Ina Zhupa challenges Law 21/2024 over protected area conversions

Ina Zhupa, Chair of the Committee on Culture, Tourism, and Diaspora, has raised concerns regarding Law 21/2024 and its impact on protected areas. Zhupa argues that the law’s ‘principle of suitability’ could allow land damaged by fires to be repurposed for hotels, resorts, or energy parks rather than being reforested.

During a parliamentary interpellation, Zhupa suggested that even a small fire could trigger a change in land designation, effectively turning protected forests into construction sites. Following a failed attempt to overturn the law in the Constitutional Court, Zhupa has submitted a new initiative to the Assembly to repeal Law 21/2024.