Last week the very last changes were made to recycling law, which now most probably has arrived on the table of the Speaker of Parliament.
Ilir Meta would not like this moment, right when his and his party’s decision could disappoint thousands of activists and citizens that oppose the law, especially the import process, which is also its most controversial point.
Five months ago, together with a group of deputies, he avoided personal responsibility. He left Parliament, right before voting that allowed the import of waste was taking place. Meanwhile, outside, activists and citizens protested against changes in law.
In an atmosphere in which the President refuses to approve the law and a majority with an invisible will and persistence is not pulling back, Ilir Meta cannot hide anymore. On the 2nd of February, the law rejected by Presidential decree will return to Parliament, and will more likely than not be rejected. But, naturally, this is not an easy decision, given that thousands of protesters make for thousands of votes that the Speaker of Parliament risks losing.
Ilir Meta is not alone, with him is Eduard Shalsi. They have the support of recyclers, wood and paper businessmen, the Prime Minister, and, as it usually happens, some environmentalists that are permanent clients of the government. This group of interests has a new member: former President Moisiu, who, like Edi Rama, was an advocate against the import of waste, but today “thinks” that it consists of waste and not garbage.
After five months of protests, reserved tables, propaganda signs, and backstage lobbying, this comedy will end on 2nd of February.
The supporters for the import of waste are completely ignoring the environmentalists and a majority of protesters. In order to understand why the supporters are not retreating, I will narrate briefly the steps that led to this point.
First of all the draft law was proposed by a small group of deputies, not the government. The government was trying to avoid a predictable reaction against itself, because of the expected disappointment of the voters. The government had promised to the voters in the election campaign and had kept this promise since the first day: to criminalize the import of waste. This was a maneuver that attempted to involve deputies and not government professionals, but it failed.
As was to be expected, this attempt was opposed by the AKIP, an alliance with a clear tradition and position against the import of waste. An organized popular protest ensued. Response from the public showed that the community was still sensible regarding environmental issues. What had changed was the standpoint of the government.
In the Prime Ministry, the Prime Minister organized a round table with the participation of recyclers, which directed attention to his pro-waste import arguments. The only (self-proclaimed) environmentalist present in the room was Ornela Çuçi, administrator of the European University of Tirana. She held a speech arguing against the environmental protesters, after she was awarded a new position: National Advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office for Environmental issues!
During his speech, the Prime Minister denounced the “plot” that was being organized against him by the mafia. Aided by the media this “plot” represented specific political interests. This paranoia further enraged many activists and environmental organizers. Their protest in front of Parliament on the day of the vote ensured minimal political support for the law. So on September 22, 2016, with only 63 votes, Parliament approved law no. 10 463 “For the Integrated Management of Waste.” But Ilir Meta and some deputies of LSI and PDIU [both coalition partners] were not present in the session during the voting!
But there was still one inconvenience. The President exerted his constitutional power and three weeks later, after arguments, public discussions with interest groups, and professionals, he returned the law to Parliament. For nearly two months the presidential decree sauntered the halls of Parliament like a ghost. The decree didn’t get the opposition needed in order to be rejected. Even though it appeared weekly in the work schedule, it was every time withdrawn at the last moment, making it impossible to reach the plenary session.
Deputy Ben Blushi denounced the secret moves of lobbyists through which the deputies who supported the law were trying to get enough votes. Understandably, these moves aimed especially at the LSI and PDIU. This planted the seeds of the next move.
On December 29, the Commission for Production Activity created a new document seeking recommendations from interested groups to improve the law! Despite opposition encountered by public opinion, the low support by Parliament, and the rejection of the President, it was obvious that the majority was not retreating. But more than a surprise this was a bitter joke. What ought to have happened since the beginning, public hearings and debates in the presence of specialists, was being demanded now, when the process had finished. And what’s more, Eduard Shalsi was trying to adjust the law instead of having it redrafted from the beginning.
The first ones to react were environmentalists and specialists. Many environmental organizations and specialists in the field demanded the rejection of the law and the drafting of a new one, preceded by a study of the actual condition of waste and its management in the country. Simultaneously, they declared that the state should have contributed through its administrative functions and ensured the selection of waste at the source and advocated the creation of a National Commission on Waste Management, with monitoring and professional ability.
The recyclers didn’t waste any time! Ten days later, they sat at their round table. Former president Moisiu, transformed in an advocate for waste import, was sitting there too. His ideas had changed and his trust in government institutions had increased. According to him, the problem rested with the ones opposed to law and not the lawmakers. Even though debate lasted more than four hours, a declaration was read that had been prepared in advance. Its essence, to allow “import of solid waste from the green list as secondary materials,” but to remove “as users of primary materials from industry.”
This week, the deadline to issue propositions was over. Eduard Shalsi, the originator of waste management law, will contemplate them in the Commission and will bring them, together with the presidential decree, to the plenary session on February 2.
In five months many things have changed. So let us pause for a bit.
Lately, the government has financially supported and allowed the construction of a number of incendiary plants for waste treatment. A number of public–private partnerships for urban waste treatment have been signed, but still there are no government administrative regulations to deal with waste separation at the source.
Currently, incendiary plants are technically not allowed to process mixed garbage, which begs a simple question: what kind of material will this incendiary plants use, now that Albanian waste is still not sorted at the source and the only separated waste would be the one that’s imported? In other words, does the waste management law aim at recycling or at compensating the companies for the unused capacity of their incendiary plants? We don’t have any information about their capacities, because these are kept secret as a result of privacy clauses in the concession. The Ministry of Environment has not responded to environmentalists’ request for transparency.
And so we come to a conclusion, where the answer is directed to the government. Is the government perhaps (in the best case, by mistake) trying to destroy the recycling business through its crooked politics? Allowing the construction of incendiary plants in every region works against the recyclers, forcing them to import waste. For nearly four years this government failed to tackle its own waste. The Ministry of Environment and its specialized institutions do not check the waste and they have limited abilities for such project. The only success of the government are its Decisions of the Council of Ministers, giving out permits and bonuses for construction of incendiary plants.
Last December, Open Data Albania reported that some shares of a waste management company were sold for a mere 3000 lekë. This company was issued a right by the government to construct an incendiary plant in the region of Fier, an investment that is worth millions of euros! Another company is constructing an incendiary plant in Elbasan. Besides a permit, it will also benefit millions of euros from tax payers’ money, as well as a bonus handed from the Albanian government!
The situation gets even more suspicious when ownership of incendiaries is placed in the hands of a few. Whatever the magnitude of the propaganda, the size of the problem surpasses it. The conclusion of the environmentalists and environmental organizations is that this law should not pass in any form. This should be taken into consideration. Changes in the law are not sufficient.
The head of the Assembly has some time now, until Thursday, to decide whether it will pass changes to the law or reject it entirely. But one thing is certain: there are more reasons to reject the law. This re-voting is another chance to understand if the whole process of reflection was an alibi, a backstage game for personal political profits, or a true victory of the citizens for a cleaner environment.
