Albania’s drive to become a luxury tourism hub is colliding with environmental law.

As the European Union grapples with shifting geopolitical tides, Albania—a small Southeast European nation aspiring to EU membership—continues to confront a convergence of environmental degradation and recurring corruption scandals that demand sustained scrutiny from Brussels.

In recent years, Albania has distinguished itself not by embracing sustainable ecotourism, but by aggressively rebranding as a luxury mass-tourism destination. Nowhere is this shift more stark—or more controversial—than in the construction of a new international airport near the southern coastal city of Vlorë, adjacent to one of the Mediterranean’s most ecologically significant wetlands. What Albanian officials have promoted as a gateway to prosperity has instead become a troubling case study in environmental disregard and opaque governance. According to European Commission experts, the project violates both international conventions and Albanian law.

The consortium selected to build the airport includes Behgjet Pacolli, a controversial Kosovar businessman and former politician long associated with a culture of impunity and with documented business ties to Moscow. During the 1990s, Pacolli’s construction company was contracted by Russian authorities to renovate historic buildings within the Kremlin complex. The consortium also reportedly includes a close personal associate of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, an individual alleged to have connections to organized crime figures.

Despite widespread concern over the project’s financing—which relies on funds from undisclosed sources—Rama has celebrated the airport as a flagship development. Environmentalists and local residents, however, warn that the damage will be irreversible. The airport sits just a few kilometers from the Vjosë-Nartë lagoon, one of the largest wetland systems in the Mediterranean and part of the delta formed by the Vjosë, among Europe’s last wild rivers.

Only months after the tender winners were announced, Albanian authorities revoked the long-standing protected-area status of parts of the nature reserve where construction was already underway. The European Commission has deemed the decision illegal. Over the past three years, meanwhile, President Bajram Begaj has not convened a single meeting of Albania’s National Security Council, despite the project’s national and regional implications.

As biology professor Niko Dumani has warned, the airport and adjacent tourism developments are in “flagrant violation of the law.” The surrounding wetlands are home to roughly 200 bird species, including flamingos and the endangered Dalmatian pelican, and lie along a vital migratory corridor stretching from Central Europe to North Africa. The lagoon is protected under multiple international conventions and has been nominated for inclusion in the Council of Europe’s Emerald Network of conservation sites. According to the European Commission, “Tirana’s approval of Vlora International Airport violated both national laws and international conventions.”

Inside the austere Council of Ministers building in Tirana—shielded by granite façades and a decorative vertical forest—Rama has projected confidence and resolve. Yet critics argue that his government has displayed a persistent indifference toward environmental stewardship. Over the past twelve years, successive administrations have failed to grasp the ecological value of the lagoons and wetlands in southern Albania’s Fier District, favoring short-term development over long-term sustainability.

Nowhere is this failure more evident than in the dizzying array of policy decisions affecting Fier’s energy strategy, tourism expansion, and environmental protection. Albania’s path toward EU integration runs not through rhetoric, but through measurable performance and credible action in defense of biodiversity, protected areas, and circular-economy initiatives.

The Divjakë-Karavasta National Park, in southwestern Albania, offers a parallel—and equally sobering—example. The Karavasta Lagoon is among the most species-rich ecosystems in the country and is home to the breeding grounds of Albania’s only colony of Dalmatian pelicans. That the park has remained largely intact is due in no small part to Ardian Koçi’s efforts.

During his tenure as national park director, Koçi’s unwavering commitment to conservation helped make Divjakë-Karavasta one of Albania’s best-managed protected areas. His strict enforcement of hunting bans and opposition to large-scale tourism projects, however, made him a target of hostility among hunters, poachers, and politically connected developers. In 2023, under mounting pressure, Koçi was forced to resign.

On October 16, Koçi’s work received international recognition when he was awarded the EuroNatur Award for Environmental Excellence. The award honors individuals who demonstrate exceptional dedication to nature conservation and sustainable development. Previous recipients include author Jonathan Franzen, the women of Kruaica, and the municipality of Mals in South Tyrol.

In presenting the award, EuroNatur Executive Director Gabriel Schwaderer praised Koçi’s integrity, noting that he had “taken his work as a trustee for nature seriously” and had “selflessly championed its protection, even at great personal cost.” A licensed veterinary surgeon, Koçi left well-paid employment opportunities in Italy in 2013 to lead Divjakë-Karavasta under Rama’s newly formed government.

In his acceptance remarks, Koçi framed the honor as collective rather than personal. “I was more afraid of losing my passion for the job than losing the job itself,” he said. “This award belongs to all Albanian conservationists who, sometimes at great personal sacrifice, stand up for our forests, wetlands, and wildlife.”

Albania’s environmental trajectory now stands at a crossroads. If Prime Minister Rama is serious about EU accession, he must chart a credible path toward protecting the country’s western wetlands and rein in the expansion of large hotel chains within internationally protected parks. Left unchecked, Albania’s entrenched bureaucracy and permissive development policies risk transforming the coastline into a grid of concrete resorts, eroding both marine protected areas and the country’s long-term ecological and economic resilience.