Hoxha: Amendments to the Law on the Environment bring standards closer to those of the EU

The Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, Muhamet Hoxha, presented to Parliament a proposal to amend the Law on the Environment. The initiative provides for the incorporation of Directive 2014/52/EU, with the aim of aligning domestic legislation with that of the European Union.

According to Hoxha, the necessary changes to the legal framework have not been made since 2014. He emphasized that updating the law is important both for the European integration process and for strengthening environmental protection.

The proposed amendments provide for assessments of the environmental impact of projects to also take climate-related consequences into account. At the same time, they aim to strengthen biodiversity conservation and improve preventive measures for projects that may be affected by the risks of natural disasters.

The draft law also introduces the possibility of electronic public access to environmental information. This measure is intended to increase transparency and make it easier for citizens to obtain environment-related data.

Minister Hoxha said that implementing these amendments would significantly improve the system’s preparedness for environmental protection and help harmonize domestic standards with the requirements of the European Union.

Overall, the amendments aim to create a more modern mechanism for assessing environmental impact, paying greater attention to climate change, biodiversity, risk prevention and transparency.