Joint Press Release of EuroNatur, EcoAlbania and PPNEA
++ Ongoing work on the Vlora Airport endangers biodiversity in the Narta lagoon and the Vjosa delta ++ Vjosa ecosystem at risk despite national park status ++ Committee expresses deep concern about new law on protected areas ++
Strasbourg, Tirana, Radolfzell. The Standing Committee of the Bern Convention has once again called on the government in Tirana to stop the construction of the Vlora International Airport within the Vjosa-Narta Protected area, as it violates international agreements. During their annual meeting in Strasbourg last week, the Standing Committee of the Convention expressed their deep concern at the continuation of the construction work and called on the Albanian authorities to work with civil society and all relevant stakeholders. The Committee expressed its “strong regret that the construction of the airport continued despite the repeated calls from the Bureau to suspend construction until a new and sufficient Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedure and the proper evaluation of environmental impacts have been conducted”.
EuroNatur and its Albanian partner organisations PPNEA and EcoAlbania welcomed the clear statement of the Standing Committee, which, above all, strongly criticised the new Albanian law on protected areas. The Bern Convention Standing Committee expressed “deep concern that the new law on protected areas may conflict with the principles and obligations enshrined in the Bern Convention, potentially facilitating violations of its provisions” and urged “reconsideration to ensure compliance with the Convention”.
“The adoption of the new law on protected areas is a dangerous and systemic precedent that could legitimize the destructive projects within the protected areas that might lead to an irreversible ecological disintegration of any of them in the future. We share the same concerns as the Bern Convention in this regard as we are still insisting that the law must be reconsidered to be repealed”, says Olsi Nika, Executive Director of EcoAlbania.
With immediate effect, large infrastructure projects in protected areas in Albania are no longer prohibited and are no longer an object for review from the protected area authority. require the approval of the protected area authority. This law, which was passed in February 2024, opens the floodgates to megaprojects such as airports or luxury hotels, even in areas of particular ecological value – like the controversial water abstraction project at Shushica river, a tributary to the Vjosa and part of the Vjosa Wild River National Park.
“It is sad to see that the Vlora International Airport construction site is turning into a Vjosa-Narta destruction site. The airport alone will be destructive enough, but what comes with it is even worse. The government is setting a dangerous precedent that the transport and tourism infrastructure can overrun protected areas. The statement of Bern Convention should be considered help for the Albanian authorities who have the chance to take a step back and respect national laws and international agreements”, stresses Zydjon Vorpsi (PPNEA).
“The Albanian Government has yet again not only shown disregard for the Bern Convention, although it is a Contracting Party of the Convention. We have a simple request, that the Albanian Government and respective authorities follow the rule of law and stop bending the legal framework as they did with the changes to the law on protected areas, changes which defy the purpose of the law itself to protect nature”, states Viktor Berishaj, Senior Policy Officer at EuroNatur.
Background information:
- • The Vjosa-Narta protected area is one of the most important ecosystems in Albania, the second most important wetland in Albania and home to rare animal and plant species. The area is home to more than 220 bird species throughout the year and is of trans-regional importance for the Adriatic Flyway. In March 2023, the Vjosa was declared Europe’s first wild river national park and placed under protection by the Albanian government.
- • The Bern Convention has repeatedly called on the Albanian government to stop the construction of the Vlora airport. It referred to the Vjosa-Narta protected area and its surroundings as “a sanctuary for migratory birds, waterfowl and other rare species that breed on land (…) and [that the members of the Bern Convention Standing Committee] are aware of the foreseeable ecological impact of the airport project on this unique natural treasure.” The European Parliament and the European Commission have also strongly criticized the construction of the airport in the past and called on the Albanian government to stop this environmentally damaging project.
