(Podgorica, 26 July 2012) – The defense of the Ulcinj salt flats from Veselin Barovic’s profit hungry Eurofund is yet another victory for Montenegro’s citizens, especially that of Ulcinj’s residents in the struggle for their rights and justice.
The recent amendment to Montenegro’s Spatial Plan at MANS’ initiative means that the area owned by the Ulcinj Saltworks will be returned to the status of a protected environmental site. The Saltworks had lost this status following a public debate in the cabinet of then Minister of Urban Affairs Branimir Gvozdenovic. This opened the way for Barovic and his Eurofund to begin laying asphalt over the whole area or to to sell it for an enormous sum, which they attempted to do several times this year without success.
In 2008, when the Spatial Plan was adopted, MANS pointed out the fact that the alterations to the area’s status would be damaging to the public interest, that the production of salt as a vital resource for the Ulcinj region is practically being foreclosed, that the workers and their families will lose their jobs, and that Ulcinj will be left without a valuable jewel in its tourism. Our colleagues from environmental NGOs also pointed out the numerous implications that this would have for the region’s flora and fauna as a result of intensified construction that was being planned over the salt flats.
Unfortunately, these warnings did not influence the Government and Assembly at that time, creating instead room for Barovic to realize greater profits from the purchase of the Ulcinj Saltworks. Four years were needed for the Assembly of Montenegro to realize the seriousness of the mistake it had made in 2008 and only after the Ulcinj Saltworks was practically thrown to its knees and the production of salt decimated by the joint actions of the Government and Barovic. Furthermore, in spite of all the system’s institutions – including the police and public prosecutors – Barovic placed his illegally gained property up for tender several times, trying to sell it as land for development for more than €200-million.
We want to believe that the story of the Ulcinj salt flats is finished when it comes to Barovic’s appetites for construction and now we can turn to considering the sustainable valorization of the Saltworks. A future that won’t involve the area’s cementing for quick, one-time profits. We believe that attempts to “Budva-nize” the Saltworks have been successfully halted and that every citizen, especially those living in Ulcinj (but also those in the rest of Montenegro) need to be proud of this fact. Unfortunately, in Montenegro, the examples where the government acted in a responsible way and managed to prevent the devastation of property are rare (with the exceptions of Valdanos and the Saltworks).
The defense of the salt flats from construction machinery is also a victory for the workers of the Saltworks who are currently in the process of bankruptcy. The new reality allows the continued life of their factory and better prospects for the existence of their families. The cases of Valdanos and the Saltworks represent proof that pressure and resistance to tycoons and their associated functionaries in the Government and other state institutions can produce results and that they can create positive changes in the public interest.
