Second Environmental Performance Review of Albania

49Chapter 4IMPLEMENTATION OF INTERNATIONALAGREEMENTS AND COMMITMENTS4.1 Main developments since the first 4.2 Framework for international cooperationEnvironmental Performance Reviewon environmentThe first EPR of 2002 revealed a rapid expansion ofAlbania’s international obligations in the 1990s. Theturn of the century marked a change in this context,most factors being beneficial to a furtherstrengthening of international relations.In particular, the perspective of EU integration hascontributed to Albania’s progress in implementinginternational commitments.Since 2002, several bilateral environmentalagreements and memoranda of understanding havebeen signed. Bilateral cooperation with neighbouringcountries on environmental protection andmanagement of transboundary waters has beensignificantly strengthened.Following the EPR’s recommendation, the 2007Environmental Cross-cutting Strategy (ECS)outlined, inter alia, the environmental priorities forinternational cooperation.Having demonstrated a strong commitment toenvironmental protection in the international context,the Government has been quite proficient in theadoption of policies and legislation but much lessconvincing in fulfilling its international obligations inpractical terms. MoEFWA’s capacity forimplementing international commitments remainsinsufficient. Inter-institutional cooperation andcoordination still needs improvement.International partners and donors have providedsignificant support over the review period to the pointof becoming a predominant source of environmentalexpenditure. For instance, in 2007-2008, externalfunding accounted for more than 50 per cent ofpublic investments in the environmental sector(Chapter 5).The Government made efforts to ensure that theOfficial Development Assistance (ODA) received bythe country was administered in an effective manner.The framework for Albania’s internationalcooperation on environmental matters has beenevolving, mostly positively, over the reviewedperiod. It has been driven by several contextualfactors of which the perspective of integration intothe EU has been the strongest. The convergence withthe EU acquis is one of the main drivers for adoptinghigh environmental standards and ensuringcompliance with MEAs.Policy frameworkThe Government defines the process of Europeanintegration as an absolute priority of its developmentstrategy, foreign policy and domestic reforms. Inaddition, this process is a key driver of environmentalpolicies. A new European partnership with Albaniawas adopted by the Council of the European Union in2008. Environmental priorities contained in thissgreement call, inter alia, for implementation ofMEAs to which Albania is a Party.The following short-term priorities concerning theenvironmental sector were included in thePartnership:• Strengthen administrative capacity andcoordination at national and local levels;• Fully implement legislation on EIA;• Adopt a further strategy to approximateenvironmental legislation with the acquis andimplement existing legislation properly,especially as regards enforcement;• Continue to address environmental hotspots atthe Sharra solid waste landfill and the Patos–Marinez oil extraction area;• Further develop and implement the nationalwater and sanitation strategy and the ruralstrategy for water supply and sewerage, anddevelop and start implementing a strategy forprogressive approximation to the acquis in thearea of water supply and sanitation;• Implement international conventions on natureprotection to which Albania is party.