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"Map of Albania according to the DP/Democrats' proposals for the new administrative division of the country"
2026-05-16 12:42:24 / POLITIKË
qipWhile the special commission for territorial reform continues consultations, the Democratic Party opposes scenarios for reducing the number of municipalities, demanding more local units and more competencies for local government. Democratic expert Dorian Teliti considered the idea that fewer municipalities automatically bring more efficiency or funds from the European Union to be wrong.
Since March, when the opposition returned to the territorial reform committee, the SP and PD have been holding hearings in the districts, but also in the parliamentary halls.
The opposition has raised concerns that the left is demanding fewer than 61 municipalities, which they consider unacceptable. However, even the blue headquarters' own experts admit that with the current division there are problems with services.
But instead of reducing numbers, Dorian Teliti is demanding that local governments be given more powers.
The principle even adds that there should be more units to be closer to citizens.
He also considered the left's argument that consolidation in numbers would bring more capacity to absorb EU funds unfair, and he gave examples of this.
The mandate of the territorial reform commission is scheduled for July, when it will be seen whether the parties will reach a consensus or whether the deadline will be extended.
Teliti: In the public consultations held in four regions, it was agreed that the current territorial division into 61 municipalities has not worked. What has prevailed have been the problems of citizens, interest groups and businesses, who have also established with evidence the fact of the lack of local government to come to the aid as required by the Albanian constitution and legislation. What has been proposed is not only the increase in the number of municipalities but also the increase in the competencies and ability of local government to exercise these competencies to come to the aid of citizens, since in the last 12 years it has been noticed that the assumption of functions by local government has not been exhausted. Therefore, in our discussion, the focus has not been on whether we will reduce or increase the number. The result will come out depending on the discussions we are having with citizens. So what we are doing is that municipalities, regardless of their small or large size, have often shown an inability to serve citizens, which makes it even more difficult. challenging our work, and all of this should have only one function: service to the citizen and the community.
Will the reform affect the absorption of EU funds?
Teliti: EU funds are there, have been there and will be there, it always depends on the capabilities of the structures to absorb them, from the drafting of the project concept, the way to convince the other party that we are capable of managing them, and to the implementation part, history has shown that even large municipalities have not had great absorption capabilities, but even the few funds that have absorbed when the moment of implementation came have been wasted, so we are dealing with a debate of competencies not the size of the municipality, but a debate of resources that Albania has but simply implements, implementing them efficiently so that we get the best possible product, it is a matter of political will, if the political will of the management of a municipality has the mind to serve the citizen, it finds ways, if it has the mind for personal benefits, it absolutely does not see the interest of the citizens in the response.
Will political parties be excluded from the political calculation of votes?
Teliti: One thing is certain, the opposition is not calculating votes but calculating citizen interests, the other side can then answer for this itself, so we are not discussing big or small but how the experience of 61 municipalities has been during the last 3 mandates, let's find out where things have gone wrong and where we can improve and take measures, the fact that to this day citizens are demanding measures to reduce the space that a municipality has to make the citizen closer to local government is a reality that has been expressed in every region that we have been an undeniable reality.
Municipalities as expert centers and smaller ones with reduced services?
Teliti: Everything is open for discussion, it is true that there may be municipalities that may have more capacities than some others, we are open to any discussion that is of value to the citizen and it is true that some municipalities that are in the center of the region have more competencies, but we must have something clear, this will not be a purely administrative-territorial reform, it will be a reform for the person, if we put the person at the center and revolve around his interests to serve him, I assure you that we can find the golden mean to take an initiative, a reform approved by all parties to come to the service of the person, this is also our objective as a democratic party and as an opposition, the objective of the other party can be stated more clearly by the representatives of the other party.
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