UNOPS has supported Montenegro to align its animal welfare regulation with the EU acquis, strengthening its legislative harmonization and readiness for accession in the area of public health and better resource management in animal husbandry. The goal of the assignment has been to support the Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Affairs in amending the Animal Welfare Act. Croatian expertise was utilized in this regard, as one of the EU Member States in the region with successful recent accession experience.

The UNOPS expert supported the Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Affairs to review the existing Animal Welfare Act and ensure its full alignment with the EU acquis. The advisor examined the current state of play in regard to animal health and welfare and suggested appropriate amendments. In line with those, a Draft new Animal Welfare Act was prepared, which will be subject to public debate prior to its approval by Montenegro’s Government and submission to the parliamentary procedure for adoption.

Special emphasis was put on identifying gaps between the current legislation and the EU legislation on the welfare of dogs and cats and their traceability, protection of animals during transport and related operations, as well as rules for the performance of official controls to verify compliance with animal welfare requirements for the transport of animals by livestock vessels. Attention was also paid to better regulation of the work of animal shelters.

The work of the K4R programme has been crucial to establish a solid legal basis to protect and sustainably manage terrestrial ecosystems and prevent biodiversity loss by improving animal health standards in Montenegro. The work supports better livestock management, potentially reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with poor animal health and transport practices.

In addition, the alignment with EU regulations ensures that Montenegro adopts agricultural practices that are more environmentally sustainable, contributing to better resource management in agriculture and animal husbandry and reduced environmental impact of livestock practices. For the citizens of Montenegro, effective management of animal health translates into improved protection of public health and well-being as zoonotic diseases are better controlled.

“I believe that the UNOPS project should be continued, because the Western Balkans countries are relatively poor compared to the rest of Europe but they have very skilled people, whose knowledge and abilities are not fully utilized. If I ever participate in this project again, I hope that there will be people across the table who are as just interested as those in Montenegro were”.

– Aneta Karakas, UNOPS expert on alignment of Animal Welfare legislation with the EU acquis

The assignment supports SDG 13: Climate Action by promoting sustainable practices within the agricultural and veterinary sector and reducing greenhouse gas emissions linked to poor animal health and transport practices.

It also contributes on SDG 15: Life on Land, as it aims to protect and sustainably manage terrestrial ecosystems and prevent biodiversity loss by improving animal health standards.