TIRANA, June 15 – Albania is preparing a major regulatory reform in the environmental sector through amendments to Law No. 10448, dated 14 July 2011, on Environmental Permits. The proposal, put forward by Minister Sofjan Jaupaj, aims to shift from a pollution-control model to a preventive system aligned with European Union standards. The changes come as Albania advances its EU integration process, targeting Chapter 27 on environment and climate change and aligning with the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED 2.0).
The draft law expands the legal framework by introducing more than 40 new definitions and concepts. It introduces a mandatory Environmental Management System for operators, which requires regular audits. It also introduces a baseline report on soil and groundwater conditions, with operators responsible for restoring sites to their original state after activities end. The proposal also requires industrial transformation plans to guide facilities toward lower greenhouse gas emissions and circular economy standards.
In addition, the Integrated Environmental System will centralize all permits, monitoring results and reports in a public digital database to increase transparency.
The reform restructures the law’s annexes, merging Annexes 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 into a single annex and expanding the system for Type A permits to include new industrial activities and more specific capacity thresholds. According to the explanatory report, the reform marks a shift from traditional pollution control toward a preventive and integrated environmental management approach in line with EU policy principles. Separately, the package foresees seven new laboratories and stricter control mechanisms at border points.
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