Project Fiche
Environemental monitoring system
Tirana is estimated to be one of the most polluted cities in the world, behind New Delhi and Beijing. Experts claim that deaths due to illnesses caused by pollution have increased by 20 percent in Tirana in the past two years. According to the Institute for Statistics, respiratory system diseases came third on the list of causes of death last year. As Albania gears up to join the European Union, pollution troubles get in the way. Albania is facing a humanitarian catastrophe due to growing pollution, 10 times above the tolerance level set by the World Health Organizations (WHO), according to experts in the country.
To the extent that the quality of data affects the quality and formulation of policies, the importance of reliable data is clear. The issue of ill-informed policies in the environmental ambit of Albania is addressed by the EU-funded project “Strengthening of the Environmental Monitoring System in Albania”.
The project vastly contributes to Albania’s adoption of the environmental acquis, and thus consequently to the success of the Stabilisation-Association process.