“Albania ought to chorus from actions that might undermine the success of the closing benchmarks and [we] anticipate the Albanian authorities to behave directly,” a European Fee spokesperson advised POLITICO in response to a query concerning the controversial proposed growth.
“Within the EU accession course of, as a part of the closing benchmarks for negotiating Chapter 27 on setting and local weather change, Albania is predicted to align absolutely with EU laws on this space, together with the Birds and the Habitats Directives,” stated the spokesperson, urging that Albania repeal the adjustments to the Legislation on Protected Areas and “terminate” the legislation on strategic investments. As a part of the method of becoming a member of the EU, Albania is predicted to align with the EU’s environmental guidelines.
The spokesperson additionally advised POLITICO that Albania’s setting minister, Sofjan Jaupaj, had knowledgeable the Fee in Brussels that building on the venture has been suspended and an environmental influence evaluation can be carried out with civil society.
“We have now already expressed our issues to the minister of the setting concerning the potential shortcomings of this venture,” the spokesperson stated.
Jaupaj didn’t reply to a request for remark by the point of publication.
Dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution” after the flamingos that reside within the protected space, the protests intensified over the weekend, with calls rising for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign. Albania’s anti-corruption prosecutor, SPAK, has additionally opened an investigation into controversial adjustments within the space’s protected standing and land possession in 2024.
