As the BeMed+ project advances in Albania, led on the ground by the Institute for Nature Conservation in Albania (INCA) and Surfrider Foundation Europe, momentum is building thanks to active stakeholder engagement.
Stakeholder meetings
From 4-6 June 2025, BeMed+ partners met with key actors from the tourism sector, the HoReCa industry, local institutions, and municipalities to discuss challenges and opportunities to reduce plastic pollution.
Additional meetings were also held with the EU Delegation in Tirana, who, along with the other stakeholders, have been invited to the action plan workshop scheduled for November 2025. Many already shared valuable inputs for its development.
At the institutional level, INCA maintains constructive relationships with public authorities. The Municipality of Elbasan expressed a strong will to collaborate within the project and the Ministry of Tourism & Environment expressed its support, further strengthening the project’s credibility and visibility nationwide.
Mapping plastic leakage
A study on plastic leakage along the Shkumbin River basin is now being finalised, similar to the one carried out in Monastir (Tunisia). The study aims to map critical plastic pollution hotspots and propose targeted actions, in line with the three sectors addressed by the project.
Analysing plastic dependency
A collaboration agreement was also established with the University of Tirana, involving three master’s students who are analysing plastic dependencies and transition scenarios in the HoReCa, waste management, and sports sectors.
The BeMed+ project is generously supported by the Fonds Français pour l’Environnement Mondial (FFEM), the Aether Fund of the Foundation for Future Generations, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the Fondation Didier et Martine Primat, the Fondation Audemars-Watkins, and the France-IUCN Partnership.
