Prime Minister Edi Rama continued public consultations on the territorial administrative reform in Berat today. He focused on how the proposed reorganization of local units could affect public services.
Rama stressed that the merger would not reduce services in Poliçan, Dimal or other local units. Instead, he said the reform aims to improve local administration and create more opportunities for development and investment.
According to Rama, citizens will continue to receive services close to their homes. Poliçan and Dimal will also have their own local leaders. In addition, representatives from the two areas will sit on the Berat Municipal Council.
“Tell me what you think would be harmed if the municipalities merge. Roads and services will not change. Services will not leave Poliçan, Dimal or anywhere else,” Rama said.
He added that the buildings, staff and number of services would remain unchanged. The main difference, he explained, would be that residents would no longer elect a separate mayor for their local municipality.
“Nothing changes in the buildings. The staff does not change, and the number of services does not decrease. Compared with what you have today, only one thing changes: you will not have an elected mayor,” Rama said.
Meanwhile, Rama referred to the 2015 territorial reform. He recalled that citizens had raised similar concerns about distances, services and changes to local structures at that time.
He then questioned whether former communes received more or fewer investments after joining larger municipalities.
“Are the former communes better off today, or were they better when they stood alone?” Rama asked.
According to the Prime Minister, the merger allowed local units to benefit from larger investment opportunities. He argued that municipalities could not finance major investments on their own and that the current structure helped channel more resources across different areas.
Rama also addressed concerns about distance. He said residents would continue to receive the same services in Poliçan and Dimal, regardless of the administrative structure.
“The services you receive today in Poliçan or Dimal will continue there,” he said.
Therefore, Rama argued that the proposed reform would change the administrative leadership rather than the services citizens receive.
At the beginning of the meeting, Rama described the discussion with representatives of Poliçan and Dimal as a special exchange. He praised what he called “Poliçan’s collective determination” and the persistence of several well-prepared women from Dimal.
/a.c/
The post Rama in Berat: Merger of Municipalities Will Not Affect Services, Only Local Leadership appeared first on RTSH.
