The Government of Montenegro has submitted proposed amendments to the Law on Environmental Liability to the Parliament, aiming to further harmonise domestic legislation with European Union directives and significantly strengthen the “polluter pays” principle.
The draft law clarifies the responsibilities of business operators, requiring them to take immediate preventative measures at the first sign of an environmental threat and to implement comprehensive remediation plans if damage has already occurred. If an operator fails to act or cannot be identified, the state is granted expanded authority to step in and conduct the cleanup, with the right to demand subsequent reimbursement of all costs.
To ensure greater transparency and regulatory oversight, the legislative updates introduce a mandatory electronic registry to track all ecological incidents, with data eventually being reported to the European Commission upon Montenegro’s EU accession.
The public and non-governmental organisations will also gain a greater role in these legal procedures, including the right to be informed of environmental cases and to appeal official decisions. To enforce these stricter rules, the amendments introduce hefty fines ranging up to €80,000 for companies, alongside potential business bans lasting up to six months, ultimately helping Montenegro meet its key obligations under EU negotiation Chapter 27 concerning the environment and climate change.
