Second Environmental Performance Review of Albania

172The Inter-ministerial Working Group on Planning (IWGP) has been composed of high-level decision-makers(at the level of Deputy Ministers) from MoPWTT (chair), MoETE, MoEFWA and the Ministry of Tourism,Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (MoTCYS). The IWGP continued operating during project implementation.Later, the Project Steering Committee (PSC) was appointed, which is responsible for providing overall projectoversight, reviewing project progress and assisting in resolving obstacles to project implementation. The PSC isalso composed of high-level decision-makers (at the level of Deputy Ministers) from MoPWTT, Ministry ofFinance (MoF), MoTCYS, MoI, MoAFCP and MoEFWA (represented by the Advisor to the Minister), alongwith the Mayor of Himara Municipality and the Deputy Mayors of Durrës Municipality and SarandaMunicipality. The Deputy Minister of MoPWTT is the Head of the PSC.Recommendation 11.2The Government should address the problem of illegal building along the coast, giving special attention tomeasures to eradicate existing illegal buildings along the coast.The problem of illegal building along the coast has been addressed by the Albanian Government over the years.Especially in the frame of the South Coast Development Project of the World Bank, a number of campaignswere undertaken for the demolition of illegal buildings, in cooperation with the National UrbanisticConstruction Inspectorate.Recommendation 11.3:The Ministry of Environment should develop and implement appropriate instruments to achieve the sustainablemanagement of coastal resources. Special importance should be given to the improvement of the monitoringsystems, particularly regular monitoring of beach water quality.Some projects were carried out in the major resorts. Responsibilities have changed since the first EPR. TheICZMCP will serve as a pilot project and will be extended to other parts of the coastal zone.Regular monitoring of beach water quality is achieved through the annual monitoring programme supervised bythe Agency of Environment and Forests (AEF). IPH carries out beach water monitoring, according to theprovisions of the DCM On the Monitoring in the Republic of Albania, No. 1189, of November 2009.Recommendation 11.4:The National Water Council, the Ministry of Territorial Adjustment and Tourism and the Ministry ofEnvironment should work to improve waste-water treatment and solid waste management in large coastalcities, and prevent hazardous materials pollution, in order to reduce pollution from land-based sources.Under the ICZMCP, a wastewater treatment plant will be constructed in Himara Municipality. A feasibilitystudy is currently being carried out. The ICZMCP will support the development of modern waste managementfacilities and services in the southern coastal zone of Albania. Specifically, it will support the construction of aregional sanitary landfill (i.e. a disposal facility for non-hazardous solid waste) in Bajkaj (near Saranda) inaccordance with EU standards and directives, to fully comply with approved national strategies and plans forthe construction of regional landfills in Albania. The proposed landfill construction aims at improvingenvironmental conditions and will allow to close the existing operational dumpsite in Saranda. In addition, theproject will include the construction of a transfer station close to Himara Municipality.Recommendation 11.5:The Ministry of Territorial Adjustment and Tourism, assisted by the Ministry of Environment, should implementthe sustainable tourism development plan, including the preparation of carrying-capacity assessments for the most attractive tourist locations.Some assessments were carried out, the results of which were taken into consideration in the ICZMCP.