Second Environmental Performance Review of Albania

Chapter 3: Information, public participation and education 37Photo 3.1: Laguna KaravastasaThe institutional structures created at regional level(12 REAs, and six river basin authorities) havepractically no monitoring capability (when assigned),their budgets and human resources being moresymbolic than operational. Furthermore, basic testingequipment for checking the situation in the field orfor taking samples is lacking. IPH operates at thelocal level through its regional network formonitoring both air quality and drinking water.Sampling is done manually and the frequency iswithin normal requirements, although with limitedparameters in comparison with the automaticstations.No clear cooperation links exist (in particular at thelocal level) between, for example, the REAs, thelocal health inspectorates, the food and agricultureinspectorate, GSA offices, etc. for working together,sharing expertise and equipment or performing jointinspection tasks. On the contrary, their relationshipssometimes tend to become competitive.Self-monitoring by enterprises, although anticipatedin law, is hardly ever carried out. The REAs do nothave the necessary resources and equipment to checksuch activities and assess compliance.Since the regional environmental landscape ispopulated by several regional structures (belonging toMoEFWA, MoH, GSA, MoAFCP, etc.) with variousmonitoring abilities, a future partnership, formalisedby law (e.g. association, merger, agreement forcooperation), could be beneficial in order to enhanceboth human and equipment-related capabilities andincrease regional influence in relation to localenterprises, local authorities and other publicorganizations. Although associated within onestructure, environment and forestry activities arecurrently disconnected within the REAs. A jointwork plan (encompassing both environment andforestry), shared budgets and team cooperation onmonitoring and inspection tasks would counteract thecurrent lack of resources and increase the overallposition and role of each agency at the local level.Procedures, intercalibration andaccreditationThe 2011 Law on Environmental Protection makesspecific reference to the role of accreditedlaboratories in performing measurements and testsfollowing standardized procedures (article 53).Concrete steps in this direction have been made forwater issues; in fact, in May 2011, the EFA NationalReference Laboratory (NRL) became the firstaccredited laboratory for water, initially coveringseven parameters. Training is currently taking placefor staff in the laboratory to perform analysis ofheavy metals, as part of a programme under theProgramme for the Assessment and Control ofPollution in the Mediterranean region (MED POL),with the prospect of increasing the number of