"Mountain Package" - a one-euro deal that threatens the Balkans' national parks

In July 2025, bulldozers entered Tet, a rural area in the Shkodra municipality, and within days, in an action described by the authorities as “establishing legal order,” they demolished several buildings in the heart of the “Albanian Alps.”

Just a year earlier, during the campaign for the June 30 parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Edi Rama encouraged residents to return to the countryside, invest and turn their lands into development opportunities. He also promised that those who had used state-owned lands for generations would finally receive title deeds and that the so-called “Mountain Package” (a law regulating the development of mountain areas) would be an instrument for prosperity.

"We will forgive all fines for illegal construction in this area. You built without permits because you did not have the opportunity to obtain the title deed that belongs to you," Rama responded to the concerns of Tet residents, also announcing plans to adopt the law.

"They told us to invest. Come back, build! And we built more easily than any other year because it was election time," says 27-year-old Kristijan Gura.

Kristijan has been running the family business in Tet for over ten years. He started with a small café, and today he has a restaurant and 16 rooms for rent, which he uses to support his family and a few seasonal workers. The latest investment, intended for winter tourism, was financed with a bank loan of around 100 thousand euros, but it was demolished during the July action.

"Today I pay my loan every month, and I also have a fine. I mortgaged my house in Shkodra because I don't have a title deed here," he says.

His case is typical of the northern regions of Albania, where land is passed down for generations without title deeds — a historic problem that institutions have never solved. The “Mountain Package,” adopted by the Albanian Parliament in March 2025, aims to lift the blockade and allow residents to build and develop property even without clear proof of ownership.

However, the demolition campaign, which was carried out immediately after the adoption of the law, jeopardized the very thing this "package" supposedly promotes: investment by residents in the mountainous area.

At the same time, data shows that the adopted law is conducive to the development of large tourism and energy investments, not excluding the Albanian Alps National Park, a key area for cross-border nature protection initiatives, which are part of the Dinarides and the European Green Belt.

Moreover, the law paves the way for the alienation of forests, pastures and meadows, enabling the change of land use to urban or industrial, which not only weakens the protection of natural resources but also undermines the ecological function of the targeted area. Experts warn that the implementation of the Albanian law carries the risk of irreversible consequences for the mountain ecosystem and is contrary to the principles of sustainable development, while decision-making at the state level opens up space for the benefit of those who are not part of the local community.

"Mountain package"

The law, known to the Albanian public as the "Mountain Package", was presented as an instrument to help residents of mountainous areas who have lived and invested on land for decades without having title deeds to it. It would enable the development of environmentally friendly agro-tourism facilities, as well as the retention of families in areas that have become deserted over time.

The adopted law provides for a series of mechanisms that, at least formally, aim to provide legal security and development opportunities for residents of mountainous areas. It allows those who own properties without a title deed to purchase state-owned land for the symbolic price of one euro, upon meeting certain criteria, to receive tax breaks for ten years, and to more easily obtain a building permit.

At the same time, the law also allows investors, registered individuals and legal entities, to implement projects in agreement with users of state land.

In addition, the law opens up space for the implementation of large investments in the fields of tourism and energy, and the competent authority for approving development and construction permits will be exclusively the Albanian National Council for Territory and Waters (KKTU). According to the Law on Spatial Planning and Development, the KKTU, an institution headed by the Prime Minister, is responsible for deciding on complex development projects. This body approves permits for strategic projects - from large tourist complexes to energy and infrastructure facilities. The legislation also specifies that the KKTU can only approve construction permits for buildings with more than six floors, which has nothing to do with agritourism or family accommodation.

"Agritourism, by definition, implies small initiatives developed by families and directly linked to the rural economy. It is a model of rural tourism closely linked to agriculture and rural life, where tourist services support and complement existing agricultural activities without replacing or disrupting the traditional function of the space," says Doriana Musai, professor of architecture and urban planning.

"Meanwhile, investments classified as strategic come with investors and companies that favor high-capital projects. In short, agritourism is used as a legitimate narrative of state policy, while the real result is intensive tourism divorced from the social and economic structure of the area," she adds.

Tourism experts state that "the large resort model is not in line with the principles of local development and social inclusion."

"It can bring investment and jobs, but there is a risk that the benefits will be concentrated with investors and not with local residents," says Ardiola Alikaj, a senior tourism expert in Albania.

At the same time, experts criticize the bypassing of municipalities in making decisions about development on their territory, even though under current law they have jurisdiction over buildings below six floors, including agritourism.

"The autonomy of local governments and their spatial plans are being undermined," says Erjon Muharemaj, a professor and expert in public international law, environmental law, and the EU integration process.

According to Professor Musai, "when project approval is carried out top-down, from the central executive level to the local level, the principle of local development and subsidiarity is violated. The National Council for Territory and Waters, as a government body, should ensure the coherence of national planning, and not replace local authorities in decisions that directly affect communities and the local landscape."

