Albanian citizens and environmentalists protested at the weekend over the construction of a new airport on the edge of a protected area, a project the European Union says violates national and international biodiversity protection laws.
Vlora Airport has been heralded as a massive boost to tourism. Still, its location on the Vjose-Narta Lagoon, smack bang in the flight path of various migratory birds, has caused outrage amongst those involved in preserving the country’s natural gems.
“For those who think this airport will bring development, in reality, this airport will bring only destruction,” Alben Kola, a tour guide and activist, told Reuters.
The EU has said the project, which is due to be complete by the end of 2024, goes against crucial agreements and laws on protecting biodiversity. Furthermore, the committee of the Bern Convention has insisted Albania suspend the works.
“This shows that this nature wealth belongs not only to us but to the whole of Europe, and foreign governments are doing more to protect it than we do,” said activist Joni Vorpsi.
In November, activists filed a lawsuit over the airport’s construction, a suit ultimately rejected by the court.
NGOs Albanian Ornithological Society, the Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania, with support from Euronatur, officially announced the submission of a lawsuit to the Administrative Court to challenge the administrative process for the realisation of the project.
They claimed the project and its construction is illegal and highlight it is taking place in one of the country’s most essential and highly biodiverse wetlands.
Aleksandër Trajçe, the executive director of the PPNEA organisation, said, “It is inconceivable that such a large infrastructure would be built inside a protected area, the purpose of which is precisely to prevent such projects from being built inside these areas.”
He added, “If this project progresses with all the irregularities that have been evidenced by many local and foreign experts, then the entire network of protected areas of Albania is at risk for the future. Nothing can further stop investments in grey infrastructure in protected areas and destroy the ecological integrity and natural heritage we must preserve for future generations.”
Vlora Airport is being built by a consortium led by a company owned by Kosovo politician Behgjet Pacolli and a Turkish conglomerate tied to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the government said it would create some 27,000 jobs.
The companies involved in the project say the airport’s operation will not impact bird migration as the runway will be between 3.5km and 5km away from the bird sanctuary and migration routes.
Kola wrote on Facebook that “the Albanian government continues to fail to implement the international conventions it has signed! This airport continues work without construction permits.”
The European Commission said Tirana’s approval of Vlora International Airport violated both national laws and international conventions.
The development “is in contradiction with existing national laws for protected areas and with international conventions on biodiversity protection that Albania has ratified,” the European Union’s delegation to Albania said in a previous statement.
(Alice Taylor | Exit.al)
Source: euractiv.com
