TIRANA, Sept. 25 /ATA/ – Main opposition Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker Ina Zhupa on Friday filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court against a government decision changing the protection status of the Pishë Poro-Nartë area in southern Albania, saying the move could allow construction in parts of the protected territory.
Zhupa, who chairs parliament’s Committee on Culture, Tourism and Diaspora, said the decision changes the area’s classification from a Category IV managed nature reserve to a Category V protected landscape, while reducing its size from 5,551 hectares and removing previous zoning restrictions.
She said the changes also eliminate core zones where construction had been prohibited.
“In practice, this means that not only is the area being moved from Category IV to Category V, but the sub-zones have also been removed, meaning that construction could take place anywhere in Pishë Poro-Nartë,” Zhupa said.
Zhupa said the opposition had taken the case to the Constitutional Court to assess the decision against European Union standards, as protests over the changes continued.
She also said the EU had raised concerns that the changes were inconsistent with Albania’s Stabilisation and Association Agreement and EU standards.
The Constitutional Court will determine whether the government decision complies with the Constitution and applicable legal obligations.
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