Under the auspices of Ministry of Environment and European Union Delegation to Albania, in close collaboration with EU funded projects PAMECA IV and SELEA it was held on 18 March 2014 the International Conference “Preventing Environmental Crime in Albania”.
In the Conference participated Mr. Nasip Naço, Minister of Justice, Mrs. Diana Bejko, Deputy Minister of Environment, Mr. Adnan Xholi, Director of Investigations at General Prosecutor Office, Mr. Yngve Engstroem and Mr. Antoine Avignon on behalf of European Union Delegation to Albania.
This event was opened by Mr Giorgio Butini Team Leader of PAMECA IV who introduced the aim of Conference as a first step to bringing to the attention of all interested stakeholders: policymakers, environmental experts, and representatives of law enforcement agencies as judges, prosecutors, judicial police officers, the need to improve the Criminal Code of Albania with regard to environmental crimes in line with the EU standards laid down in Directive 2008/99 EC “On the protection of the environment through criminal law”.
The high level representatives of Albanian Institutions in their speeches emphasised the considerable damage caused toward the environment in Albania and environmental crime and its consequences constitute a serious threat for the public health and citizens. Introducing new criminal offences in the Albanian Criminal Code is not only a necessity within the implementation of International Convections Albania is part of but also a guaranty toward a better protection of environment.
Distinguished international experts Mr. Domenico Airoma, Deputy Prosecutor of Naples, Mr. Pasquale Starace, Judicial Police Officer and Mr. Giovanni Gordani, Legal Expert of SELEA, gave an important contribution to the conference from the point of view of EU best practices
focusing on the environmental protection in the light of the Directive 2008/99 CE and on the competences and activities performed by prosecutors and judicial police in Italy in conducting environmental crime investigations. Dr. Therese Shryane, INTERPOL representative made a presentation on tools, programmes and services offered by this organisation and its role in the fight against environmental crime worldwide.
Mr. Paolo Bacca, Team Leader of SELEA concluded the Conference, considering it as an important initiative to discuss the environmental crime with the particular reference to amending the criminal domestic legislation, given the sensitivity of issues related to environment and the importance of its values to the whole community.

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