Prime Minister Edi Rama is convening today in Durrës with the mayors of municipalities across the country, as part of an in-depth review of local government performance and efforts to enhance institutional coordination in support of the “Albania 2030” vision within the European Union integration framework.

The meeting opened with remarks from the Prime Minister, who underscored the critical role of effective local governance in achieving national strategic objectives. Discussions are centered on key issues that directly affect sustainable territorial development and the improvement of citizens’ quality of life.

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Prime Minister Edi Rama: Good morning and welcome!

Before we begin with today’s agenda items, I would like to offer a general address on some key issues that, unfortunately, continue to characterize Albania’s major cities—particularly those experiencing significant tourist inflows.

The weaknesses of local governance have become increasingly evident, largely due to the profound changes in how the country now functions. Albania no longer accommodates only its residents; it now also bears the growing burden of a rising number of tourists and visitors. This, inevitably, brings with it new and complex challenges as well as substantial additional pressure on local authorities—especially in areas where tourist and visitor concentrations are the highest.

One issue that has come to light is the tendency of some businesses to push beyond their designated operational boundaries. This often manifests in unauthorized occupation of public spaces and, in some cases, even illegal constructions—particularly in areas where oversight is weaker.

Not just one, but around 40 reports have been filed by the State Police regarding these constructions. In this respect, the State Police has functioned—its structures have referred the illegal constructions to the Prosecutor’s Office.

As has been publicly disclosed, in one particularly striking case of flagrant violation—where not just a single building but an entire tourist village was constructed in the heart of Theth—the Prosecutor’s Office, or more precisely a prosecutor by the surname Gjeli, decided not to initiate an investigation. In other words, she refused to even examine the case and instead composed what amounted to a philosophical essay on the supposed innocence of building without a permit.

Meanwhile, unauthorized construction in the Republic of Albania is a criminal offense—and even more so when it takes place in a protected area like Theth.

 

On the other hand, the National Inspectorate for the Protection of Territory (IKMT) has begun to take action. However, it must be said that whether in Theth, in Vlorë, or in other areas, the Inspectorate’s overall weakness remains evident. For example, Tirana is a city with a high volume of issues related to businesses occupying space beyond their permitted boundaries. Moreover, Municipal Police structures are, in most cases, highly problematic—so much so that, with rare exceptions, they cannot be considered an effective solution.

To those who ask, “Why now?” or “Why were these issues allowed to persist?”—this is a daily battle. And if all the links in the chain do not function properly—and, above all, if the independent justice system is not aligned with this effort and is not prepared to support the enforcement of the law—then, instead of acting as a mechanism of accountability, it becomes like a pasta strainer through which everything flows out, leaving the violations as lasting facts on the ground.

In such circumstances, this effort will inevitably need to resurface from time to time, until it is clearly understood by all that there is no possible gain to be had from illegal construction.

Furthermore, I want to emphasize that in Theth, for example, we have developed a comprehensive work plan with the Municipality of Shkodër. We have legalized existing old constructions, implemented urban requalification projects for Theth, and secured funding through the Albanian Development Fund.

At the same time, it is essential that we undertake a new reform of territorial oversight and introduce legal changes based on the valuable lessons learned from years of experience and from the realities observed on the ground.

This reform must encompass the Territorial Protection Inspectorates at the municipal level, the Municipal Police, the National Inspectorate for the Protection of Territory (IKMT), and, without a doubt, the urban planning offices.

What we need is a reform that will ensure all territories are served with the highest possible quality of urban planning and the best possible legal services—for municipalities, for companies, and for rightful property owners seeking to develop their land. The time has come to synthesize these structures and create more efficient services for municipalities, without limiting them to the human resources currently available in a given area.

Therefore, we need a dedicated and joint effort—both for addressing these challenges and for establishing new regulations for construction sites, which have become a problem in their own right, across all types of projects.

These sites pose significant issues in terms of environmental protection and cause disturbances beyond the scope of their authorized operations. Many construction sites operate within arbitrarily defined boundaries, at times even occupying entire sidewalks—as was the case on the Vlora Lungomare, where pedestrians were forced to walk on the road to bypass the perimeter of a construction site.

In addition, this reform must also address the process of legalizations, along with the introduction of supplementary measures aimed at discouraging and ultimately putting an end to the phenomenon of illegal construction. While such activity has significantly declined, it nonetheless remains a persistent issue.

At the same time, we are in a situation where we can no longer rely solely on the eyes of people on the ground. We are now working together to establish a technological system of territorial oversight—one that can provide us with reliable control, much like the Traffic Monitoring Center, which has already begun operating and will soon be fully digitized through a new project we are advancing in collaboration with the United Arab Emirates. The same approach must now be applied to territorial monitoring.

