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| The executive director of EuroNatur, Gabriel Schwaderer and the regional chairman of BUND, Richard Mergner at the Vlora airport construction site. Photo courtesy: Richard Mergner. |
The organizations EuroNatur and BUND, based in Germany, jointly issued a press statement on Wednesday, calling for the withdrawal of Munich Airport (MAI) from the Vlora Airport construction project due to the anticipated environmental damage.
The construction is taking place near the Narta Lagoon, a protected area of special importance for international bird migration in Albania, despite strong opposition from local and international environmental organizations, according to Reporter.al
Following an expedition to the area, EuroNatur's Executive Director, Gabriel Schwaderer, and BUND's Regional Chairman, Richard Mergner, presented the issues surrounding this project to the media.
"We have observed flocks of flamingos residing in the Narta Lagoon – airplanes will be flying right over this protected zone," appealed Mergner.
"We call on the Bavarian government, the federal government, and the city of Munich as MAI shareholders to ensure the consultancy mandate for the Vlora Airport is cancelled, and MAI withdraws from the project," he added.
Schwaderer, EuroNatur's Executive Director, deemed the construction of an airport in the middle of a protected area "unimaginable." "Even the European Parliament and European Commission have strongly criticized the airport construction and called on the Albanian government to halt this environmentally damaging project," he said, urging that the appeals from the EU not be ignored during Albania's accession negotiations.
In March 2022, Prime Minister Edi Rama stated that Munich Airport would operate Vlora Airport and used his name as a guarantee for the government project's standards. However, according to environmental organizations, Munich Airport, a state-owned company, and the Bavarian Ministry of Finance have denied this claim.
"MAI claims to be operating in an advisory role," states the joint declaration of the two organizations, which have raised concerns about the Albanian government's project with German authorities.
"EuroNatur criticized the airport construction in a letter addressed to Prime Minister of Bavaria Markus Söder on February 9, also highlighting MAI's involvement," the statement further notes.
The international organization EuroNatur has been active in preserving nature in Albania and supports its local project partners, PPNEA and AOS, in their efforts against the airport.
PPNEA and AOS initiated a legal battle in November of the past year to stop the progress of this airport construction, filing a lawsuit in the Administrative Court against irregularities and legal violations in the government's project.
The Narta Lagoon is located in the delta of the Vjosa River, precisely in one of the last untouched areas of the Albanian Adriatic coastline. Vjosa gained significant recognition this year: after a ten-year campaign by EuroNatur and its local partner organizations Riverëatch and EcoAlbania, the river was declared the first Wild River National Park in Europe and was protected by the Albanian government.
Munich Airport is a fully owned subsidiary of Flughafen München GmbH (FMG) with shareholders including the state of Bavaria with 51 percent, the Federal Republic of Germany with 26 percent, and the city of Munich with 23 percent ownership.