TIRANA, July 16 /ATA/Democratic Party MP Jorida Tabaku, who also chairs the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Mass Media, said today that the government has approved a law allowing agricultural land to be used for the construction of wind and photovoltaic power plants.
In a social media post, Tabaku said agricultural land is being made available for renewable energy investments “without criteria, principles or clear rules,” adding that European integration is being used as an argument to justify the legal changes.
According to the Democratic Party lawmaker, the European integration process requires the protection of agricultural land and support for the farming sector, rather than legal changes that, she said, favour specific interests. She also questioned whether there were concrete requests for the construction of wind or photovoltaic parks that had prompted the amendment of the law.
“This issue is certainly connected to the integration process, as we must ensure that agriculture remains a priority, that the environment is protected and that agricultural land is preserved. However, that is not what is happening here. They are simply using European integration as a pretext to advance their next set of interests. Is there any specific request for wind or photovoltaic parks that has prompted this legal amendment?” she said.
Tabaku also addressed the state of the agricultural sector, saying that funding for agriculture has declined, while the sector’s contribution to the economy has fallen from around 20% to 15% of gross domestic product (GDP) and, according to her, continues to decrease.
“IPARD funds are missing from the agricultural sector, while Albanian products are finding it increasingly difficult to compete in foreign markets. Due to the euro’s depreciation by around 30%, they have lost competitiveness, leaving Albanian farmers struggling to survive,” Tabaku said.
In conclusion, the Democratic Party lawmaker said the government is changing laws to serve specific interests rather than support farmers or protect agricultural land.
“It is taking measures for its next set of clients, changing laws whenever the interests to be favoured change. The same is happening with the sale and transfer of agricultural land. There is no such requirement from the European Union. It is simply the demand of the next client. This is the system we need to change: a Parliament that has been turned into a notary for business interests,” Tabaku said.
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