"Alps" as a development zone

The "Mountain Package" does not apply to the entire territory of mountains, but only to areas declared as "priority development zones", which are selected through a special procedure that begins at the local and ends at the central level.

The municipality collects applications from residents or identifies territories with “economic potential” and proposes them as zones to be developed. The municipal report is then sent to the minister responsible for local self-government, who decides whether the proposal meets the criteria for further consideration. The final decision is made by the Council of Ministers, which officially proclaims the zone, paving the way for project approval.

The entire process has already been completed for the Municipality of Shkodra, on whose territory five priority development zones have been approved, including the villages of Tet and Nderljašaj, which are located within the Albanian Alps National Park, on the border with Montenegro.

Interest in construction within the priority zones was extremely high, according to data from the Directorate for Spatial Planning and Development of the Municipality of Shkodra. By December 9, 2025, 649 applications had been submitted for five areas: agritourism, green energy, livestock farming, social projects and the "other" category, which leaves room for any type of investment request.

Most applications related to agritourism (434), 137 applications were received for the "other" category, 35 for social projects, 29 for livestock farming, and 14 applications for green energy - i.e. the construction of solar and wind parks.

However, while interest comes mainly from local residents for agritourism projects, the law steers the process towards much larger investments that require capital and central government approval. This fact becomes even more significant because such projects are planned in protected areas, within one of the most fragile ecosystems in the Balkans.

The Albanian Alps and the Prokletije Mountains in Montenegro form one of the most important ecosystems in the region, known for its exceptional biodiversity and fragile habitats. In addition to national protection status, certain areas also enjoy international recognition. The Alps are part of the EMERALD network (Areas of Special Interest for the Conservation of Nature in Europe), Tet is recognized as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) and a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA), while the Gaši River, which was a strict nature reserve until 2022, is now part of the Alps Park and a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site.

Data from the National Agency for Protected Areas of Albania show the existence of a large number of habitats listed in Natura 2000, which are of conservation importance. In Tet and the surrounding areas alone, around 20 habitats have been identified, of which four are priority. In the Vrmoša area and the Lepuša–Budač valley, around 25 habitats have been identified, of which four are priority; in the Valbona valley, around 26, of which four are priority; while in the Gaši - Doberdolj river valley, around 14 habitats have been identified, of which two are priority.

The national park also includes a rich flora with around 1.500 plant species, 40% of which are endemic to Albania, making them particularly sensitive to changes and possible development interventions. Beech, molika (Macedonian pine), fir and alder are just some of the plant species present in the area.

The fauna is equally rich. The aquatic habitats and surrounding areas are home to rare and endangered species of fish, amphibians and reptiles; around 155 bird species and more than 60 mammal species have been recorded, including the Balkan lynx, bear, wolf, roe deer, otter, vulture, golden eagle and capercaillie. Many of these species have special legal protection status under European Union legislation.

More than 2.000 plant species have been identified on the Montenegrin side of the Prokletije Mountains, 60 of which are protected, as well as 161 bird species. Last year, camera traps recorded the presence of the lynx, one of the most endangered species in the Balkans.

This mountain massif functions as a unique ecological node within the Dinarides and the European Green Belt, making its protection a regional and European priority.

"Every intervention in Albania has an impact in Montenegro and vice versa," says biologist and civic activist Vuk Iković, recalling that the area also includes the famous cross-border hiking trail "Peaks of the Balkans".

However, despite the widely documented ecological importance of this area at the national and international level, this has not prevented the Municipality of Shkodra and the Albanian government from including it in priority development zones.

At the same time, changes to the directive defining the procedure for declaring these zones show a clear departure from environmental standards. The first directive, from June 2025, required the collection and analysis of socio-economic, environmental and geographical data. However, just four months later, a new directive abolished all these criteria, reducing the process solely to an assessment of the “economic, industrial or tourist potential of the area”.

Professor Erjon Muharemaj says that the rapid change and transition from a 70-article document to a guideline with only 30 articles raises serious questions.

"To repeal such an important act after just four months, there would have to be a fundamental change in circumstances. But even if there were reasons, the directive should have been amended, not repealed completely," he says.

"Subsequent legislation usually becomes more detailed. The opposite happened here, which generally does not indicate a will to improve legislation, but suggests other reasons," the expert adds.

Another worrying element of the law concerns the change in the status of natural resources. For the first time, the “Mountain Package” paves the way for the alienation of categories that were previously untouchable: forests, pastures and meadows. Article 8 of the law stipulates that these resources are no longer considered inalienable public property, which allows for their transfer into ownership and inclusion in development procedures. This means that these areas can lose their natural status and be transformed into urban, tourist or industrial zones, bypassing ecological filters and any planning document.

"When areas or projects are declared 'strategic', they often bypass general local plans and protected area management plans, as the goal is to accelerate economic development by simplifying administrative procedures and centralizing decision-making," says Musai.

