Socialist Party Parliamentary Group leader Taulant Balla said the majority will vote for its draft plan to change Albania’s administrative-territorial map. The proposal would reduce the number of municipalities from 61 to 46.
Speaking to the media at the Assembly of Albania, Balla said the country needs major reforms to build more competitive municipalities. He said the reform aims to increase access to European Union funding and prepare local government for EU membership.
Meanwhile, Balla said the protesters outside the Assembly are employees of municipalities that the reform would remove. He said the reform would create more opportunities and investment in areas that would no longer have municipality status.
Regarding the Democratic Party’s proposal, Balla said the opposition should submit its draft for consultation. He said parliamentary procedure requires consultation before the proposal goes to a committee for discussion. Balla also said the majority’s process has no constitutional problems.
According to the Socialist Party, the new territorial structure would include 46 municipalities, 71 constituent cities and 387 administrative units. Twenty municipalities would include more than one city.
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