The EU Parliament today adopted its annual report on Albania, sending one of its strongest messages yet on the importance of protecting nature, upholding environmental safeguards and ensuring that EU standards are respected throughout the accession process.
This is what it looked like just a few weeks ago: a number of lorries had delivered building materials and the first areas of ecological value had already been destroyed.
© PPNEA
Mass protests, such as the one held here in Tirana on 7 June, have led to the suspension of construction work.
© Beka PhotographyStrasbourg, Tirana, Radolfzell. The EU Parliament expressed serious concern over ongoing developments in the Vjosa–Narta protected area and called for a moratorium on new permitting procedures, construction works and development interventions within protected areas until incompatible provisions of Albania's amended Law on Protected Areas are repealed and full compliance with EU nature protection standards is ensured.
The vote comes after weeks of peaceful demonstrations across Albania, where thousands of citizens have mobilised in defence of the Vjosa–Narta ecosystem, one of the country's most valuable natural areas and a future part of Europe's Natura 2000 network.
"This vote demonstrates that environmental protection is not a secondary issue in the accession process. The European Parliament has made clear that nature, public participation and the rule of law are not optional elements of EU accession. They are fundamental European standards that cannot be compromised" said Gabriel Schwaderer, Executive Director of EuroNatur.
The report builds on an already strong position adopted by Parliament, which calls for the repeal of the 2024 amendments to the Law on Protected Areas and reiterates concerns that weakened environmental safeguards risk undermining Albania's alignment with EU law. It also underlines that progress towards EU accession requires a real track record in implementing environmental legislation, environmental assessments and public participation rights.
Members of the European Parliament from several political groups referred directly to the developments in Vjosa–Narta, the ongoing citizen mobilisation and the need for Albania to fully comply with EU environmental standards.
"The message from Brussels is simple: EU membership is not only about opening and closing chapters. It is about demonstrating in practice that European standards are respected when it matters most" said Viktor Berishaj, Senior EU Policy Officer at EuroNatur.
For many citizens who have taken to the streets in recent weeks, today's vote is an important sign that their concerns are being heard at the European level.
“We appreciate that the debate around Vjosa–Narta has now moved to the EU, and in line with the discussion happening in Albania. The discussion around Vjosa–Narta now goes far beyond environmental protection alone, it has become part of a broader European discussion about the rule of law, democratic participation, transparency and the credibility of the enlargement process itself” said Aleksandër Trajçe, Executive Director of PPNEA.
The citizens who have peacefully mobilised in recent weeks are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for the same thing that the European Union is asking from Albania, to respect for the law, transparency in decision-making and effective protection of areas recognised for their ecological value.
Background information:
The Vjosa–Narta Protected Landscape is one of Albania's most important coastal ecosystems and a candidate Emerald Network site under the Bern Convention. The area forms part of a major migratory route used by hundreds of bird species travelling between Europe, Africa and the Mediterranean and is expected to become part of the future Natura 2000 network upon Albania's accession to the European Union.
The area has been at the centre of environmental concerns for several years following the construction of Vlora International Airport within the wider protected landscape. In 2023, the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention adopted Recommendation No. 219, calling on Albania to suspend airport construction pending a new and comprehensive environmental assessment and to strengthen safeguards for the protected area.
In 2024, Albania amended its Law on Protected Areas, allowing certain tourism and development activities within protected areas. These amendments have been criticised by environmental organisations, scientists and European institutions. The European Parliament and the European Commission have repeatedly expressed concerns that the amendments are incompatible with EU nature protection standards and have called for their repeal as part of Albania's obligations under Chapter 27 of the accession negotiations.
In recent months, additional tourism developments proposed within the Vjosa–Narta protected area have triggered widespread public concern and peaceful protests across Albania. The debate has increasingly focused on environmental governance, public participation, compliance with EU environmental legislation and the credibility of environmental conditionality during the accession process.
The European Parliament's report on Albania forms part of the EU's annual assessment of the country's progress towards membership and contributes to the broader political framework guiding Albania's accession negotiations.
Contact:
Christian Stielow | christian.stielow(at)euronatur.org |+49 7732 – 927215
Lorena Pyze Xhafaj | PPNEA | l.pyzexhafaj(at)ppnea.org