Debate in the “Laws” committee: DP against the “Territorial” reform: You are harming 15 municipalities. Manja: An important reform

The administrative-territorial reform has brought discussions between the opposition and the majority in the Committee on Legal Affairs and Public Administration. The Democrats are asking for the review to be suspended and for wider consultation with experts. DP MP Eno Bozdo asked the majority not to rush the procedure and to take into consideration the alternatives proposed by the opposition.

“You are in time to block the procedure. You should listen to and task the experts, and come up with the best possible variant or variants. From the opposition’s side there has never been an intention to block the process, only to propose the best possible variant,” Bozdo said.

Meanwhile, Democratic MP Oerd Bylykbashi accused the majority of refusing the request to interrupt the review of the draft law and described the reform as a process with important consequences for representation and local self-government. He opposed the proposed changes for the 15 municipalities, saying that the new reform risks harming the interests of communities and increasing the concentration of power. Bylykbashi described the reform as one of the most important processes for the organisation of local power and accused the majority of aiming to concentrate power.

“Our requests to interrupt the review of this draft law and suspend it until we come to the consultation of the other draft law, you refused. You have taken a political decision today in the parliamentary group that overrides the Constitution. Public interest, democracy, representation, self-government, the interests of cultural and economic communities, traditions — a PowerPoint by the proposers cannot kill them, with a few points trying to reason why these 15 municipalities should be killed. They massacred the municipalities 12 years ago, from 373 municipalities and communes they made them 61, and now Edi Rama’s project continues to turn Albania into a single municipality,” Bylykbashi said.

On the other hand, the chairman of the Laws Committee, Ulsi Manja, said that claims of unconstitutionality do not stand, while acknowledging the importance of the reform and the need to also address issues related to local autonomy. He explained that issues related to the decentralisation, competences, functions and budgeting of municipalities will be addressed in the package of changes, which will accompany the new territorial map.

“On the claims of unconstitutionality of this process, in the spirit and letter of the 2015 law, I agree with you on one point: it is a very important reform. If you have a concern about decentralism, autonomy, functions, competences and the budgeting of municipalities, I agree that after this draft law is voted on, after it goes to the plenary session, the package of changes regarding these issues you raise will certainly come, since they are an integral part of that package that accompanies the territorial map. It cannot come earlier,” Manja said.