Second Environmental Performance Review of Albania

The new 2011 Law on Environmental Permitting, No. 10440, establishes a new and special procedure forenvironmental permitting in Albania. It establishes measures for permitting the operation of certain groups ofpolluting activities, measures designed to prevent or, where that is not practicable, to reduce emissions to theair, water and land from such activities, including measures concerning waste. In practice, the environmentalquality standards are not clearly determined and the major pollutants are not detected. The air and water qualitystandards are under preparation. Standards for vehicle emissions and the quality of fuels have been prepared buta lot of effort is needed for their implementation.The 2004 Guidelines of MoPWTT and MoEFWA, on Permitted Values of Atmospheric Polluting Elements inthe Environment Resulting from Gas Emissions and Noises Caused by Vehicles and the Ways for ControllingThem, No. 6527, in effect since 08.06.2005 (Official Journal, 2005/Mars, No. 9, p. 388), were amended by2010 Guidelines on Amendments and Addenda to 2004 Guidelines on Permitted Values of AtmosphericPolluting Elements in the Environment Resulting from Gas Emissions and Noises Caused by Vehicles and theWays for Controlling Them, No. 6527, No. 12, accompanied by the Manual of Vehicles Control. Monitoring ofatmospheric pollution from the release of gases resulting from motor vehicles, is undertaken by entities whichcontrol the roads (General Road Directorate, municipalities, regions, etc.).The 2007 DCM on the Quality of Petrol and Diesel Fuels, No. 147, determines standards and technicalspecifications relating to health and environmental conditions for fuels to be used by vehicles. It partiallytransposes Directive 98/70/EC on the quality of petrol and diesel fuels, and 2007 Common Order on Gatheringand Maintaining Data Related to Fuels’ Quality, in compliance with the requirements of Directive 98/70/EC,No. 6.According to DCM No. 147, the content of sulphur in fuels is expected to be decreased by grades, mainly foreconomic, financial and social reasons, as follows:• As of 1 January 2009, the content of sulphur in gasoil has been decreased fivefold (from 50 mg/kg to10mg/kg);• From 1 January 2009 until 31 December 2010, the content of sulphur in diesel fuels will havedecreased almost sixfold (from 2000 mg/kg to 350 mg/kg);• From 1 January 2011, the content of sulphur in diesel fuels will decrease 35-fold (from 350 mg/kg to 10mg/kg).The quality of fuel is controlled by the Central Technical Inspectorate (CTI), in accordance with the 1999 LawOn Processing, Shipping and Commercialising Oil, Natural Gas, and their By-products, No. 8450, amendedwith 2004 Law No. 9218, (Official Journal, No. 30, 19.05.2004, p. 2509), and the2004 Order of the Minister ofEconomy, Trade and Energy, On Quality Control, Sampling, Quantity of Sample, Respective Payments andDocumentation, as well as Controls in Respect of Technical Norms and Conditions at Oil, Gas, and Their Byproducts’Installations, No. 166. The CTI extracts samples from each shipment of fuel products enteringAlbania by sea or land, to conduct quality analysis.Test results are documented. The same procedure is followed for domestically produced gasoil. The ICTconducts periodic controls and year-round surveys at all retail dispensers of gasoil, diesel and liquid propanegas, and at all wholesale storage sites for oil and gas products. A Draft DCM On the Quality of Certain LiquidFuels for Thermal Use as well as the Use on Water Transport Means (Sea, River, Lake) transposes CouncilDirective 1999/32/EC of 26 April 1999 relating to a reduction in the sulphur content of certain liquid fuels, andamending Directive 93/12/EEC as amended by Regulations (EC) 1882/2003 and (EC) 219/2009 and Directives2005/33/EC and 2009/30/EC. The responsible institution for the drafting of this Decision is MoETE, incooperation with MoEFWA, based on the 2011 Common Order on Establishing the Working Group forPreparation of the Relevant Juridical Acts, No. 592,. It is foreseen that it will be approved in 2012.Recommendation 2.2:Enforcement of environmental legislation needs to be improved by strengthening the Regional EnvironmentalAgencies and establishing an independent inspectorate at national level to coordinate the regional inspectorsand improve collaboration with other inspectorates. The Regional Environmental Agencies should bestrengthened with training, equipment and operational means.155