Adoption of the Normative Act and Technical Regulation on Standards for the treatment of waste water: A substantial enhancement in the cleanliness of Albania’s seas, rivers, and lakes is anticipated

On December 28, 2023, the Council of Ministers of Albania issued Normative Act no. 8, “On adoption of urgent measures, on infrastructure protection and improvement, on waste water treatment discharged near or into bathing waters”.

The purpose of the normative act is to regulate waste water treatment by implementing a plant or system for the collection, treatment, and disposal of waste water generated by entities engaged in economic activities in coastal and lake or riverside areas. These entities currently do not treat waste water from their economic activities and discharge it near or into bathing waters.

Subsequently, on February 1, 2024, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy and the Ministry of Tourism and Environment of Albania signed the joint instruction “On adoption of technical regulation for the standards on waste water treatment for entities that discharge waste and untreated waters into or near bathing bodies”, aiming to define technical standards based on Normative Act no. 8.

This Technical Regulation facilitates the direction of entities engaged in economic activities in coastal and along the shores of lakes and rivers, or undergoing construction or permit application processes, based on their capacity and existing technical solutions, to install waste water treatment plants.

All entities have the obligation, within 90 (ninety) days from the entry into force of the normative act, to install the plant or individual systems in order to treat wastewater, according to the technical regulation.

The National Agency for Water Supply and Sewerage of Albania (AKUK) is charged with the task of setting up a Task Force, for the monitoring, inspection, and enforcement of this Normative Act, aimed at regulating the consequences arising from the non-treatment of waste waters discharged near or into bathing waters in coastal areas, or along the shores of lakes and rivers.

You can download the full documents by clicking on the links below:

• Normative Act no. 8, date 28.12.2023 (English translation provided by SHUKALB)
• Technical Regulation (English translation provided by SHUKALB)