Balkan countries create committee to protect threatened Lake Prespa

This article was originally published in English

Lake Prespa, which straddles three Balkan states, North Macedonia, Albania and Greece, is about to disappearEvery year, the extraction of water from this lake with its unique biodiversity becomes more and more intense.

In order to prevent an environmental disaster caused by climate change and human intervention and to push governments to take action, NGOs from the three countries have launched the Prespa Region Development Forum. They hope for a concrete implementation of the political agreements reached, which provide for mechanisms to safeguard this ecosystem.

“Non-governmental organizations of the three states want to appeal to institutions and local authorities to accelerate efforts in institutional connection and the implementation of action plans. A lot of research has been done, many strategic documents have been adopted, but their implementation is lacking and citizens testify to this best and expect the three states to take urgent measures as soon as possible.” explains Ljupco Krstevski of the NGO Eurothink.

At this Forum, representatives of the Bodensee-Stiftung presented their experience of Lake Constance, which is also located on the border of three countries. The management of its ecosystem is based on the political agreement signed by Switzerland, Germany and Austria in the 1960s. Lake Constance and Lake Prespa are the only lakes in Europe whose waters are shared by several countries.

“Civil society cannot wait for some politicians in the capitals to adopt the mindset necessary for residents and mayors, if they realize that it is important, to be able to influence politicians at the highest level to enforce the agreements.” says Volker Kromrey of the Bodensee Foundation.

Civil organizations from North Macedonia, Albania and Greece have pledged to continue the mutual cooperation that did not exist in the past due to geopolitical differences between the three countries. According to them, this step will help prevent an ecological catastrophe around the lake, which is more than a million years old.