TIRANA, July 8 – Prime Minister Edi Rama defended the government’s decision to allocate 4 million euros for the Kanye West concert, saying the event could generate more than 100 million euros for the Albanian economy.
Rama said the government approved the funding at the last minute to prevent the event’s cancellation and protect Albania’s international image. He said about 25,000 visitors from nearly 80 countries had already purchased tickets.
Meanwhile, the prime minister argued that the concert will produce economic benefits far exceeding the public investment. He pointed to a sharp increase in accommodation bookings for the concert weekend as an early sign of the expected impact. According to Rama, families, businesses, the tourism sector, municipalities, and the state budget will all benefit from higher consumer spending.
However, Rama rejected criticism that the funds should have gone to healthcare or other public services. He described those claims as misleading.
In addition, the prime minister said the government recently approved an extra 15 million euros for cancer medicines and 5 million euros for medical equipment. He also highlighted increased support for people with disabilities and their caregivers, additional funding for children with special needs, expanded financing for start-ups, a larger sovereign guarantee programme for businesses, new urban and rural development funding, and the latest pensioners’ bonus.
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