“Territorial reform” / Right-wing municipalities write to the Council of Europe: Stop the unilateral change of municipal boundaries

The Association of Local Elected Officials has sent a letter to the Council of Europe and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, underlining the violation of constitutional procedures and of the principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in the process of changing the boundaries of local government units. In the letter, the association raises the concern that the territorial reorganisation process is being carried out unilaterally, without respecting consultation with citizens and without taking into account the positions of local councillors. According to it, 15 municipalities risk being dissolved or having their boundaries changed, while residents and elected local representatives have been bypassed in a process that directly affects the organisation of local government and the interests of communities.

The association asks the Council of Europe and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities to react and intervene before the changes are approved in Parliament, arguing that after parliamentary approval it will be harder to prevent the harm that could be caused to communities. In the letter addressed to the European institutions, the association also presents evidence which, according to it, proves the bypassing of citizens and local councillors in the 15 municipalities affected by the reorganisation.

The association warns that the issue concerns not only the interests of the residents of these municipalities, but also respect for European standards and principles of local democracy. Changing the boundaries of local units, it argues, cannot be done without real consultation with the affected communities and without respecting Albania’s constitutional framework and international commitments.

In this context, the appeal addressed to the Council of Europe institutions comes as a request for intervention before the final decision-making in Parliament, so that the process does not become a fait accompli. According to the association, approving such a reorganisation without proper consultation would harm not only the interests of local communities, but also Albania’s credibility in implementing the European principles of local self-government.