FLASH
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The Berne Convention, (also known as the Convention for the Conservation of European Wildlife) has asked the Albanian authorities to suspend the construction of the Vlora airport within the Vjosë-Nartë protected area until a full assessment of the impact on environment.
" In the complete absence of consultation and involvement of interested parties, the Albanian government hastened to start the construction of the airport in complete violation of the law, allowing the concessionaire company to open the construction site without obtaining a construction permit," the press release states . that was held today by experts and civil society activists.
The decision by the Berne Convention, an instrument created by the Council of Europe, follows this year's European Parliament resolution which also asked Albania to stop the airport project inside the protected area.
" Standing on the Bern Convention cannot be binding for the Albanian government, but it is an alarm bell for the entire European integration process of Albania ," said Taulant Bino, head of the Albanian Ornithological Association, at today's meeting.
The joint report compiled by the Berne Convention, the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the African-Euro-Asian Migratory Waterfowl Agreement states that changing the boundaries of the protected area is not compatible with the biodiversity values it carries.
" The efforts of the authorities to legitimize the construction of the illegal airport were followed by changing the boundaries of the Vjosë Nartë protected area, removing the protection of 300 hectares in the heart of the Protected Landscape, a space which coincided exactly with the construction site, where the construction without permission continued for a year" , the statement continues.
Legal battle against the airport
The executive director of PPNEA, Aleksandër Trajçe, affirms that the court is examining two lawsuits filed against the decision-making for Vlora Airport. An issue that is directly related to the decision-making for the construction of the airport and another issue that is related to the revision of the borders of the protected area Vjosë - Nartë.
" The cases have been opened since the end of last year and at first the case was not taken over by the Court of First Instance with the argument that civil society organizations are not legitimate to raise such cases. An appeal was made and the case is being examined ," explains Trajçe.
Right after the publication of the Bern decision, the Mediterranean Wetlands Alliance and its partners sent a letter regarding this decision to Prime Minister Edi Rama, the European Commission and the International Air Transport Organization, which were signed by 33 organizations and by more than 27 different countries.
"We have an announcement tomorrow for a public demonstration where tomorrow before the prime minister we will demand the implementation of the recommendation of the Berne Convention ," announced Trajçe.
In August, the battle for the protection of the Narta valley from the construction of the Vlora airport echoed in Germany as well.
The environmental organizations EuroNatur and BUND call on the German authorities to withdraw from the Vlora Airport construction project, due to the damage to nature and the ecosystem.
Vlora Airport affects the Vjosë-Nartë area, which according to law 81/2017 has the status of "Protected Landscape", category five, which it still legally enjoys today.
The Narta lagoon and the areas around it make up an area of 19 thousand hectares, which makes it the largest and most important area for the wetland ecosystem not only in Albania, but in the entire Mediterranean area, known as an area biodiversity key where over 200 species of birds have been observed, such as pelicans and flamingos.
On the other hand, the government has denied the existence of biodiversity and the protected status of the area./ Oligarchy
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