The Forest and Forestry Strategy for the period from 2023 to 2028 has not yet been adopted, because the conditions for the full implementation of the Forest Law have not been created, that is, a new state company that will manage the forest fund has not been established, nor has the machinery for its work been purchased.

Thus, the Strategy, regarding which the public debate has been completed, as a key document in forestry and planning its sustainability, will not yet see the light of day without the parent Law, “Vijesti” has learned.

The same source claims that due to the postponement of deadlines, the document will likely be valid for the period from 2025 to 2030.

The previous Strategy was valid for the period from 2018 to 2023, which means that the already endangered forestry sector is being further neglected. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management is responsible for drafting this document.

Although the Parliament adopted the Forest Law on July 31 last year, after which it entered into force in mid-August, this regulation is still not fully implemented. It envisaged the abandonment of the concession model of forest use by January 1 this year and the formation of a new company that would, along with workers, take over most of the responsibilities from the Forest and Hunting Management Administration and deal with allocations, felling and extraction of felled trees, which did not happen.

Socialist People’s Party (SNP) MPs Sladjana Kaluđerović i Bogdan Božović, to which the current Minister of Agriculture also belongs Vladimir JokovicOn January 17, they submitted amendments to the Forest Law for parliamentary procedure, through which they request that its implementation begin only on the first day of 2026. This proposal has yet to be voted on by MPs in parliament.

“Vijesti” is also waiting for answers from the Ministry of Agriculture about when the full implementation of the Forest Law can be expected and why the conditions for its implementation have not been created since January this year.

CONTINUATION OF CONCESSIONS

“The MPs are faced with a fait accompli because if they do not vote to repeal the new law and restore the previous one to legal force, the remaining wood processors will put the key in the lock because they will be left without raw material for work, given that a forest management company has not been formed that would supply them with wood raw material from state forests at market prices, which is the concept of the new Law. The real reason for postponing the implementation of the Law is to give legitimacy to the illegally concluded contracts of the Forest Administration with the largest concessionaires from the previous period of concessionary forest use. After the Law was passed, the Administration concluded contracts with the five largest concessionaires for the use of 99 forest departments at initial prices, and with a validity period until November 2025, although it is known that a law will come into force from January this year, according to which they do not have the authority to grant forests for use. The aforementioned contracts can be found on the website of the Forestry Administration, which also calls on the Government, Parliament and President of Montenegro to postpone the adoption of the new Law abolishing forestry concessions,” the source said.

Forests and forest land reportedly make up almost 70 percent of the country’s territory, placing Montenegro among the top European countries in this regard.

“Vijesti” checked the Administration’s website, which contains a series of contracts on the use of state-owned forests through the sale of timber pending in 2024, with deadlines for execution extending until the end of next year.

According to the Draft Strategy, forests and forest land make up almost 70 percent of the country’s territory, while Montenegro is among the top European countries in terms of forest cover.

There are 483 companies operating in the domestic wood industry, almost half of which have only one employee.

The largest share, 80 percent of imports, is made up of carpentry and various types of boards (particle board and fiberboard, plywood) and parquet lamellas, while we export, mostly to Kosovo, wood products (43 percent), sawn timber (39,5 percent) and pellets (82 percent).

There are 68 species of trees in Montenegro, most of which are deciduous and 11 conifers, while 52 percent of the total forest area is state-owned, and the rest is privately owned.

The main objectives of the Strategy are to ensure sustainable forest management, preserve and strengthen their resilience to climate change, increase the area of ​​protected forests, protect biodiversity, encourage the sustainability and competitiveness of forest-based industries, as well as institutional strengthening and financial support.

“Based on the annual reports of the Forest and Hunting Management Administration, it can be concluded that the realization of the planned timber volume from state forests is at a level of 25,6 percent of the planned. The realization of the planned timber volume for supplying the rural population is at a level of 70 percent, while from private forests it is at a level of 102,1 percent. Assuming that the condition of the forests and thus the use plans are realistic, the current attitude towards the forest can be assessed as irrational,” the document states.

It is also stated that the biggest problems of this sector are the existence of a concession model, a high degree of forest thinning, their unfavorable condition, insufficient participation of protected forests, inertia in protection, lack of planning coverage, an outdated cadastre, stagnation of processing and insufficient use of wood waste, lack of transparency in management, insufficient investment in infrastructure renovation and maintenance, incomplete information on the borders and status of protected areas, insufficient professional capacities…

THE EUROPEAN ROAD IS ALSO IN DANGER

At the end of last year, the state sold 47.618 cubic meters of firewood at a subsidized price, and according to the decision approved by the Government on setting prices for the purchase of wood assortments for the needs of the population in rural areas, the set price was nine meters per cubic meter.

The interlocutor also stated that an oversight was made in this case as well, because the Forestry Administration distributed the wood at a price of 8,6 euros, which is less than the lowest price prescribed by the decision. He emphasized that the price of a cubic meter of sanitary wood currently reaches 80 euros per cubic meter.

“The State Audit Institution also confirmed in its 2024 report that the Forestry Administration is illegally concluding contracts with concessionaires and forest users without the consent of the Government of Montenegro. Now that the implementation of the new law has begun, it cannot be legally postponed, but only repealed, which is a precedent when it comes to development reforms. This also jeopardizes the already hard-won support of the World Bank, and worst of all, it prevents the closure of Chapter 27 in negotiations with the EU, because the trade in timber and timber products remains inconsistent with the EU Regulation on the Prevention of Deforestation, all of which are political blows to the Government of Montenegro and its strategic commitment to join the European Union,” the source said.

The real reason for delaying the implementation of the Law is to give legitimacy to the illegally concluded contracts of the Forest Administration with the largest concessionaires from the previous period of concessionary forest use. After the Law was passed, the Administration concluded contracts with the five largest concessionaires for the use of 99 forest divisions at initial prices, and with a validity period until November 2025.

Šaranović: The mafia is cutting down, there is no verdict

Minister of Internal Affairs (MUP) Danilo Šaranović before the Committee on Tourism, Agriculture, Ecology and Spatial Planning in May last year, he said that the cases and investigations conducted by the Police Directorate showed that illegal logging caused damage to Montenegro amounting to several tens of millions of euros and that numerous roads were also destroyed.

He also emphasized that there is an initiative to give game wardens the status of officials through amendments to the law, which the Ministry of the Interior will support. He said at the time that the forestry mafia is strong and organized, and has connections with part of the state apparatus.

“We arrest people for nothing when we don’t have a verdict. We cooperate where there is insufficient dynamics in the implementation of cases,” said Šaranović when asked about cooperation with the courts.

State Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture Andrija Delić said at the time that around 700.000 cubic meters of timber was not in legal circulation and that the forests had been devastated.

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