The project is incompatible with the environmental standards Albania must meet during its EU accession process, which requires it to align national legislation with the EU’s nature protection rules. Albania is not yet part of the EU’s Natura 2000 network of protected sites, but it must progressively bring its own legislation on protected areas into line with EU environmental directives. Vjosa-Narta clearly meets the criteria for inclusion in that network.

The Birds Directive requires EU member states to safeguard areas for protected birds and prevent their disturbance. The greater flamingo, among other species, is strictly protected under the directive’s Annex I list, and the project could disturb the birds during feeding, migration or wintering, damaging their habitat.

The Habitats Directive requires member states to prevent the deterioration of protected habitats and the disturbance of species they protect. Before authorising any project that could significantly affect a Natura 2000 site, authorities must carry out an assessment and can only grant permission if there is no reasonable doubt that the project will not harm the site. Construction at Vjosa-Narta began without any such assessment. Given the site’s international importance for thousands of migratory birds, the project as it stands would fail to meet the directive’s requirements.

Albania’s 2024 Protected Area Law, which amended the 2017 Law on Protected Areas, did the opposite of what EU accession requires. Instead of safeguarding Vjosa-Narta, it stripped the site of its protected status, which is what let the government justify construction there without any prior environmental assessment. The EU’s latest common position on the environment chapter of Albania’s accession negotiations explicitly calls for repealing the law.

On 17 June, the European Parliament passed a resolution raising concerns about the project and calling for a moratorium on new permits and construction in protected areas until the law is brought into line with EU standards. Additionally, the way the destruction was carried out in early May, without any impact assessment, public permit or transparency, breached basic rule of law and transparency requirements under Albanian administrative law, regardless of the site’s protected status.

By allowing airports, energy infrastructure and luxury facilities inside sites with the strictest protection status, Albania also contradicts international conservation frameworks. In September 2025, the International Union for Conservation of Nature adopted a motion calling on Albania to amend the law and restore safeguards against large-scale infrastructure projects.

There’s also an open case under the Bern Convention, an international treaty on wildlife conservation, concerning nearby Vlora International Airport, also built illegally in the Vjosa-Narta protected area. This adds pressure on the government and could offer another route to challenge the 2024 amendments.

The government has consistently dismissed or played down the growing body of scientific evidence on the project’s environmental impacts, while continuing to champion development in the Vjosa-Narta protected area. Rather than respond to the concerns raised by experts, environmental organisations and EU and international bodies, it has denied that the protected area has been altered.

When questioned by Albanian members of parliament and journalists, government representatives claimed the lagoon’s opening had been closed only to build a road needed for ‘environmental surveying’. This explanation doesn’t match the documented physical changes to the site or the ecological damage on the ground.

Despite over 45 consecutive days of protests involving thousands of people, authorities have maintained their support for the project, framing it as a strategic investment and prioritising projected economic benefits over the scientific evidence.

Urgent action is needed. Following public pressure, the construction works that began in early May have been halted and the barbed-wire fences removed. But the government still defends the project, and without continued public pressure and independent scrutiny, works could resume any time.

From the start, we have called for a moratorium on all works within the Vjosa-Narta Protected Area and a halt to any permitting or environmental impact assessments until the 2024 law is repealed. The European Parliament’s vote calling for an immediate moratorium on developments at the site was a welcome step in that direction.

For now, continued citizen mobilisation is attracting international media attention, making it harder for the government to press ahead with the project. But the European Commission and Parliament must go further, making compliance with EU environmental law a non-negotiable condition for EU accession. The Commission should make clear that destroying a protected habitat and giving false information to the European Parliament are incompatible with EU membership.

Even if the project is stopped for good, the ecological damage already caused will need to be fixed. Given the disinformation and lack of transparency surrounding it, a full legal investigation should also be launched to assess violations.

The site’s long-term future should be decided on a scientific basis, in consultation with local communities. The area has exceptional potential for eco-tourism, but this would require developments compatible with its protection, guided by a long-term conservation plan.