Current World Environment

From the EU Green Deal to National Reform: The Evolution of Environmental and Agricultural Legislation in Albania.

Jolia Korita¹ and Florida Gashi² ^*

¹ Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Agricultural University of Tirana, Albania

² Department of Natural Resources Institute, Agriculture for Sustainable Development, University of Greenwich, UK

Corresponding author Email: gashiflorida7@gmail.com

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CWE.21.1.24

Abstract

This study examines Albania’s environmental and agricultural legislation in the context of the European Green Deal (EGD) and the EU accession process through a qualitative, document-based legal and policy review. The analysis is based on a structured comparative matrix that assesses legal transposition and selected implementation indicators, combining a review of national legislation with relevant EU directives and EGD priorities, alongside an evaluation of institutional and governance factors influencing implementation. The findings indicate that Albania has achieved a relatively high degree of formal alignment in environmental legislation, particularly in procedural and horizontal domains. In contrast, agricultural legislation demonstrates more limited integration of sustainability principles and remains constrained by structural factors such as small-scale farming and limited monitoring capacity. While environmental legislation demonstrates stronger alignment, agricultural policy remains less integrated into sustainability frameworks, reflecting a clear sectoral imbalance. Across both sectors, a persistent implementation gap is identified, associated with institutional weaknesses, fragmented governance structures, and financial constraints. Overall, the study suggests a pattern of asymmetric Europeanisation, whereby legislative transposition progresses more rapidly than practical enforcement and operationalisation. A key limitation of the research is its reliance on documentary sources without primary field validation, as well as the comparatively more limited depth of analysis of agricultural legislation.

Keywords

Albania; Climate adaptation; European Green Deal; EU environmental acquis,; Environmental governance; National Adaptation Plan (NAP); Policy implementation; Sustainable agriculture

Copy the following to cite this article:

Korita J, Gashi F. From the EU Green Deal to National Reform: The Evolution of Environmental and Agricultural Legislation in Albania. Curr World Environ 2026;21(1). DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CWE.21.1.24

Copy the following to cite this URL:

Korita J, Gashi F. From the EU Green Deal to National Reform: The Evolution of Environmental and Agricultural Legislation in Albania. Curr World Environ 2026;21(1).

[ HTML Full Text ]