Albania, FYROM and Greece committed to work together for the protection and sustainable development of the Prespa Lakes region
Posted on Thursday, February 4th, 2010
The Trans-boundary Prespa Park, the first such area of the Balkans, was established in February 2000, by a common Declaration of the Prime Ministers of the three countries that share the two lakes, after a relevant recommendation made by the Society for the Protection of Prespa, and WWF Greece, with active support from the Ramsar Convention and MedWet.
Ten years later, on 2nd February 2010 –World Wetlands Day– the official international agreement for the Prespa Park was signed by the three Ministers of the Environment, under the auspices of the European Union (which co-signed the document through its Commissioner on Environment). The agreement ensures effective planning and coordination of the necessary activities for the Park’s uninhibited operation.
In this framework, the three countries committed to establish permanent cooperation structures, so as to develop a common strategy and enforce measures for the protection of both the natural environment and the productive activities practiced by the local inhabitants. The agreement promotes issues of major importance, such as biodiversity protection, the elaboration of a study for the sustainable management of the trans-boundary drainage basin –according to the European Directive for Water– as well as the establishment of a special working group on water management issues.
This agreement also conveys a symbolic message. Starting from the Prespa basin, locals and regional authorities believe that the future of South-eastern Europe lies on the cooperation among people and bridging of their differences, towards a sustainable development and peaceful coexistence.
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