EPA contradicts Zečević: No approval granted, environmental impact assessment report for the Kuči quarry has yet to be prepared

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has rejected claims by the Director of the municipal company Roads (Putevi), Radoš Zečević, that approval has already been granted for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report for the planned quarry on Morišnja Hill in Kuči. In responses provided to the ETV Portal, the Agency stated that the EIA Report has not yet been prepared, that the approval procedure is still ongoing, and that, to date, it has only issued a decision requiring the preparation of the report.

Unrealistic expectations

Zečević recently told the daily Dan that the Environmental Protection Agency had approved the Environmental Impact Assessment Report for the construction of the quarry in Kuči, describing it as „a positive signal that the project can be developed at that location“.

- After receiving the Agency’s approval, the next step is to prepare the water impact assessment and wind rose studies. We have already begun that work, and the study consists of several segments. Experts say that a quarry can operate in that area, and if we receive a positive opinion on the water impact assessment and wind rose analysis, I expect that road construction could begin in late September or early October - Zečević said.

However, the Agency’s response indicates that the process has not reached that stage. The EPA told the ETV Portal that on 20 May this year, the municipal company submitted a request for a determination on whether an Environmental Impact Assessment Report would be required for a project involving the extraction of construction-grade stone, together with an associated crushing and screening facility, in the cadastral municipality of Ubli, on cadastral plots 4139, 4140, 4141 and 4142.

- Pursuant to Article 13 of the Law on Environmental Impact Assessment (Official Gazette of Montenegro, No. 75/18), the Environmental Protection Agency informed the interested public, determined the duration of the public consultation period, and ensured access to the submitted documentation. The documentation was available for inspection at the Agency’s premises at IV Proleterske Street No. 19, Office No. 9, on working days between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. It was also available for download from the Agency’s website - the Agency said.

The EPA further explained that the public consultation period was extended until 5 June 2026 because media coverage informing the public had been inadequate.

- The public notice was published in the daily newspaper Dan on 29 May 2026 and on the Agency’s website on 27 May 2026 - the response added.

Public comments taken into account

The Agency further stated that, in accordance with Article 14 of the Law on Environmental Impact Assessment, it issued Decision No. 03-UPI-1936/17 on 26 June 2026, establishing that an Environmental Impact Assessment Report must be prepared.

- We would also like to note that all objections, comments and opinions submitted to the Agency during the public consultation process highlighted precisely the need to prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment Report for the project in question. Accordingly, the Agency fully took into account the views of the interested public when making its decision - the EPA stated.

The Agency particularly emphasized that the procedure for granting approval to the EIA Report could not yet have been completed.

- We inform you that, pursuant to the Law on Environmental Impact Assessment and the Law on Administrative Procedure, the procedure for granting approval to the Environmental Impact Assessment Report for the project involving the extraction of construction-grade stone, together with the associated crushing and screening facility in the cadastral municipality of Ubli, on cadastral plots 4139, 4140, 4141 and 4142, Municipality of Ubli, Capital City of Podgorica, is still ongoing. The project developer has not yet prepared the Environmental Impact Assessment Report for the project - the EPA stressed.

The same decision, the Agency explained, obliges the project developer to prepare the report and submit it within the legally prescribed deadline.

- Decision No. 03-UPI-1936/17 requires the project developer to prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment Report for the project and submit it to the Environmental Protection Agency no later than two years from the date of receipt of the decision - the EPA said.

Asked to comment on Zečević’s statement that the Agency had already approved the report, the institution declined to do so.

- As regards comments on statements appearing in the media, the Environmental Protection Agency is not in a position to comment - the Agency concluded in its response to the ETV Portal.

City Assembly to debate DPS initiative next week

The planned quarry on Morišnja Hill, proposed by the municipal company Roads, would be the first such project undertaken by a municipal enterprise in Podgorica. The site is located approximately 15 kilometres from the city centre.

A session of the Podgorica City Assembly has been scheduled for 29 July to consider an initiative submitted by the opposition Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) seeking to revoke the decision approving the resolution of property and legal issues necessary for the construction of the quarry.

The DPS argues that the proposed location does not meet the spatial planning requirements for the exploitation of mineral resources, an activity that is subject to special procedures and a concession regime.

The party also maintains that the decision is legally unsustainable and may have enabled unlawful financial gain for private individuals, thereby harming the public interest and the property of the Capital City. According to the DPS, the procedure was marked by numerous legal violations, including issues related to geological surveys, non-compliance with the Law on Concessions, the absence of an Environmental Impact Assessment Report, and the failure to inform the local population.

The DPS has also repeatedly alleged that there is a direct connection between the owner of the land parcel in Kuči and Roads Director Radoš Zečević.

Meanwhile, Zečević, who could become Montenegro’s next Minister of Transport as part of the upcoming government reshuffle, said yesterday that he would attend the 29 July City Assembly session, where he intends to defend the quarry project in Kuči.