OSCE brings Albanian, Montenegrin parliamentary committees together to tackle cross-border environmental issues

SHKODËR, Albania, 5 December 2015 - Two parliamentary committees from Albania and Montenegro met on 5 December 2014 in the Albanian town of Shkodra to discuss cross-border environmental issues. The event was organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania and the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, in partnership with the parliaments of the two countries, with the aim of promoting bilateral co-operation and strengthening the legislative process on environmental issues.  

Albania’s municipality of Shkodra and Montenegro share 210 kilometres of borders – 172 kilometres of land, and 38 kilometres of waters of the Adriatic Sea, Shkodra Lake and rivers.

“Environmental issues do not respect borders, therefore it is important that officials from both countries, including parliamentarians, work together to share experiences and discuss ideas and concrete measures on how to reduce disaster risks, increase environmental protection and improve environmental governance,” said the head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Ambassador Florian Raunig, at the meeting.

The Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, Waldemar Figaj, said: ”The encouraging results of bilateral co-operation, such as joint border patrols initiated in 2008, should be expanded to environmental protection with authorities, civil sector organizations and Aarhus Centres playing their roles, perceiving and treating natural resources of both countries as common heritage that must be preserved for future generations.”

The Chair of Albania’s Parliamentary Committee on Productive Activities, Trade and Environment, Eduard Shalsi, and the Chair of Montenegro’s Parliamentary Committee on Tourism, Agriculture, Ecology and Spatial Planning, Predrag Sekulić, also spoke at the event.

The committees presented two environmental case studies – the first on pollution in Shkodra Lake caused by the illegal dumping of urban and construction waste, and the second on resolving the issue of waste disposal from an aluminium plant with the goal of protecting the Shkodra Lake.

Representatives of the Aarhus Centres of Shkodra, Podgorica and Nikšić – established over the past years with the support of the OSCE – presented cross-border environmental issues from their country’s perspective.

This is the second time that parliamentary committees of Albania and Montenegro have met to discuss issues of mutual concern.  In 2009, the OSCE supported a meeting of two other parliamentary committees focused on European integration.