Local and international stakeholders gathered in Durres, Albania, on 19 February to discuss preservation, protection and exploitation of the marine environment, which is essential to support blue growth, and the wide range of sectors involved, from fishery, aquaculture, maritime transport, coastal, marine and maritime tourism.
Environmental protection, risk-reduction and resilience are key priorities in the CEI thematic agenda, and efforts to provide resources and to offer opportunities to our Member States are ensured by the CEI- Executive Secretariat (CEI-ES). Protecting waters and marine eco-systems provides support to blue-economy, growth and citizens’ well-being.
The meeting was opened by the Albanian National Coordinator, Antonela Dhimolea, who recalled the priorities pursued by the former Albanian CEI Presidency in 2024, namely the European integration of non-EU CEI member countries and the support to Ukraine. Dhimolea also highlighted the CEI crucial role as a forum for open dialogue, partnership and action, in relation to the European Integration process.
The initiative was also welcomed by Stefano Salmaso, from the Embassy of Italy to Albania, who praised the strong relationship between Italy and Albania. This is crucial for commercial exchange, economic growth and tourism, based on constant cooperation as well as through common projects implemented at regional level, other than bilateral exchanges; Andrea Ferrero from the EU Delegation in Albania, who underlined the contribution of projects such as ASAP, TREASURE and TRUE BLUE in supporting Albania on its path towards EU integration, with specific focus on environment and tourism, a sector this latter which is rapidly increasing importance in the Albanian economy. Therefore, he welcomed the CEI support in protecting marine environment and biodiversity.
The joint event in Durres was co-organised by the CEI-ES, with support from local partners, the Port Authority of Durres, the Institute for Sustainable Development, Environment and Tourism (InSET), the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, and the General Maritime Directorate of Albania, in cooperation with the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS and the Agency for the Sustainable Development of Empolese Valdelsa (ASEV). It was made possible thanks to three different projects, either managed or financed by the CEI-ES.
Synergies were created between the Interreg Euro-MED TREASURE (aiming to improve environmental quality in and around Mediterranean ports by mitigating and reducing sediment and water pollution), the Interreg IPA ADRION ASAP (aiming to enhance maritime protection against pollutant spills, especially in large-scale accidents that cannot be managed by a single country) and the Know-how Exchange Programme - KEP Project TRUE BLUE.
The CEI support to Training and Research to Unlock and Enhance the potential of sustainable BLUE Economy for regional cooperation and EU integration, and common challenges explored, among others, the need to safeguard healthy and functional ecosystems, prioritising water quality, from the risks connected to anthropic activities (port areas becoming accumulation sites for pollutants; growing maritime transport sector contributing to pollution both caused by navigation, and by the consequences of accidents at sea; over-exploitation of marine resources caused by seasonal tourism).
In the framework, of the TRUE BLUE project, financed by the CEI-ES through the KEP, the panel discussion Challenges to achieve sustainable blue economy in Albania: prioritizing water quality from green ports to sustainable tourism was organised by the OGS. After the introduction on the state of the art of sustainable tourism in Albania by InSET, representatives from Croatian, Italian and Slovenian research organisations (the Institute of Oceanography & Fisheries (IOR) in Split, the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) and the University of Ljubljana) contributed to the debate, presenting best practices and scientific evidence on the protection of waters.
In the context of the analysis performed by the Interreg IPA Adrion ASAP project, led by the CEI-ES, further opportunities for discussion was offered to Albanian stakeholders who were involved in the evaluation of the risk in Albania, as part of the overall risk assessment for the Adriatic Sea. Under the guidance of the OGS, participants were asked to identify environmental priorities and the most sensitive areas to be protected in case of a big-scale accident at sea, with the final aim of providing operational indications when response actions have to be activated.
Such a cooperative structure, combining several projects and CEI-led activities, was already used in Bosnia-Herzegovina for the TRUE BLUE and ASAP event in Sarajevo on 10 October 2024. A similar event will be organised in Montenegro in June 2025 where a coordinated approach to marine protection and maritime safety will be stimulated onec again, by offering a platform where national and international actors can discuss and develop common strategies.
For more info: marconato@cei.int (EU Projects); Dovier@cei.int (KEP)
