The European Parliament adopted the report on Albania on Wednesday, including an amendment expressing serious concern about developments in the Vjosa-Narta protected area and the impact that legal changes in recent years may have on areas of special ecological value.
Shortly after the vote, Prime Minister Edi Rama reacted via social media, arguing that the vast majority of MEPs supported Albania’s progress towards the European Union, while the approved amendment does not change the overall positive assessment of the country.
“Here the European Parliament separated the ‘stalk’ of the digital storm of disinformation from the ‘sugar’ of the Vjosa-Nartë protected area, which has no connection to the development that the defeated MEPs blindly introduced as an amendment to the Resolution on Albania,” Rama wrote.
The Prime Minister presented the vote as a confirmation of European support for Albania, mocking critics of the Zvërnec project and the protests that have been taking place in the country for weeks.
“Either the whole of Europe, which through its Parliament highly values Albania and promotes our early membership in the EU, has gone crazy and corrupt, or there is something wrong with those who started the protest of recent weeks in defense of flamenco and are portraying it as a struggle for power in the name of flamenco,” he declared.
The amendment adopted by the European Parliament expresses concern about developments in the Vjosa-Narta protected area, arguing that they show the practical consequences of legal changes in recent years and the risks they may pose to areas of recognized ecological value.
MEPs demand that the Albanian authorities impose a moratorium on new permit procedures, construction works and development interventions in protected areas, until full compliance with European standards for nature protection and the requirements of Chapter 27 of the negotiations is ensured.
The text also underlines that any project in this area must undergo a full environmental impact assessment according to European Union standards, guaranteeing the transparent participation of local communities, scientists and civil society.
However, Rama insisted that the project will move forward in accordance with European environmental standards.
“In any case, the flamingos will be protected, Vjosa-Narta will be protected, Zvërnec will be developed based on an Environmental Impact Assessment according to European Union standards, and we will continue to elevate Albania to the top where the home of the United Europe is located,” the prime minister concluded.