An audit by the State Supreme Audit has shed light on a problem affecting consumers, farmers and Albanian exports alike: according to the report, the Ministry of Agriculture allowed the circulation of pesticides banned in the European Union and kept in force standards for chemical residues far higher than the European benchmark.
What the KLSH audit found
In its final audit report, KLSH found that during 2022–2024, a period when the ministry was headed by Anila Denaj, plant protection products banned in the EU were allowed to be marketed.
According to the report, a review of the list of products approved for use in Albania against the EU list showed that 10 plant protection products banned by the European bloc were in circulation. The deadlines for removing them from the market were also extended beyond the limits set by the EU.
Limits far higher than European thresholds
The report also raises concern over maximum pesticide residue levels in fruits and vegetables. Under Instruction No. 11, dated 10.05.2021, Albania allows higher residue limits than the EU, with the gap in some cases reaching as much as 100 times.
According to KLSH’s findings, for Tebuconazole in strawberries the limit allowed in Albania is 75 times higher than in the EU. For Phosmet in mandarins, the difference reaches 50 times, while for Imidacloprid in olives the permitted level is reported to be 100 times higher than the European limit.
Along the same lines, Propiconazole is allowed at levels 30 times higher, while Oxamyl is permitted at up to 10 times above the EU standard. These differences do not point to minor technical deviations, but to a deep regulatory gap in a sensitive sector such as food safety.
Consequences for farmers and exports
According to the report, residue levels above EU standards have been set for products such as strawberries, mandarins, watermelon, cucumber, potatoes and cauliflower. This directly affects local farmers, who face a domestic market more tolerant of chemicals but strong barriers when they try to export.
KLSH assesses that keeping these standards in force for a long period, from 2021 to 2025, has legitimized standards that automatically place these products outside the EU market. In other words, the cost does not remain limited to public health, but extends to economic losses for Albanian agriculture.
Ministry given a deadline to align with the EU
At the conclusion of the audit, KLSH asked the Ministry of Agriculture to align legislation on food safety and plant protection with that of the European Union.
The deadline set for taking measures is September 30, while the report raises serious questions about how these regulatory acts were drafted and kept in force in a sector directly linked to the food reaching the market and the standards the country claims to meet.
The issue is not limited to a technical debate over pesticides and standards tables. It affects the quality of state oversight, consumer protection and the credibility of institutions that are supposed to guarantee standards, not lower them.
If KLSH’s findings are confirmed in substance by other institutional checks, then this would amount to a serious regulatory failure at the heart of the food chain.