Jurist Spahiu faults Italian MEP over Zvërnec amendments, welcomes EU call for construction moratorium

The Newsroom

Albanian jurist Kreshnik Spahiu has criticized Italian Member of the European Parliament Ilaria Salis over amendments she filed in the European Parliament concerning the planned development at Zvërnec, arguing that she should first address what he described as an environmental crisis in protected areas inside Italy.

Spahiu made the remarks in a live appearance on the Report TV program “Frontline,” hosted by Marsela Karapanço. Salis had tabled the amendments tied to the Zvërnec issue and accused the Albanian government of preparing to hand the investment to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. She called for Zvërnec not to be sold to what she termed speculators.

Spahiu said Salis had remained silent on the treatment of protected zones in the Italian regions of Puglia and Sardinia, where, he claimed, heritage, tradition and the environment were being damaged by development. He attributed her silence to the identity of the investors involved, saying those projects were backed by Brazilian rather than American interests. According to Spahiu, citizens, municipal authorities, local councilors and political parties in Sardinia had mobilized against those developments.

Spahiu added that he did not regard scrutiny from Brussels as harmful to Albania, saying European pressure on the Albanian state was always useful, and that Salis was within her rights to defend Italian citizens and Italian interests.

On the European Parliament’s request that Albanian authorities adopt a moratorium on construction in protected areas until the law governing those areas is reviewed, Spahiu said the demand should be treated as a gain for Albania. He argued that the country lagged behind EU member states in how it regulates land.

Spahiu called for land sales to be conditioned by stronger legal safeguards. He said land should not be sold without a construction permit, contrasting Albanian practice with EU member states, where, he said, purchases are tied to an urban plan and a prior authorization from the municipality or relevant authority specifying permitted use and dimensions. Buyers in Albania, he said, risked acquiring plots on which they could not legally build. He said comparable criteria should also apply to agricultural land.

The remarks come amid continuing protests in Tirana against the Zvërnec development, including demonstrations outside the Prime Minister’s Office.