Second Environmental Performance Review of Albania

52 Part I: Policymaking, planning and implementationresponsibilities in the area of the environment. TheCommittee ceased to exist with the approval of theECS in 2007. To integrate environmental issues intoministerial documents in a coherent and permanentmanner, and to build upon the ECS, the InterministerialEnvironment Committee was recentlyestablished by MoEFWA with support from the OneUN Programme. A number of other platforms havebeen established to address MEA implementation,e.g. the National Council for Nature and Biodiversityunder the CBD and the National Coordination Boardfor land desertification or degradation under the UNConvention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).Many of these platforms ceased to function after afew meetings.One of the possible roots of weak cooperation islimited information and knowledge, at national,regional and local levels, of the scope of andobligations deriving from most MEAs. Occasionalcommunication with regional and local authorities onenvironmental matters leads to conflicts, e.g. in theNational Council for Territorial Adjustment. Thesereflect disagreements between MoEFWA, which isaiming to extend the natural protected areas, and thelocal authorities interested in tourism development inthe coastal zone. Local administrations participatesporadically in the implementation of specific MEAsthrough developing local action plans.4.3 Environment-related partnershipsCooperation platforms with the EUThe former Regional Environmental ReconstructionProgramme for South-East Europe (REReP) initiativehad been providing an important cooperationplatform for the countries in South-Eastern Europe(SEE), bringing them together and facilitatinginteraction with the international financial institutions(IFIs), the EC, the EU Member States and otherbilateral donors. Between 2000 and 2008, projectsworth nearly €55 million have been implemented inthe region under its umbrella. Major RERePaccomplishments have included the drafting andimplementation of environmental legislation, thestrengthening of environmental institutions andefforts to address priority environmental problems.Albania benefited from and participated in a range ofactivities under REReP including institutionbuilding,cross-border cooperation, civil societybuilding,and biodiversity and health protection.Work under REReP directly related to MEAsincluded the so-called AIMS project (Support to theAcceptance and Implementation of MultilateralEnvironmental Agreements in South-Eastern Europe,2001-2004). The outputs under this project includedcountry assessments on acceptance andimplementation of MEAs, the establishment ofregional networks, and capacity-building workshopsand meetings. Ultimately, this contributed to theratification of new MEAs by SEE countries and totheir better implementation.At the end of 2009, the REReP programme wastransformed into a new mechanism, the RegionalEnvironmental Network for Accession (RENA).Cooperation between countries through RENA isfocused on priority areas for approximation to the EUenvironmental and climate acquis. The projectactivities are implemented through several workinggroups. Working Group 3, Cross-border Cooperationand Multilateral Environmental Agreements, aims toincrease capacity and strengthen cooperation onissues of transboundary importance, specifically onnature protection, water management and MEAs. Agap assessment of draft legislation related to theConvention on Environmental Impact Assessment ina Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention), theAarhus Convention and the Basel Convention on theControl of Transboundary Movements of HazardousWastes and their Disposal is planned within thisframework. MoEFWA participated in the meetings ofthe RENA Working Groups in 2010 and 2011.Partnerships to improve the management ofshared natural resources and ecosystemsAlbania’s transboundary bilateral and trilateralcooperation is primarily focused on the integratedmanagement and conservation of transboundarynatural resources and ecosystems. Important progresshas been made on the protection of transboundarylakes shared with neighbouring countries, such aslakes Ohrid, Prespa and Shkoder.The Joint Commission on Boundary Waters withGreece was created in accordance with the 2003agreement between the Governments of Albania andGreece to create an Albanian–Greek permanentcommission on boundary freshwaters. The jointcommission discusses common issues arising fromboundary waters and issues of energy, irrigation,pollution, environmental elements.Cooperation between Albania and the formerYugoslav Republic of Macedonia on Lake Ohrid wasformalized through the Agreement for the Protectionand Sustainable Development of Lake Ohrid and itsWatershed in 2004. The Lake Ohrid WatershedCommittee was established in 2005. The Agreementfor the Protection and Sustainable Development ofthe Lake Shkoder was signed in 2008 by Albania andMontenegro. It serves, inter alia, as the legal