Territorial reform! 15 municipalities to be dissolved, which will be the 6 new cities? What changes on the new map

If the new administrative-territorial reform receives the 84 votes needed in Thursday’s plenary session, Albania will go from 61 to 46 municipalities. The draft approved in the Laws Committee provides for the dissolution of 15 current municipalities and their merger with larger municipalities, while the counties do not change.

The new map also provides for a reorganisation of urban centres, with 71 constituent cities and 387 administrative units. During the review in the Laws Committee, six more areas gaining city status were added.

The 15 municipalities that lose their current status

According to the draft, the municipalities that are dissolved and merged with other units are:

The six areas that gain city status

The other change provided for in the new map concerns the classification of some urban centres. If the reform is approved, city status is expected to be gained by:

Thus, the Municipality of Kurbin will include the cities of Laç, Mamurras and Milot, while the Municipality of Kavajë, after merging with Rrogozhina, will include Kavaja, Rrogozhina and Golemi.

At the level of local government, the municipality remains the main unit of self-government. The reform aims for a structure with 46 municipalities, 71 cities and 387 administrative units, while the counties are not affected by the proposed changes.

The draft law has already been approved in the Laws Committee and is expected to go to a vote in the plenary session of 8 October. Its approval requires 84 votes.