TIRANA, June 9/ATA/ Prime Minister Edi Rama stated today that Zvërnec development zone has always been a Category V protected landscape, a classification that aligns with European standards which permit development in certain types of protected areas.
At a press conference at the Premier’s headquarters with journalists and media representatives from European Union countries, Rama stated that the goal is not choosing between nature and development, but innovating so that one fuels the other.
“This approach is purely ideological; global best practices demand we find innovative ways to harmonize development with ecological preservation,” Rama said.
However, Rama admitted that, “Environmental destruction has walked hand-in-hand with economic development.”
“The country emerged from communism as the poorest country in Europe, even compared to other former communist countries. We were isolated from both the West and the East. For 50 years, we were forced to be a country where there was no private property in any way or form,” Rama added.
Meanwhile, Rama said that present-day Albania is one of the countries with the largest area of protected zones.
“Nobody can give us a lecture on the environment because we drafted the first law, the first map of Albania’s protected areas in 2017 and the first register and inventory. We inherited a baseline where less than 15% of the land was protected, whereas today that figure has reached about 25%.”, he added.
Rama stressed that the Socialist Party came into government with a very clear agenda for the environment.
“In 2024, we updated our guidelines to clearly define what is and isn’t permitted across Europe’s various levels of environmental protection. Unlike strict Category 1 nature reserves, which remain completely untouched, the area we are discussing has always been designated as a Category 5 protected landscape. It is strictly protected, inviolable, and will absolutely not be developed or altered,” Rama said.
According to him, “The largest number of the best architects in the world are working together on this project.”
“You will not find this kind of focus anywhere else in Europe. Our goal is to bring high quality and beauty to this country, creating lasting, positive change,” Rama added. /r.e/p.s./
