New Law on Protected Areas Adopted

TIRANA, April 20

The new law on protected areas was adopted during the recent meeting of the Council of Ministers. It includes several novelties regarding legal definitions and penalties for those who damage protected areas.
According to the law, physical and juridical persons that acquired the right to exercise specific activities in protected areas based on agreements, contracts or permits may continue their activity in the case when they don’t break the law. Moreover, the new law defines possible cases when an agreement modification can take place even if the subjects are equipped with an environmental permit.
“In the case when the law suspends an activity with an environmental permit or when the activity fails to meet the legal requirements the National Administration of Protected Areas requires the subject to shut down its activity and to rehabilitate the area,” the new law says.
When similar cases are noticed, the subject has the right to submit within three months a request for displacing its activity or to make other improvements.
If the request is denied, the subject has to close its activity and complete the necessary environmental rehabilitation within 12 months. If the subject fails to meet deadlines or comply with the set requirements, it will be qualified as environmental perpetrators.
Moreover, the law also defines fines and penalties. It says that subjects that exercise their activity without an environmental permit can be fined Lek 1 million to 2million.

News Source: Scan