Launch of the Circular Economy Roadmap of Montenegro

The Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro (PCKG), in cooperation with the Office of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Montenegro, held an event on April 21st on the occasion of publishing the Roadmap towards the Circular Economy of Montenegro.

Marija Raspopović, Advisor in the Project Sector of the Montenegrin Chamber of Commerce, thanked the expert team and colleagues from UNDP for their dedicated work, emphasizing her belief that joint activities will continue to contribute to the next steps towards circular transition in Montenegro.

Panel was held on "Circular transition as a recipe for green economic growth and development" with the participation of Dr. Nina Drakić, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro, Danijela Gašparikova, UNDP Representative, Ricardo Seri, Deputy Ambassador, Delegation Of the European Union in Montenegro and Olivera Vukajlović, Director General of the Directorate for Improving Competitiveness in the Ministry of Economic Development of Montenegro.

Ladeja Godina Košir, Circular Change, an expert on the topic and the project lead of the Circular Economy Roadmap of Montenegro, emphasized the role of the Chamber of Commerce, which strongly supports the circular transition and connects the stakeholders in this process.

"The roadmap is the result of intensive work, and the crucial point is that the Chamber of Commerce has stepped up as the initiator of this transition," she said, noting the role of UNDP in recognizing the importance and funding of this project and the Deloitte and Circular Change teams, which, despite the pandemic, worked diligently on the Roadmap.

According to her, the circular economy is an interdisciplinary topic that requires a systemic approach, and the Roadmap is a compass to identify priorities and prepare projects for green funds.

"Montenegro, as a signatory of the Sofia Declaration, has a great opportunity to make good use of the available finances on its path of green transformation. By 2024, 20 billion in investments and nine billion in grants have been designated for funding. However, without projects and clear plans and visions, they cannot be used ", she said, adding that the areas with the greatest potential for circular transition are the food and forest system, built environment, tourism and production sector, which are interdependent."

The President of the Chamber of Commerce, Nina Drakić, said that the Chamber initiated the development of the Roadmap, which is the cornerstone of the transformation of the Montenegrin economy from linear to circular.

"In all transformative and innovative processes, it is the business community that has the main role and is the driving force. That is exactly what we tried to convey through our participation in the creation of the Roadmap." said Drakić.

She pointed out that the green and circular economy are recognized as great opportunities for all economic actors in our society.

"The role of the green economy in the process of diversification of the Montenegrin economy and product competitiveness is significant," Drakic said.

Daniela Gašparikova, UNDP Resident Representative in Montenegro, pointed out that the circular economy turns challenges into opportunities on the way to adopting more innovative business models that can protect the environment, climate, economy and our health.

Ricardo Seri, the EU Delegation to Montenegro, pointed to the excessive exploitation of natural resources in the fight for economic growth, which is achieved at the expense of the environment.

"It is necessary to reduce waste production, increase material reuse and recycling, and resource productivity while reducing pollution. To facilitate this major transformation, the EU is providing tangible financial support, primarily by making nine billion euros of EU funds available to the region to achieve the objectives of the Green Agenda under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). It is very important that Montenegro uses most of these and other means and opportunities that the EU can offer. Today's launch of the Roadmap towards the Circular Economy of Montenegro is an important step towards that goal." he said.

Olivera Vukajlović, Ministry of Economic Development of Montenegro, pointed out that, in accordance with the development plans, economic recovery based on innovation, digitalization and green development, is extremely important for Montenegro and will significantly improve the sustainability and resilience of its economy.

In order to create conditions for a stronger economic recovery, the Ministry of Economic Development started activities earlier this year to create a Circular Transition Strategy until 2030, as a key factor in the economic future and building new values.

Following the recommendations of the Roadmap, this document will establish the directions of national transition to a circular economy, summarize achievements and recommendations for further improvement of both the circular economy and the economy as a whole, provide concrete and detailed action guidelines that can be used daily in the circular transition process.

The Roadmap can be downloaded here in both English and Serbian language.