Controversial waste management law enters political debate

TIRANA, Oct. 31 – President Bamir Topi turned back a draft law on the waste management complaining it ran counter to the country’s constitution.
This week the Parliamentary Committee on Productive Activity, Trade, and Environment turned down Topi’s decision which also sparked a furious volley of political attack against the country’s president.
During a hearing session on Monday, the committee listened to requests from interest groups and civil society, who were opposed to the import of waste in Albania, foreseen in the article 48 and 49 of the law. Opponents of the law considered the law as dangerous, while Albania’s Deputy Minister of Environment Taulant Bino rejected the claims saying that the law protects citizens and the environment. The government said that it will not allow bringing toxic waste to Albania.
Topi refused to decree the law on integrated waste management with the motivation that article 49 of the law, which provides for the import of waste, is incompatible with the goal of preserving a healthy and ecologically suitable environment in the country.
Many personalities in the country created a group to resist the law, saying that will turn Albania into a European trashcan.
In addition, it is feared that Albanian authorities do not have the equipment or the capacities to check regularly the trash that will be imported into the country.
Critics also claim that the government may have supported the trash industry in the country for personal favors. Indeed, it seems ironic that a country that cannot even manage its own trash would accept the waste of other countries. That concern is also strongly supported by the opposition Socialist Party. The opposition has also said that they will launch the move for a referendum on the case if everything else fails. Though Topi brought the law for reconsideration, the government is confident that it will still be adopted.