Law no. 15, dated 8 February 2024 on the Marine Environment Protection Strategy of the Republic of Albania.

This Law has the purpose to achieve and maintain the good environmental status of the marine waters of the Mediterranean Sea, which are under the sovereignty of the Republic of Albania. The object of this Law is the drafting and implementation of the Marine Environment Protection Strategy of the Republic of Albania with the aim of: a) protection and preservation of the marine environment; b) preventing the deterioration of the marine environment; c) restoration of marine ecosystems that have been negatively affected; as well as d) preventing and reducing discharges into the marine environment, with the aim of gradually eliminating pollution, such as defined in point 6 of article 4 of this Law, to ensure that there are no significant impacts or risks to marine biodiversity, marine ecosystems, human health or legal uses of the sea. The provisions of this text shall apply to all marine waters, as defined in Article 4, taking into account of related transboundary impacts on the quality of the marine environment of other states with which the Republic of Albania shares its sovereignty. The provisions of this Law are implemented by the bodies responsible for the management of water resources, for drafting and implementing policies for maritime tourism, for marine protected areas, for biodiversity and monitoring of marine waters. This Law is also partially aligned with the provisions prescribed in the Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy (Marine Strategy Framework Directive). The official Marine Environment Protection Strategy of the Republic of Albania shall be approved by a decision of the Council of Ministers, at the proposal of the Prime Minister, within 8 years from the entry into force of this Law.
The text is divided into three main thematic Chapters and a total of 20 articles. Titles of these Chapters are: I. General provisions; II. Design and implementation of the Marine Environment Protection Strategy; and III. Final provisions.
The Marine Environment Protection Strategy of the Republic of Albania is drawn up according to different phases as follows: a) preparatory phase, which consists of: initial assessment of the current environmental status of marine waters of marine sub-regions I and II and the impact of human activity (as defined in article 8); determining the good environmental status of marine waters in accordance with article 9 of this Law; setting environmental objectives and related indicators for marine waters in compliance with article 10; design and implementation of the monitoring program for continuous assessment and updating regularization of objectives in accordance with article 11; publication of reports and their reporting in accordance with articles 15 and 16; b) the phase of determining the program of measures that will be taken to achieve or maintain the status of environmental protection of marine waters of the Republic of Albania, according to article 12, which must include: the identification of the measures to be taken and the deadlines for their realization, in order to achieve or maintain a good environmental status of marine waters of the Republic of Albania; identifying exceptions to the obligation to achieve a good environmental status of marine waters of the Republic of Albania; as well as information about the impossibility of achieving a good environmental status through the implementation of approved measures. Exemptions from the obligation to achieve environmental objectives and good environmental status are laid down in article 13. The Marine Environment Protection Strategy applies an ecosystem-based approach to the management of human activities, ensuring that the joint pressure of these activities is inside levels compatible with the achievement of a good environmental status and not affect the ability of marine ecosystems and with enabling of sustainable use of marine products and services by current and future generations. The Water Resources Management Agency in cooperation with the ministry responsible for the environment and the bodies responsible for monitoring marine waters are responsible for drafting the Strategy.