A joint press release and letters have been sent by 33 civil society organisations from 26 countries to the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, the European Commission and the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The members and partners of the Mediterranean Wetlands Alliance urge the pertinent authorities to consider alternatives for the location of Vlora airport, as the area of the Narta lagoon where it is planned to be built is a natural treasure of priceless value both for Albania and for the whole world.
The NGOs’ concerns were confirmed by a team from the Bern Convention, which visited the site for inspection. The Bern Convention for the Conservation of European Wildlife has called for the suspension of airport construction works in the protected area of the Aoos/Vjosa-Narta lagoon in Albania, which is an important stopover for thousands of birds migrating between Europe and Africa every year, until a valid environmental impact assessment has been carried out, which should meet international technical, scientific and methodological criteria.
Read the full press release here.
