Montenegro President has proposed 20 environmental measures covering renewable-energy zoning, public procurement, tourism, waste management and other areas of economic activity. He presented the “Ecological State 2.0” initiative on September 20, marking 35 years since Montenegro declared itself an ecological state. The proposals have not been adopted as laws or government policy.
Renewable energy and public procurement
The package calls for clearer identification of areas suitable for solar and wind projects, potentially providing greater certainty for developers facing spatial-planning, environmental and grid-access constraints. The initiative would also introduce minimum green and circular-economy criteria into public procurement, covering energy and resource efficiency, durability, repairability, reuse and reduced packaging. If adopted, suppliers to public institutions could face greater requirements to demonstrate environmental performance and lifecycle efficiency.
Waste and tourism measures
A proposed national deposit-return system would increase responsibilities for producers, importers, distributors and retailers in collecting and recycling beverage containers. Implementation would require investment in collection infrastructure, reverse-vending systems, logistics and data tracking, building on Montenegro’s existing move toward extended producer responsibility.
For tourism, Milatović proposed more sustainable management of the Bay of Kotor, where cruise traffic, congestion, coastal development and heritage protection intersect. Possible future measures could affect tourism operators, construction and local infrastructure, although no such measures have yet been adopted. The initiative also includes a proposed green vignette, but details on its design and pricing have not been publicly established.
Žabljak and green hydrogen
Milatović proposed giving Žabljak the status of Montenegro’s ecological capital and developing a wider Durmitor programme covering municipal infrastructure, waste and wastewater, energy efficiency, biodiversity and sustainable tourism. The package also refers to pilot green hydrogen projects focused on economically viable applications with acceptable impacts on land, water and the environment. Implementation of the proposals would require government action, legislation or amendments to existing regulations, depending on the individual measure. Among the proposals with potential direct effects on businesses are renewable-energy zoning, deposit-return rules and green public procurement.
