The Chairman of the Socialist Party Parliamentary Group, Taulant Balla, has reacted after the Democratic Party submitted its draft proposal to change the country’s administrative-territorial division.
The DP has proposed that Albania have 100 municipalities and 12 counties, an initiative accompanied by a 168-page explanatory report in which, according to the opposition, the legal and technical criteria, as well as the needs of communities for a new model of local government, have been analyzed.
In his response, Balla described the Democrats’ proposal as an “alternative (retro) draft,” while stressing that the initiative must follow parliamentary procedures before being considered further.
“After saying that the Special Committee had not completed its work, today the Democratic Party Parliamentary Group has apparently come forward with an alternative (retro) proposal for the administrative-territorial reform, thanks to the lengthy consultations carried out as part of the Committee’s work. So, the Committee was worth it after all,” Balla wrote.
He stressed that the DP’s draft must be sent to the municipal councils and the Government for their opinion, arguing that this procedure should be given the necessary time.
“As stipulated by parliamentary procedure, this draft must be sent to the municipal councils and the Government for their opinion. It must be given the time it requires,” he continued.
Meanwhile, Balla said that the majority will continue with the parliamentary procedure for its own proposal, in accordance with Parliament’s calendar.
“Meanwhile, we will continue the parliamentary procedure with our proposal, as set out in Parliament’s calendar. Immediately afterward, at the latest following the local elections in the spring, the Special Committee will have to be re-established to continue the reform of European-style municipalities at another level,” Balla said.
For its part, the DP argues that the proposal for 100 municipalities and 12 counties is not simply about increasing the number of local government units, but about changing the model of local governance.
In its draft, the opposition says it aims to ensure greater proximity to citizens, local democracy, accountability, services, financial autonomy, and balanced territorial development.
According to the DP, the proposed model should be based on genuine decentralization, financial autonomy, clearly defined powers, responsibility and accountability, local democracy, and balanced territorial development.
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