The European Parliament today adopted the Albania 2025 report with 483 votes in favour. The report, prepared by MEP Andreas Schieder, had previously been approved by the Foreign Affairs Committee. Before the vote, MEPs rejected the amendment concerning tourism projects in the protected areas of Vjosa-Narta and Sazan Island.
The European Parliament is calling for an immediate moratorium on any new permits and development in protected areas, as well as the repeal of the 2024 legal changes that allowed tourism investments in these territories.
MEPs express concern about developments in the Vjosa-Nartë area and demand that Albania harmonize its legislation with European environmental protection standards. According to the resolution, any new interventions in protected areas should be suspended until these standards are met.
The resolution comes at a time when citizen protests against construction in Nartë and Zvërnec have entered their third week, while European institutions have warned that respecting environmental rules is part of the obligations that Albania must fulfill on its path to membership in the European Union.
The amendment states:
“The European Parliament deeply regrets the fact that the 2015 Albanian Law “On Strategic Investments” has been extended, given that its provisions allow for accelerated permit granting procedures and reduced environmental control, which risks negatively impacting protected areas and other environmentally sensitive areas.
Parliament calls for the repeal of the 2024 amendments to the Law on Protected Areas, which allow for the development of large-scale tourism infrastructure within protected areas and transfer key governance and decision-making powers to the National Territorial Council, thereby weakening environmental oversight.
Parliament also expresses concern about the Albanian government's agreement with Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners company for the development of a luxury tourist project on Sazan Island and in the Vjosa-Nartë protected area.
Parliament calls for support for the anti-corruption investigation currently being conducted by SPAK in this context.
It is also requested that the right to peaceful protest be guaranteed and that it not face repression by private security companies, as occurred during the clashes recorded at the end of May 2026.
46. Expresses deep regret at the fact that the Albanian Law of 2015 “On Strategic Investments” has been extended, given that its provisions enable accelerated permit granting procedures and reduce environmental control, which risks having a negative impact on protected areas and other environmentally sensitive areas.
Calls for the repeal of the 2024 amendments to the Law on Protected Areas, which allow for the development of large-scale tourism infrastructure within protected areas and transfer key governance and decision-making powers to the National Territorial Council, thereby weakening environmental oversight and control.
