everyone stated that they would have participated in the public debate wherever it took place. They all expressed their readiness to defend Sinjajevina and their multi-generational way of life in harmony with nature and the basic source of income for their families.

“What about the people who wold be directly affected by the implementation of this decision? what does this mean for about 22,000 residents in the area as well as about 250 families?”

Another important issue refers to the (non) existence of publicly available expert analyzes on the possible damage that would occur if this project were was fully implemented in the area of ​​Sinjajevina. The current Spatial Plan for Durmitor area from July 2016 envisages the proclamation of the Sinjajevina Regional Nature Park, but a Protection Study has not yet been done for this area, which would predict its key values ​​for protection and propose the category, protection regime and boundaries of this planned protected natural asset. .

The competent institutions are urged that there is no obligation to carry out an impact assessment and on the environment because it is a project intended for defense. It should be reminded of the fact that according to the Constitution of Montenegro, the right to a healthy environment is a human right; that the Constitution stipulates that everyone has the right to timely and complete information on the state of the environment, the possibility of influencing when deciding on issues of importance to the environment and the legal protection of these rights; that the state in particular is obliged to preserve and improve the environment, as well as to protect the natural and cultural heritage. To this should be
added the provisions of the Aarhus Convention (United Nations Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, 1998), which is binding on Montenegro and the European Union. The Convention may exceptionally allow, on a case-by-case basis, not to ensure public participation in decision-making in order to preserve the interests of national defense. However, even in this case, certain conditions must be met: that it is provided by national legislation and if the state considers that the application of the provisions of this article would have a negative impact on the stated defense interests (Article 6.1 (c)). At this moment, this is not known and there is no publicly available data that about this test of potentially negative impact was being done in the process of deciding on the construction of the military range.

We must not forget the generally accepted rules of international law which, like the Aarhus Convention, are an integral part of our legal order, have precedence over domestic legislation and are directly applicable when relations are regulated differently from our laws. These principles unequivocally include the principle of sustainable development, precaution and prevention, which are provided by the Law on Environment, as the umbrella law in this area, and represent the basic principles of European Union policy, not only in the field of environment.

In just a few years, the issue of forming establishing a military training ground in Sinjajevina has reached the third government, and its position on this issue will clearly show our public opinion whether we want to be a legal, democratic and ecological state.

[PRESS RELEASE] By the Save Sinjajevina Campaign (Save Sinjajevina Association, Land Rights Now, World BEYOND War, ICCA Consortium, International Land Coalition, Common Lands Network, and other associated partners).

• Sinjajevina is the Balkan’s biggest mountain pasture, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and a vital ecosystem  with over 22,000 people living in and around it. The Save Sinjajevina campaign was born in 2020 to protect this unique European landscape.

• NATO and the Montenegrin army have dropped up to half a ton of explosives on Sinjajevina without any environmental, socio-economic nor health public assessment, and without consulting its inhabitants, putting their environment, their way of life and even their existence at great risk.

• Dozens of local and international organizations supporting the ‘Save Sinjajevina’ campaign demand that the land rights of traditional pastoralists and the environment are secured,  opening consultations held with local communities to create a protected area in Sinjajevina, in line with the European Green Deal, and urge the EU to ask for the removal of the military training ground in Sinjajevina as a pre-condition for Montenegro’s accession to EU membership.

• On 18 June, 2022, pastoralists and farmers from the region celebrated the Day of Sinjajevina in the capital with participation of local and national government officials and the  EU Delegation to Montenegro (see here and in Serbian here). Nevertheless, this support has not yet materialized into a decree canceling the military ground nor creating a protected area originally  planned to be set up by 2020.
  
• On 12 July 2022, people from around the world will gather in Sinjajevina to raise their voices in support  of its protection and promotion, as well as the cancellation of the military ground via a global a petition and an international solidarity camp.

Local and international environmental and human rights groups have urged the Montenegrin government and the European Union to scrap the project to militarize the Sinjajevina highlands and to listen to the demands of local communities living from this territory. Nevertheless, almost three years after its creation, the government of Montenegro still has not canceled the military ground.

At the heart of Montenegro, the Sinjajevina region is home to over 22,000 people living in small towns and hamlets. Part of the Tara River Basin Biosphere Reserve and bordered by two UNESCO World Heritage sites, Sinjajevina’s landscapes and ecosystems have been shaped by pastoralists over millennia and continue to be shaped and conserved.     

