#HandsOffVjosaNarta – why Europe needs to defend its nature laws

What happens when environmental laws get weakened?

Just ask the flamingos.

For more than ten days, Albanians have been protesting to demand the immediate halt of construction works in the protected areas of the Vjosa-Narta Lagoon.

The images of the Flamingo protests have spread across social media, with people standing up for an extraordinary home to wildlife, biodiversity, and natural beauty.

But what is happening in Albania is part of a much bigger story.

A sanctuary under threat

Vjosa–Narta is one of the Mediterranean’s ecological treasures.

The area shelters more than 70 endangered species and over 200 bird species, including flamingos and Dalmatian pelicans. The surrounding waters are among the last Mediterranean refuges for the Mediterranean monk seal, one of the world’s most endangered marine mammals, and a key nesting ground for the Loggerhead sea turtle.

Yet today, it is under threat from plans by foreign investors, including Jared Kushner, for a large-scale luxury resort.

Construction works have already started in the core of the protected area.

Without public consultation. Without environmental impact assessment. Without any publicly available information. Without valid permits.

How did this happen?

In 2024, Albania shockingly amended its Protected Areas Law to allow resorts and other large-scale developments to be built inside protected areas.

Shortly afterwards, illegal works related to this luxury resort project started in Vjosa-Narta area. The project is currently being investigated by Albania’s independent anti-corruption and anti-mafia prosecution body.

Why this matters beyond Albania

The story unfolding in Vjosa-Narta shows what can happen when environmental protections are weakened, and why European decision-makers must protect and defend our nature laws.

Pressured by some national governments and industry lobbyists, the European Commission is currently proposing to weaken EU environmental laws.

EU nature laws like the Birds and Habitats Directives exist for a reason. They protect our most valuable ecosystems from short-term interests and ensure that development does not come at the expense of our natural heritage.

That’s also why the situation in Albania is so relevant for Europe’s future. Albania aims to join the European Union by 2030. Last week, the European Commission reiterated that Albania has to comply with the EU’s environmental standards if its accession process is to move forward.

In other words: countries aspiring to join the EU must adopt and respect the same nature protections that are now being debated within the EU itself.

If the standards of the EU are weakened, both current and future Member States risk a lower level of protection for nature. The kind of destruction we are witnessing in Vjosa-Narta could become a reality across Europe.

Join the #HandsOffNature campaign

Nature needs strong laws. Nature needs enforcement. And right now, nature needs our voice.

More than half a million people in the EU have already signed our petition to protect our nature laws.

Join us and tell our leaders to keep their #HandsOffNature: https://handsoffnature.eu/#take-action