Following the publication of an international assessment on the country’s environmental state, Prime Minister Edi Rama assessed that Albania has made progress in preserving ecosystems, but many challenges still remain.
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Referring to the perception created in public opinion, Rama underlined that for a long period the idea had been formed that our country was at war with its own natural resources, while the data show a completely different picture.
“For weeks, the idea spread that Albania was turning into the enemy of its environment. It was talked and written about endlessly, millions of images, criticisms and superficial conjectures circulated. The noise seemed to have defeated the truth, but the facts speak differently,” he stressed.
He drew attention to the fact that the Environmental Performance Index 2026, which is the most important global measure of environmental efficiency, ranks Albania at the top of the Western Balkans, in the 46th position out of 177 states globally and with the most significant regional advancement in the last decade.
In terms of halting climate change, Albania ranks 21st in the world. The Prime Minister clarified that these are not self-assessments, but conclusions of international and academic institutions, which for 25 years have measured with consensus and unified methodology the environmental performance of nations.
Nevertheless, Rama admitted that what satisfies him more than the ranking is the path traveled. He recalled the not-so-distant times when Albania suffered from massive deforestation, uncontrolled hunting, species extinction, and the transformation of rivers into waste dumps, while the state often lacked the capacities, the tools, or even the proper conscience to protect nature.
“Today we are a country transformed also in this direction. We have even reached the point where large environmental protests are organized, and regardless of exaggerations or political uses that may accompany them, this reality constitutes a great social success. The fact that so many citizens feel concern for flamingos, lagoons, forests and biological diversity shows that along with the new Albania, society itself has evolved. This is a victory of civilization,” he declared.
The Prime Minister argued that a society that debates the fate of the environment stands far above one that silently accepts its degradation, as happened ten years ago. For this reason, he never considers as opponents people who truly love nature, even when he does not share the same viewpoint with them. According to him, these individuals serve as a reminder that development must not become an alibi for neglecting the heritage of the past and the responsibility towards future generations.
Rama posed the question whether this index means that everything has been done properly and gave his own answer: “Certainly not. He who works, makes mistakes; he who builds, faces difficult alternatives, including wrong choices.”
He openly admitted that his governance has also made mistakes and there are still many lessons to learn and aspects to improve. Therefore, the report should not be seen as a trophy for self-satisfaction or as an argument to throw in the face of dissenters, but as a great responsibility and an incentive to listen more, to correct faster where needed, and to protect with greater force the balance between progress and nature, never setting aside facts.
In conclusion, the Prime Minister stressed that the European Albania is not built by placing the economy against ecology, but by making everything move in parallel: development, environment, and truths. If the world confirms today such a long and positive path, the smart answer does not lie in boasting, but in the humility to accept the road that remains and the determination to travel it better than so far. This is the obligation towards Albania and his commitment after a report that makes him proud of the achievements, but which at the same time assures him that the promise to reflect on the events reflected on the flamingo boulevard is not just appropriate, but irreplaceable and will materialize very soon.
