OSCE raises awareness of newly-established Aarhus Centre in Montenegro

The role of the Aarhus Centre in facilitating co-operation between various environmental stakeholders was discussed at a roundtable meeting, organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, the Sustainable Development and Tourism Ministry and the Environmental Protection Agency, in Podgorica on 19 May 2011.

The Aarhus Centre was recently established, with the OSCE’s support, as part of the Environmental Protection Agency of the Government of Montenegro. Its goal is to facilitate public access to environmental information, involve citizens in environmental decision-making and promote citizens’ access to justice in environmental matters.

Representatives of municipal authorities and non-governmental organizations active in the environmental field discussed the role the Aarhus Centre of Montenegro can play in creating channels of communication and co-operation between national and municipal public administration levels in the environmental field.

“The OSCE Mission to Montenegro supports the protection of the environment in the country and, in co-operation with local counterparts, will focus on raising the awareness of Montenegrin citizens on environmental protection issues, and on building the capacity of central and local-level authorities, and civil society organisations, in addressing them,” the Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission, Waldemar Figaj, told participants of the roundtable discussion – the first official activity of the newly-established Centre.

The Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, Daliborka Pejovic, said: “Today’s  meeting is just the first step we took with the help of the Aarhus Centre towards closer and more productive co-operation within Montenegro, and with our counterparts from the region, in the implementation of the Aarhus Convention and other international conventions.”