Toxic dust, blackened lungs and ghost incinerators put Albania’s EU accession hopes at risk

Elbasan, a city in Albania, has faced severe environmental disasters this summer, threatening its chances of joining the European Union. In July 2025, a fire at a waste dump near homes released toxic furans, dioxins, methane, and volatile organic compounds, exceeding safety limits by seven times. Professor Besnik Baraj of Albania's Academy of Sciences likened the air quality to a "black lunar landscape" and reported that asthma sufferer Fatmira Serjani suffered severe asthma attacks.

The pollution has led to rising genetic diseases and cancers in the region, with lead emissions causing brain damage in children and livestock. Environmental experts warn that no air monitoring stations exist in Elbasan, despite EU funds paid in 2011 to equip four stations. The country's former deputy prime minister is under investigation for corruption.

This environmental crisis, coupled with previous scandals, may slow Albania's EU accession hopes, with Montenegro moving ahead in the process.