Environmental NGOs in SEE: Survey Findings, Analysis and Recommendations

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Environmental NGOs in SEE Survey Findings,
Analysis and Recommendations
Mihallaq Qirjo, Director of REC Albania
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Main Data Factors
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Founding of ECSOs by Year - Regional
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Top-Ranked Topics Activities - Albania
Topics Activities
Nature protection (78) Awareness raising campaigns (83)
Forestry (72) Information dissemination (72)
Biodiversity (71) Conferences/meetings (70)
Environmental education/ESD (69)
Sustainable development (66)
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Most Common Funding Sources - Albania
Most Common Most Common
Foreign/international foundation grants 59
Membership dues (Fees) 50
Domestic foundations donations/grants 38
Critical Sources Critical Sources
Foreign/international foundation grants 28
Foreign/international public sector grants 13
Foreign/international public sector contracts 1
CEE 5 sources, SEE 3.5 sources, Albania 3 sources
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Haves and Have-Nots?
Albania
SEE Region
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Financial Status of Albanian NGOs, 2006
Q6.1 Very good
Q6.2 Good enough
Q6.3 Unstable
Q6.4 Poor
Q6.5 Very poor
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Headline Findings

• Growing disparities between different types of
  ENGOs (the haves-and-have-nots), in financial
  resources and capacities.
• Increasing staffing since 2001.
• Less capability on politicised or campaign issues
  (GMOs, climate change, et. al.).
• Development of a professional class of ECSOs,
  viewed as think-tanks or crypto-consultancies.
• Do donors use ECSOs as vectors for their
  positions whose priorities?
• Questioned connection or relevance to the
  community.

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Primary Concerns

• N.B. More in Striving for Sustainability

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Accountability - Aarhus

• The legislative framework for access to
  information and public participation is generally
  good, but implementation, enforcement and the
  lack of rules remain the key problem. ECSOs are
  the most active on the field of public
  participation, less active in making official
  information requests, little has occurred in the
  access to justice field nationally or locally.
• The ECSOs involvement is generally well accepted
  in decision-making but it is not as critical as
  it might be for fear of repercussions.
• The lack of defined procedures on how to apply
  for information has created an alternative
  information channel through personal contacts as
  a constant practice.
• Guidelines on public participation procedures in
  the EIA process endorsed by the environment
  ministry have rarely been followed in practice.
• Regarding the public participation, ECSOs
  acknowledge that their role in local/regional/nati
  onal decision-making or development planning so
  far is consultative or participatory, but not yet
  influencing. Public involvement on the local
  level tends to bring more satisfactory outcomes.

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Recommendations
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Accountability

• CSOs capacity should be strengthened on how to
  use formal and informal opportunities and rights
  for access to information, public participation
  and access to justice
• CSOs should be encouraged and trained to exert
  pressure on the government to keep and
  disseminate accurate data on the state of
  environment, environmental permits and EIA
  reports produced
• CSOs and the decision making authorities should
  work closely on developing a strategy for
  enhancement of the dialogue and cooperation
  between them in the exercising the Aarhus rights
• CSOs should enter into dialogue/discussion with
  authorities about developing/using formal and
  informal ways of CSOs involvement, cooperation
  and presentation of different decision-making and
  advisory bodies
• CSOs should be trained to use broader range of
  techniques and methods to reach out and work
  together with local citizens and other
  stakeholders
• CSOs shall develop capacity to flag problem
  cases and submitting them to the court procedures

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More details regional analysis in
www.rec.org/sector
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• Aahrus convention and Protection of Vlora Bay

Civic Alliance for Protection and Development of
Vlora Bay
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• The border of existing Protected Area of Narta
  lagoon

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• Aerial wiew of Vlora

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Plazhi i Nartes, 2006
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• Signature of loan agreement between World Bank
  and Albanian govt (2004)
• TEC in Vlora will be accompanied with other
  important energy investments, such as AMBO,
  Petrolifera Italo-Albanese, Oil refinery, which
  will be part of the Energetic Park of Vlora.

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• According to WB, this project is classified under
  the category A with potential significant
  negative irreversible impacts
• (MWH, Oct. 2002final, Siting study f15)
• EIA report identifies a list of potential impacts
  such as
• On Sea environment
• On Fish populations
• Oil spills
• Flora and fauna of the Narta protected area
• (Source Harza EIA Report on Vlora B)

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The selected site of the planned thermal power
plant in Vlorë has led to concerns regarding
environmental impacts and economic viability, and
should be reconsidered.
Source Albania 2005 Progress Report Brussels, 9
November 2005, SEC (2005) 1421, COM (2005) 561
final
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Case under 9.2

• NGO questions
• Inadequancy of EIA report
• No-proper Public participation procedure.

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Compliance committee

• Communication ACCC/C/2005/12 had been submitted
  by the Civil Society Development Centre of Vlora,
  Albania, regarding compliance by Albania with the
  provisions of article 3, paragraph 2 article 6,
  paragraph 2, and article 7.
• the Albanian authorities had failed to comply
  with the requirements of the Convention to
  properly notify on a timely basis and consult the
  public concerned in a decision- making process
  concerning planning of an industrial park
  comprising, inter alia, oil and gas pipelines,
  installations for the storage of petroleum, three
  thermal power plants and a refinery in the
  protected area near the lagoon of Narta, Albania.
• Compliance committee, accepting this
  communication, has asked Albanian Ministry to
  provide with a plan for improving such procedures
  which were raised in this communication.

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Local Refrenda Process

• AQMGJV submitted 13,929 signatures (1370 more
  than defined by law)
• Central Election Committee dismissed the request
  for non compliance, although NGO climed there
  were 880 signatures more than needed.

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• NGO requested CEC the fulfilling the requirements
  stated in the decision, as defined by law.
  (article 128.3).
• CEC answered that the Decision 1688 is voted
  with tre votes pro and three against
• Request to the Constitutional Court
• Complaint NGO
• Defendant CEC
• Object
• Dismiss the CEC decision No. 1688 date Nov. 2005
• Accept the request of NGO for local referenda