Dear Minister, Dear Ambassadors, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very glad to be present here today.

The motto of this campaign, “Albania is biodiversity”, is not just a slogan, it is a reality.

Albania is a true hotspot of European biodiversity.

As a passionate hiker, I have explored many areas of Albania, and I continue to be impressed by the incredible diversity and richness of its nature, be it in the mountains, around its lakes and rivers, on the coast, or in its wetlands. I was told that around 30 per cent of the entire flora species that exist in Europe can be found in Albania only.

This is one of Albania’s greatest assets. This is what makes Albania so attractive in the eyes of so many people across Europe and beyond.

At the same time, as we know, Albania’s biodiversity is under pressure.

It is under pressure from climate change, notably with the recurrence of extreme events such as wildfires or floods, or with the growing erosion along the coastline.

It is under pressure from a number of direct human activities, such as urbanisation, infrastructure development, uncontrolled land use, deforestation, illegal hunting, or water pollution notably due to a lack of sewage treatment.

Building a sustainable model of development for the country – meeting today’s needs without compromising the needs of future generations – should be the way forward.

The benefits are clear, the evidence is overwhelming: a stronger biodiversity increases our resilience to climate change, it enhances our food security, and it contributes to our health and well-being.

The economic opportunity is equally compelling. In many parts of the continent, we are making the painful experience that the economic cost of nature degradation is remarkably high. The benefits of protecting ecosystems by far outweigh the costs of their degradation.

Albania has still a chance to prevent the massive degradation of ecosystems that has occurred in a large part of our continent.

This is why we welcome very much brave decisions such as the recent creation by the government of a Vjosa National Park – this is the way forward.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Albania’s EU integration process offers a strong framework and incentives to ensure a stronger protection of the country’s natural resources.

As we are entering the heart of the negotiation process, Albania will have to accelerate all efforts to align with the EU’s environmental norms and standards.

EU’s legislation ranges from the protection of water, soil and air, and climate, to the regulation of chemicals, as well as NATURA 2000, the ecological network of protected areas, which is Europe’s key instrument to protect biodiversity.

This is one of the biggest challenges of the accession process, as it will demand significant political commitment, substantial investments as well as transformations in people’s habits.

Europe is here to support all these efforts.

I am glad to announce that we are significantly enhancing our partnership with Albania on environment. Only this year, we are launching three new major programmes worth 34.5 million euros:

EU 4 Nature – a €6 million project that will increase the protection of biodiversity in protected areas and further prepare Albania’s protected areas to join the EU’s Natura 2000 network.

EU for Circular Economy: a €31 million project to upgrade waste management, including recycling – a big part of which was inaugurated last week, and to enhance circular economy in Albania.

EU for Rivers – a €7.5 million project to support integrated water management and wastewater pollution reduction in Albania;

However, all these joint efforts will only bear fruit if Albanian citizens are convinced of the vital importance of taking action.

In this regard, I am very much encouraged by the fact that there is a growing public debate and interest in Albania on the issue of environment.

People are increasingly demanding that environmental issues are taken seriously and environmental crime is tackled, at the central as well as local level. More people are asking to be involved in decisions that have an impact on their life environment and on their children’s future.

I would like to pay tribute here to local civil society organisations, such as PPNEA (Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania), who play a key role in raising awareness among the population about these issues, and of ringing alarm bells when environmental protection is neglected.

There is definitely a need to further step up efforts to raise awareness about Albania’s biodiversity and the crucial importance of protecting it.

The “Albania is Biodiversity” campaign is therefore very timely and sends a powerful message.

We are particularly glad that the EU Delegation’s contribution to the campaign will be focused on providing environmental education material to schools across the country. Developing awareness and sensitivity to environment and biodiversity starts at school.

Thank you for your attention.