"Builders in Albania will contribute to the green fund"/ Rama: Protected areas, a sustainable economic source

2025-12-05 11:48:00, Politikë CNA

"Builders in Albania will contribute to the green fund"/ Rama:

Prime Minister Edi Rama announced that a new legal measure has come into force that obliges all those who build in Albania to contribute to the green fund, an initiative aimed at environmental protection and sustainable development.

Rama emphasized the importance of using technology, especially for seedling reproduction, including the possibility of using artificial intelligence to maximize the efficiency of this process.

"We have intervened legally to bring about an innovation that has just entered into force regarding the obligation of all those who build in Albania to contribute to the green fund.

"Another necessary element is the empowerment with technology in terms of seedling production. There are new opportunities today in this regard and the plan of the Ministry of Environment is to use this opportunity as well as the immense potential of putting AI into use," said Rama.

He added that protected areas are not an obstacle to economic development, but on the contrary can be a new source of income for local communities. Albania has over 1 million hectares of protected areas, and these territories can be better managed to unleash their economic potential without harming nature.

According to the Prime Minister, the Agency for Protected Areas has quadrupled its revenues in the last 3-4 years, mainly through the electronic revenue management system, and this model will be extended to the entire territory.

Rama also emphasized the connection of this focus with Albania's EU membership efforts and the aim to close technical negotiations in 2027. He noted that environmental requirements and standards are maximum, underlining the need for a new, nature-based economy that will play a key role in the country's sustainable development.

"Another thing that time has shown best, but we should try to show even better to people, is the fact that protected areas are not obstacles to economic development and income.

They need to be properly managed in terms of revenue collection. The revenue from protected areas can be significant and can function as a new source of income for those communities that live within those territories. We have over 1 million hectares included in the total territory of protected areas.

It is not enough to say this in general terms, what is needed is to delve deeper and more thoroughly into this entire territory, which encompasses over 1 million hectares, to see how in every part of it the potential for economic development is right there without the need to intervene with developments that do more harm than truly bring sustainable development in the long term.

The Agency for Protected Areas has quadrupled its revenues in the last 3-4 years alone. If you look at where the revenues come from, it is clear that the potential is greater. They come from three points.

The electronic revenue management system has brought a qualitative step that makes it necessary to extend this system throughout the territory.

I want to say that in these years ahead, which coincide with the historic moment of the accession efforts and with the announced goal of closing technical negotiations with the EU in 2027, the focus on the environment, forests and protected areas, the strengthening of a new nature-based economy will be much greater than today, and because the challenge related to those parts of the negotiations that affect the environment is the most difficult of all because the requirements and standards are maximum. Beyond the improvements, if we start from where we started, we are far behind if we calculate where we need to reach and where we will reach in a very short time, "the Prime Minister declared. / CNA