OSCE Presence-supported International Scientific Conference on Environmental Crime and Security held in Tirana

The 5th International Scientific Conference on Environmental Crime, Environmental Security and National Security, organized by the Albanian Security Academy, in close co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania and the Municipality of Tirana, was held on 11 February 2020 in Tirana.

The discussion focused on ways to strengthen co-ordination and co-operation of all stakeholders involved in the protection of the environment to improve environmental security and reduce environmental crimes in Albania. The goal was to provide further visibility to environmental crimes, share good practices, provide solutions, and provoke reactions from both state institutions and society.

More than 100 representatives of civil society, academia, public institutions, and law enforcement agencies stressed the need for additional human resources, enhanced multi-agency co-operation, and legislative changes to fight this problem.

“The OSCE is proud to support these efforts and other platforms, which bring together relevant actors from different fields to consider the scope and specific nature of environmental crimes, and how to respond to them,” said Deputy Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania Robert Wilton.

Blendi Klosi, Minister of Tourism and Environment, said that fighting environmental crime requires the co-operation of all state and non-state stakeholders and their co-ordinated interaction. “The Ministry has launched several initiatives with its partners to fight environmental crime that the crime is a recognized reality in our country. We are passing some powers in cases of environmental crime to the State Police, so and that it will face the full strength of the law.”

Since 2015, the Presence has supported Albanian authorities in raising capacities and improving their understanding of environmental crime issues by introducing an inter-agency approach to tackling environmental crime issues in a consistent, multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral way.

In 2020, the Presence’s continued engagement in this area will primarily focus on increasing the capacity of and co-ordination among law enforcement agencies to prevent and duly prosecute environmental crimes.