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The Head of the Delegation of the European Union in Tirana, Silvio Gonzato, asks the Assembly to reopen the public consultation and make transparent about changing the law on Protected Areas, after the new draft submitted by the government that allows strategic investments within them.
The head of the delegation of the European Union in Tirana, Silvio Gonzato, has expressed concern about the government's proposals for changing the law on Protected Areas in order to allow strategic investments within them, through a letter sent to the head of the parliamentary committee for Activity Producer and Environment, Arben Pëllumbi, a copy of which was seen by BIRN.
According to the letter signed by Gonzato, the European Union expects Albania – a country in the process of membership negotiations – to adapt its environmental policies to the orientations and directives of the European legislation.
Referring to the government's proposals for allowing strategic investments and other activities within Protected Areas, the EU ambassador recalls the position of the 2023 progress report on the controversial law on strategic investments.
"Legislation on strategic investments raises concerns for the protection of biodiversity, as it may allow large touristic and industrial investments in protected areas," the report is quoted in the letter, adding that "in addition, the government proposes to allow the construction of a number of infrastructure works on irrigation (drainage) and flood protection in protected areas".
In this context, the EU ambassador in Tirana requests that the commission make a careful examination of these proposals and reopen the consultation process with the interested actors and environmental organizations in the country.
“…Given the significant potential implications of the proposals made by the government, I believe that a careful examination should be warranted before the commission proceeds further, including the criteria for authorizing construction and activities in protected areas, as well as protective measures, e.g. environmental impact assessments,” suggests Ambassador Gonzato.
Also, he recommends to Pëllumbi that the parliamentary commission reopens the consultation process "in a transparent and comprehensive manner" for the new proposals received from the government.
The efforts of the government and socialist MPs to modify the Protected Areas law have worried not only the European Union, but also other international organizations, part of the EU4Nature project, such as the Swedish Development Agency, UNDP or the Italian-AICS Cooperation. These concerns were also made known to the Ministry of Tourism and Environment in a meeting held at the beginning of February.
The initial proposals for changing the law on Protected Areas were made by a group of socialist MPs, but their draft was bypassed after the Council of Ministers sent a new proposal to the Assembly with the name "giving opinion".
Civil society organizations strongly opposed the MPs' bill during the hearings, but they demanded that there be further hearings on the draft submitted by the government, seeing the new proposals as more dangerous for the destruction of Protected Areas.
Asked by BIRN if they would accept the EU's request to open public consultations on the government's draft, the head of the commission, Arben Pëllumbi*, replied: "Our commission has conducted all the required hearings and addressed most of the concerns of civil society".
The draft law was urgently voted on Monday in the permanent parliamentary committees and goes to the plenary session on Thursday. / BIRN
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