"This creates a parallel decision-making system, in which long-term planning loses its weight and is reduced to a formality - it is no longer the plan that directs development, but vice versa," he further explains.

According to Muharemaj, these developments cannot be understood without considering the 2024 amendments to the Law on Protected Areas, which significantly weakened the protection of the highest categories of nature. The amendments allow urban development and the construction of five-star tourist facilities within national parks, even in the central subzone, which theoretically should be a strictly protected area.

"These are the catastrophic consequences of the 2024 changes," he says.

He also criticizes the Constitutional Court's decision from 2025, which rejected a request by environmental organizations to repeal those changes.

"This regressive decision gives the executive branch a free hand to approve development and construction permits in protected areas," the professor says.

Serious consequences

The combination of priority development zones and a weakening environmental protection framework is putting the ecological future of the Albanian Alps in question. Development projects permitted within the national park, without public consultation, strategic environmental impact assessments or checks on compliance with planning and management documents, create a real risk of habitat fragmentation, land use change and loss of the natural values ​​that make this area unique in the Balkans.

The situation is further worrying because around 72% of the area declared for development overlaps with the central B subzone of the Albanian Alps National Park, directly threatening the ecological integrity of the park and the conservation of plant and animal species.

The potential negative impacts are not limited to the administrative boundaries of the park, but also affect biodiversity, species and habitats of EU interest, aquatic ecosystems and transboundary ecological corridors, as well as the objectives of international initiatives such as the Dinarides and the European Green Belt. In this context, any uncontrolled development within the Albanian Alps National Park may jeopardize its ecological function in preserving biodiversity in the region.

On the Montenegrin side, the Prokletije National Park is managed under strict criteria: construction is limited, and each project is subject to strong environmental and cross-border procedures. In Albania, however, a new law paves the way for large-scale tourism and energy projects without any coordination with the Montenegrin authorities, even though it is the same ecosystem.

"We have absolutely no information," says the mayor of Gusinje, Sanel Balić.

"Everything that happens along the border should be communicated to the Government of Montenegro and the municipalities bordering the area. Anything that is built there can affect us as well," he emphasizes.

Marinela Đuretić, director of the Public Enterprise National Parks of Montenegro, was also not aware that the Prokletije on the Albanian side could come under pressure from investors. She believes that this is a complex issue that requires involvement at the state level.

The Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development responded two months after receiving our questions that it had no information about plans in Albania. They claim that in the case of construction in the border area or near protected zones, they will contact the relevant authorities there.

"The Ministry will react in accordance with international obligations and bilateral agreements. Montenegro also has the opportunity to inform the European Commission and relevant EU partners about important nature protection issues, especially considering the cross-border nature of the area and the compliance of standards with the EU acquis," the Ministry announced.

Unlike state authorities, Marija Lekić from the NGO Center for the Protection and Study of Birds (CZIP) is aware of the developments in Albania. Although the scope of the projects is not yet known, Lekić emphasizes that there could be deforestation, road construction and the installation of power lines - activities that fall under the Espoo Convention. He emphasizes that Albania, as a signatory to the convention since 1991, is obliged to promptly inform neighboring countries about projects that may have a transboundary impact.

In Albania, the Ministry of Environment and the National Agency for Protected Areas did not respond to a request for comment, leaving it unclear how national parks and ecological corridors will be protected from intensive development.

Meanwhile, the National Environmental Agency confirmed that it is not part of the process of defining priority development zones. In a written response, it stated that its role begins only later, at the stage of environmental impact assessment for individual projects.

Integration and cross-border projects under question

The double standard of protection in the Dinaric Alps not only threatens nature, but also cross-border cooperation and access to European funds for joint projects. The director of Montenegrin national parks emphasizes that the European Union does not support policies that allow construction in protected areas.

The European Commission's Progress Report on Albania also expressed concern, stating that the Mountain Package law "may have significant impacts on local land use and environmental management."

Based on personal experience and this assessment by the European Commission, Professor Muharemaj believes that "the lack of will to implement environmental standards will be a serious obstacle on the path to membership in the European Union."

Residents of Tet, like Kristijan Gura, view this reality with uncertainty.

"There is always something to fear... We no longer understand what is happening. Residents are indecisive. Investment is needed, but not in a climate where everything is unpredictable," he says.

The sense of insecurity on the ground coincides with warnings from experts on both sides of the border, who fear possible negative consequences for the environment of the Balkan Alps and call for an urgent response.

"Official Podgorica must react," says biologist and civic activist Vuk Iković.

For senior tourism expert Ardiola Alikaj, "to avoid a scenario of irreversible consequences, a careful approach is needed that puts the Albanian Alps area at the center, the real involvement of local communities, and more equitable and sustainable tourism models."

"With standard resorts, local traditions and cultures are suppressed, disappear or distorted, turning into instruments of tourism rather than generators of a sustainable model," concludes Musai.

The research text was supported by the Journalismfund Europe organization.