Repeated actions by the government of Montenegro to convert a large part of this traditional and unique pastoral territory into a military training ground, led local communities and civil society groups to mobilize, based on scientific research , for the defense  of these highly valuable pasturelands and cultures, to establish a community-led protected area.

Several local and international organizations have expressed solidarity with local communities in Sinjajevina. Milan Sekulovic, President of the Save Sinjajevina Association, highlights that “if Montenegro wants to be part of the European Union, it must respect and protect European values, including the EU’s Green Deal, the Natura 2000 area proposed by the EU in Sinjajevina, and the EU’s biodiversity and natural habitats strategy. Moreover, militarizing the region is in direct contradiction with the recommendation of a 2016 study co-funded by the EU supporting the creation of a protected area in Sinjajevina by 2020”. Together with its allies around the world, the Save Sinjajevina Association launched a petition addressed at Olivér Várhelyi, EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, urging the European Union to discard plans for the military training ground and to open consultations with local communities to create a protected area as a pre-condition for Montenegro’s EU membership. 

“In addition to losing access to traditional pasturelands, we fear that the militarization of our territory will lead to pollution, reduced ecological and hydrological connectivity, damage to wildlife and biodiversity as well as to our animals and crops. If our natural resources, traditional products and landscapes lose value, up to twenty thousand people and their businesses could be seriously affected”, explains Persida Jovanovic from a family of farmers of Sinjajevina.

“This is an evolving crisis in Sinjajevina’s territories of life”, stresses Milka Chipkorir, Coordinator on defending territories of life of the ICCA Consortium, one of the key supporters of the petition. “Occupying private and common lands in Sinjajevina, where a military testing range was opened in 2019 while people were still on their pastures, severely threatens pastoralist and farming communities and the unique ecosystems they care for through their ways of life.”      

“Sinjajevina is not just a local issue but also a global cause. We are very concerned about pasturelands becoming inaccessible to those who have managed them sustainably for centuries, creating a unique biodiversity that would disappear without them. Securing the rights of local communities to their territories is recognized as the best strategy to protect nature and reverse the degradation of such ecosystems” adds Sabine Pallas of the International Land Coalition, a global network that promotes people-centered land governance and which welcomed the Save Sinjajevina association as a member in 2021. 

David Swanson from World BEYOND War affirms that “to recognize the outstanding work that the Save Sinjajevina association has done to defend the rights of local people as a step forward towards building peace and reconciliation in the region, we granted them the War Abolisher of 2021 Award”. 

All supporters of the Save Sinjajevina campaign urge the government of Montenegro to immediately withdraw the decree creating a military training ground and to create a protected area co-designed and co-governed with Sinjajevina’s local communities. 

“The pastoralists of Sinjajevina should always have the last word on what happens in their       territories. These local communities have created, managed and conserved a uniquely valuable landscape, which is increasingly rare in Europe, and wish to be at the center of the conservation, promotion and governance efforts of their territory. Instead, they are now at risk of losing their lands and their sustainable way of life. The EU should support secure land rights for local communities as part of their 2030 Biodiversity Strategy” says Clémence Abbes, Coordinator of the Land Rights Now campaign, a global alliance co-convened by the International Land Coalition, Oxfam, and the Rights and Resources Initiative.

““if Montenegro wants to be part of the European Union, it must respect and protect European values, including the EU’s Green Deal, the Natura 2000 area proposed by the EU in Sinjajevina, and the EU’s biodiversity and natural habitats strategy.”

Milan Sekulovic, President of the Save Sinjajevina Association

FORTHCOMING EVENTS IN JULY

On Tuesday July 12, on Petrovdan (St. Peter’s day), hundreds of people from different countries are expected in Sinjajevina to learn about the way of life of its inhabitants and the importance of its landscapes through through the social celebration of this day along with a farmers’ assembly, workshops, talks and guided tours.     

On Friday July 15, participants will join a march in Podgorica (Montenegro’s capital) to deliver thousands of signatures collected in the petition to the Government of Montenegro and the European Union delegation in the country.

In addition, World BEYOND War will hold its annual global conference online on July 8-10 with speakers from Save Sinjajevina, and a Youth Summit on July 13-14 in the foothills of Sinjajevina.

NOTE TO MEDIA OUTLETS 

• Petition
• Registration to the Sinjajevina solidarity camp in JulyE in Montenegro
• Crowdfunding:

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