PRESS RELEASE
On Fulfilling Parliamentary Responsibilities and Restoring the Protection of Protected Areas
PPNEA addresses all Members of the Albanian Parliament: Protecting Protected Areas is an obligation that Parliament can no longer postpone
Tirana, 8 September 2026 – At the beginning of the new political season, the Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA) has addressed an open letter to all 140 Members of the Albanian Parliament, calling on them to fulfil their parliamentary responsibilities and take immediate steps to repeal the 2024 amendments to the Law “On Protected Areas” and restore the legal framework established by Law No. 81/2017.
This call comes at a time when, despite sustained opposition from civil society and citizens, as well as Albania’s commitments within the EU accession process, the legal framework that weakened the protection of Protected Areas remains in force.
In the letter to the 140 Members of Parliament, the organization stresses that the 2024 amendments to the Law “On Protected Areas” must be repealed not only in response to the longstanding concerns raised by citizens and environmental experts, but also in line with the EU–Albania Common Negotiating Position within the framework of Albania’s accession negotiations with the European Union.
The restoration of Law No. 81/2017 an essential step towards re-establishing strong nature protection standards and ensuring the alignment of Albania’s legislation with the European acquis, particularly with the requirements of the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive.
Constructions over recent months have demonstrated, in concrete terms, the consequences of weakened legal protection. Heavy machinery entered the Pishë Poro–Nartë Protected Landscape, where interventions continued for 26 days without a construction permit, causing significant damage to protected habitats and making the urgent need to strengthen the legal protection of nature even more evident.
Following this situation, the European Parliament also responded by overwhelmingly adopting Amendment 17, which, alongside calling for the repeal of the 2024 amendments to the Law “On Protected Areas”, called for an urgent moratorium on construction and the issuance of new permits within Protected Areas.
Nevertheless, we express the concern that the Albanian Parliament has yet to take the necessary steps to address these demands.
Through its open letter, we therefore call on Members of the Albanian Parliament to:
- urgently initiate the parliamentary discussions and procedures required to repeal the 2024 amendments to the Law “On Protected Areas”;
- restore Law No. 81/2017, as a legal framework more closely aligned with European standards for nature protection;
- address the call for an urgent moratorium on construction and new permits within Protected Areas; and
- fulfil their responsibility to ensure that public decision-making and economic development do not come at the expense of the country’s natural heritage.
The protection of Protected Areas cannot remain an issue postponed from one parliamentary session to the next. Restoring a strong legal framework for nature protection is, at the same time, an obligation towards citizens, Albania’s natural heritage, and the country’s commitments in the EU accession process.
In its letter, we call on Members of Parliament to demonstrate concrete engagement and take action within the Albanian Parliament, and expects this issue to receive the institutional attention and action warranted by the urgency of the situation.
The full open letter addressed to the Members of Parliament is available here: Open Letter to Members of Parliament
Photo Copyright Roland Lleshi 
