Residents of Gornja Brezna and neighbouring villages have strongly criticised Crnogorski elektroprenosni sistem (CGES) for what they describe as a perfunctory and inadequate public consultation process on the planned 400 kV Brezna – Crkvičko Polje – Sarajevo international transmission line and associated substation. Those gathered under the civic initiative “Spasimo Brezna” say CGES did not show any real willingness to respect its legal obligations to organise meaningful engagement with affected communities and to genuinely assess the project’s impact on people and the environment.
Local residents pointed out that the only notice of the scheduled consultation meeting in Plužine was published on CGES’s website just nine days before the event, giving people minimal opportunity to prepare, review documentation or participate in a substantive way. They argue that this approach clearly limited attendance and undermined the purpose of consultations for such a major infrastructure project with potential long-term effects on homes, land, health and tourism in the region. According to them, none of the households lying directly along the proposed route had been individually informed about the consultations in advance, despite being among those most directly affected.
At the consultation meeting, residents said CGES representatives presented a pre-determined route for the transmission line and did not meaningfully engage with concerns raised by the community. Frustrated by what they saw as dismissive behaviour, participants left the session, stating that the process did not comply with Montenegrin law, the Aarhus Convention on public participation, or standards expected under European Union rules and by international financiers.
The dispute over the consultation process comes amid broader local resistance to the project. In 2025, the same group filed a lawsuit against CGES, alleging that project documentation submitted to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for a financing application contained incorrect information about the presence of homes near the planned site, and demanding a formal hearing that would include EBRD representatives.
Opponents maintain that the proposed high-voltage infrastructure could have significant consequences for the rural community, its development, property values and the environment, and they are urging authorities and CGES to pause the process, engage in genuine dialogue, examine alternative locations and uphold transparent, legally compliant procedures.
