Second Environmental Performance Review of Albania

Chapter 4: Implementation of international agreements and commitments59Box 4.1: Coastal zone management plansThe World Bank has financed coastal zone management plans for the northern and southern coastal regions, which arecomplementary with the UNEP/Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) Coastal Area Management Programme (CAMP) forAlbania. The World Bank is also implementing the Integrated Coastal Zone Management and Clean-Up Programme, themain goal of which is to protect Albanian coastal ecosystems, resources and cultural assets and to promote theirsustainable development and management. The Southern Coastal Development Plan and Regulations prepared under theproject were approved in the National Council for Territorial Adjustment in July 2008. Preparation of the plan is coupled withcommunity-based investments, from which the first round of coastal village infrastructure investments is underway, includingroads, sewerage facilities and cultural enhancement infrastructure. In addition, the World Bank has been implementing aGEF-financed project for Integrated Water and Ecosystem Management (US$ 5 million) which twinned with the EuropeanInvestment Bank to support the development of three large sewerage treatment plants in coastal areas. The project closedwith an unsatisfactory rating in December 2009, and the plants have yet to be completed owing to delays in Governmentcounterpart financing.Albania participates in the UNEP/MAP–GEF MedPartnership (Strategic Partnership for the Mediterranean Large MarineEcosystem). The MedPartnership works through two lines of action: technical and policy support led by UNEP/MAP(Regional Project), and project financing led by the World Bank (Investment Fund/Sustainable Mediterranean Programme).The project is being implemented in close association with other relevant regional initiatives, such as the Horizon 2020Initiative to depollute the Mediterranean, and the Integrated European Maritime Policy.In line with these international obligations, the NSDIrequires the country to protect the maritimeenvironment through joint activities with theRegional Marine Pollution Emergency ResponseCentre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) inMalta. The Sector Strategy of Transport for theperiod 2008-2013 stresses the need to protect themarine environment and coastal zones, and placesemphasis on enforcement of the MARPOL 73/78Convention. In addition, a number of pieces oflegislation were amended in the period 2007-2009 inorder to align national legislation with EU Regulation1967/2006/EC concerning management measures forthe sustainable exploitation of fishery resources inthe Mediterranean Sea. There are no specificmaritime agreements signed with neighbouringcountries regarding fishing.Several government agencies are involved in theimplementation of marine MEAs. MoEFWA ensuresthe inspection and protection of marine waters. TheAlbanian Coast Guard is also an important player;pursuant to Article 5 of the 2002 Law on the CoastGuard it has the task “... of protecting the marineenvironment ... [and] to enforce legislation onpollution in the coastal and marine environment”.Another body involved in the management of marinewaters and coastal zones is MoPWTT.4.5 UNECE multilateral environmentalagreementsConvention on Long-range TransboundaryAir PollutionAlbania ratified CLRTAP in 2005 and, since 2009,has ratified four of its eight protocols: the firstSulphur Protocol, the NOx Protocol, the secondSulphur Protocol and the Co-operative Programmefor Monitoring and Evaluation of the Long-rangeTransmission of Air Pollutants in Europe (EMEP)Protocol. The draft law on air protection, which is toreplace the 2002 Law on Protection of Air fromPollution, transposes parts of EU measures related toair protection, specifically provisions of the Directive2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air forEurope, including new air quality objectives for fineparticles that are in line with the Gothenburg Protocolof CLRTAP.MoEFWA is responsible for preparing inventories ofpollutant emissions into the atmosphere from allactivities for the purpose of implementing legalobligations. A partial inventory of gas emissions for2004 was prepared within the StEMA project,according to the CORINAIR methodology and theSelected Nomenclature on Atmospheric Pollutants.The project did not succeed, however, in buildingsufficient capacity within MoEFWA and currentlythere is no qualified domestic expert team to updateand follow up on the inventory prepared by StEMA.Thanks to support from the Italian Government, in2011 an emission inventory was compiled for theyear 2008 and available air emission data weresubmitted to EMEP. Funds for another inventory arealso secured. The ongoing IPA Consolidation of theEnvironmental Monitoring System in Albania(CEMSA) project, which is assisting MoEFWA inbuilding an operational Integrated EnvironmentalMonitoring System (IEMS), would build sufficientcapacity. One of the expected project outputs will bethe establishment of an environmental database withquality-assured information produced by monitoringand inventories of major environmentalcompartments which, in turn, would facilitate regular