Major developments and priorites of Albania

Meeting of the EEA Management Board

with Top Executives from West Balkan countries EEA Conference Room, 30 March 2012

ETLEVA CANAJ

Director of Forestry and Environment Agency

Albania

Approximation of legislationApproximation of legislation

During the period June 2011 and early 2012, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Water Administration pursuant to the Stabilization - Association Agreement, European Partnership Document (2007), recommendations made during joint meetings EU - Albania, recommendations of the EC Progress Report for the year 2011, as well as commitments undertaken in NPISAA 2010 - 2014, has taken a series of actions for the approximation of environmental legislation.

New environmental legislation has been drafted in cooperation and continuous consultation with stakeholders (civil society, business, local government, public etc.), and in collaboration with Line Ministries.

Furthermore, in accordance with the basic legislation has been working and are approved in Council of Ministers or are in the process of consultation with stakeholders and with the Line Ministries a series of acts which are planned to be approved.

Legislative developments (1)Legislative developments (1)

Environmental legislation

In the frame of the approximation process new laws are drafted in the field of air quality, waste management, chemicals, improvement of public participation, management of water resources, nature protection, industrial pollution and risk management, forestry and pastures. Some of the laws are approved and a part of them are foreseen to be approved.

With the aim to protect health and environment from

noises, in short-term period are foreseen to be drafted some guidelines in this field.

Legislative developments (2)Legislative developments (2)

Some developments are made in horizontal legislation drafting new laws which transposes the European directives:

Law no. 10431, dated 9.6.2011 “On the environmental protection”,

Law no. 10440, dated 7.7.2011 “On the environmental impact assessment”,

Law no. 10448, dated 14.7.2011 “On the environmental permitting”,

Draft law “On the strategic environmental assessment (planned to be approved)

Strategic DocumentsStrategic Documents

New strategic documents

National Waste Management Plan 2015-2025National Waste StrategyNational Cross-Sector Strategy of Water

Supply and Sanitation Services Regional Waste Management Plans for the

districts of Tirana and Elbasan. Management Plan of Butrinti National ParkManagement Plan of Managed Nature Reserve

Kune-Vain-Tale

Cooperation in international levelCooperation in international level

On 6 April 2011, the MoEFWA in collaboration with UNDP, ENECE, and GWP-Med, has organized a multilateral meeting between respective working groups of Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia, Greece and Kosovo, in the framework of the project ‘’For an integrated water resource management at the Drini Basin’’,

Also, on 25.11.2011 a Memorandum of Understanding between Albania, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro is signed for ‘’The Drin: A Strategic

Shared Vision’’

Ratification of CLTRAP Ratification of CLTRAP conventionconvention

In the framework of ratification and the implementation of the relevant Protocol of the Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution Convention (CLRTAP 1979), during June 2011 - December 2011 the MoEFWA has drafted a number of legal acts, as follows:

Law no. 10436, dated 28.06.2011 ”On the adhering of the Republic of Albania on the Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution on further Reduction of Sulphur Emissions”.

Law no. 10476, dated 3.11.2011 “On the adhering of the Republic of Albania on the Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution to abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone”.

Law no. 10442, dated 26.05.2011 “On the adhering of the Republic of Albania on the Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution on long-term financing of the cooperative programme for monitoring and evaluation of the long-range transmission of air pollutants in Europe (EMEP)”.

Strengthening of capacities (1)Strengthening of capacities (1)

Strengthening of administrative capacities has been and will be one of the priorities of the Ministry treating it as a dynamic process in regard of its duties which are also in development processes to approach with the functions of homologous structures in the path towards European Integration.

During 2011 the number of employees of MoEFWA has been increased, a total of 117 people.

To be stressed is also the strengthening of the Environment Inspectorate at the regional level, profiling it towards control and law enforcement, as well as strengthening of the other subordinate institutions of the Ministry, in charge of law implementation in the fields of environment, forestry, water administration and fishery.

Strengthening of capacities (2)Strengthening of capacities (2) The number of employees of each of the subordinate

institutions of the Ministry is as follows:

Total number of employees in 12 Regional Environment Agencies is 174;

Total number of employees in 36 Directories of Forestry Service is 951, where 36 employees belong to 6 Water Basin Agencies.

Total number of employees of the Agency of Environment and Forestry is 46.

In the framework of protection from forest fires and measures for their effective management, as well as to improve the cooperation between all state agencies involved in this process (Civil Emergency, Prefectures, Ministry of Defense, etc.) during the fire season, has been established a coordination center, which is settled at the premises of the Civil Emergencies Center in Tirana.

Strengthening of capacities Strengthening of capacities (3)(3)

Some of the capacity building needs will be tackled by the implementation of the “Technical Assistance for the Strengthening the Capacity of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Water Administration for Law Drafting and Enforcement of National Environmental Legislation” (SELEA project 2012 - 2015) funded by the EU.

Preparation for Natura Preparation for Natura 20002000

Approval of the proposed Emerald sites of Areas of Special Conservation Interest (ASCI-s) for Albania by the Standing Committe of the Bern Convention in December 2011. So Albania has actually 25 ASCIs designated including GIS maps and respective database for them.

Preparation of a project fiche for IPA 2012 on introduction to Natura 2000. The proposal after negotiations with the EU was postponed for IPA 2013. This proposal takes into account the elaboration of management plans for Protected Areas of Albania that do not have such plans yet as well as capacity building and infrastructure improvements for existing Protected Areas (mainly National Parks) that will be the core of future Natura 2000 for Albania.

Environmental monitoring Environmental monitoring

The relevant institution for environmental monitoring is AEF

According to the DCM no. 1189, dated 18.11.2009 “On the rules and procedures for the drafting and implementation of the National Program of Environmental Monitoring, the AEF has drafted the National Program of Environmental Monitoring for 2012, which is approved by the Minister of MoEFWA. The project – proposals from the monitoring institutions are gathered and are being evaluated from the MoEFWA.

Also, the AEF in collaboration with CEMSA project has prepared the draft DCM “On establishment of Integrated Environmental Monitoring System” together with the regulation of bio-geografical monitoring areas and environmental indicators.

On October 2011, in the framework of CESMA project have been installed 4 automatic stations for air monitoring in the cities of Durres, Shkoder, Vlore and Korçe (before the monitoring in these cities was conducted through manual stations), as well as has been set the online connection for the transmision of the monitored data from all the automatic stations

Achievement on monitoringAchievement on monitoring

The Agency of Environment and Forestry (AEF) with the support of INPAEL project has finalized the accreditation process of the laboratory according to ISO 17025 standard for 7 parameters of water quality.

On 8 July 2011, the AEF laboratory is provided with accreditation certificate issued by General Directorate of Accreditation.

Reporting to EEAReporting to EEA

During 2011 the AEF has reported to EEA the environmental data on air quality, water quality (rivers, lakes, groundwaters, bathing waters) and wastes according to the formats required

Also has AEF has given the contribution in the preparation of the SoER 2010 of EEA.

Priorities Priorities

Enforcement of environmental legislationApproximation of the legislation with EU

directivesStrengthening of the capacities of MEFWA

and its relevant institutions Implementation of the existing

environmental law Implementations of the obligations under

conventionsEstablishment of PRTR register within the

structures of the AEF Improvement and Strengthening of Improvement and Strengthening of

environmental monitoringenvironmental monitoring

Thank you for your attention