Territorial inspections—particularly those related to construction—must be supported by powerful technological tools, including the satellites we have, the drones at our disposal, and a dedicated structure similar to the Traffic Monitoring Center. In fact, we need to establish a Construction Monitoring Center.

In parallel, the National Territorial Development Agency has already drafted a new regulation that will apply to all construction companies. These companies will be required to comply with new standards for all profit-oriented construction—not private homes, but apartment buildings and large-scale developments that have significant impacts on neighborhood life and residents during the construction phase.

One of the key requirements will be that all construction sites must be equipped with 24/7 online surveillance cameras, monitored in real time by inspection authorities. Additionally, all construction sites—regardless of type—will be required to use GPS tracking to monitor their entire logistical activity. This will ensure proper management of construction waste disposal and track the materials entering and exiting the site, especially in cases where significant tax evasion has been observed.

And turning to the issue of water, here too we need a reform. We have already begun preliminary work, and all types of analyses and calculations we’ve undertaken lead us to the same conclusion: it is time to establish a national water distribution operator, similar to the national operator we have for electricity distribution.

This national operator would address the issue of water supply corporately and not politically—treating it as the ethical issue it is.

Lastly, I want to raise another concern with you: the issue of the current approach and philosophy regarding budget funds, salaries, and investments. While there is constant focus on funds from the state budget, salaries, and public investments, there is still a lack of profitable municipal enterprises. There have been some initial attempts, but they are very minimal and far from sufficient.

Following the territorial reform, we no longer have municipalities and communes—municipalities that managed cities and communes that handled rural areas. Today, we have unified municipalities responsible for both urban and rural areas. Yet, the prevailing mentality and approach still reflect the old model, where the municipality’s role in villages is limited to basic services: roads, water supply, sewage, irrigation and drainage channels, cleaning, and lighting.

But not the life of the village—not the land, not production, not collection, not processing, not export. These matters are seen as the responsibility of those working the land and the Ministry of Agriculture.

However, if you go to Greece, Italy, or any EU country and beyond, you will see that municipalities are active participants in rural life—as entrepreneurs.

So, who is going to help rural residents write their project proposals, apply for credit, draft the applications needed to access funds from Agency for Agricultural and Rural Development, (AZHBR), or other EU financial instruments? Who will facilitate their path forward?

This calls for a major commitment. We’ve said this before—but now we actually have the opportunity through the financing instrument to make it happen.

Can the mayor be expected to be informed about everything happening in the city—even down to every single brick laid? It’s simply not possible.

I’ve noticed that for some people, the fact that we won 83 mandates feels like a reason to rush out and show how strong we are. But in reality, we’re not stronger—we’re simply more exposed to responsibility, and to the people who gave us these mandates and who, quite rightly, now expect ten times more from us.

How would I know, for example, that the Municipality of Cërrik has, for the past three years, been processing all the waste from its rural areas—and not only processing it but turning it into usable product? And why don’t other municipalities have the same system? I believe Roskovec may have implemented it as well, if I’m not mistaken. But why isn’t this practice widespread across all municipalities?

That innovation came from the Municipality of Cërrik—so why isn’t everyone adopting it? Why aren’t you, for example, going to Cërrik to learn how it’s done so you can apply it for the farmers of Elbasan? Or others in other regions? As I’ve said before, Albania is the size of a large municipality in Europe. So why? Why do we continue to sit back and wait, always asking for funding from the central government? For everything, we ask the government for funds.

On the other hand, we will not be able to bring Albania into the EU by 2030 if we keep repeating the same mistakes. Mistakes will happen—but let them be new mistakes, not the same old ones. We must do different things, and one of the most important among them is to give new people a chance to contribute to this country.

When it comes to directors and local unit leaders—I’m not putting everyone in the same category. Surely, there are local leaders—like the head of the Novoselë administrative unit—who may have been there for 30 years but who are on duty day and night. Day and night!

And since the Director General of the State Police is here today—Director, I want to reiterate that what happened yesterday, with the dismissal of the Shkodër Police Director, is—hopefully—a message to everyone.

No regional police director can justify themselves by claiming they “didn’t know,” especially when we’re not talking about a table and four chairs extending beyond a boundary, but about 40 illegal constructions—or even just one illegal construction.

If we are engaging the elite of international architects in Albania—where we currently have the highest concentration of world-renowned architects in any one place in Europe—and if we are involving our institutions and three-quarters of the government in reviewing and approving building permits for these projects, down to the smallest details, and involving the Albanian Investment Development Agency (AIDA/AZHT) in the process…

Then anyone who undertakes to build in this country must also commit to every detail required in construction, to the highest standards of quality.

Therefore, territorial control, environmental cleanliness, respect for building permits, and the prevention of illegal construction must become part of the daily responsibilities of the State Police, of municipalities, and of mayors themselves.

If a mayor—even of the largest city in Albania—wants to know what is being built in their city, there is no question: they must know.

Thank you!