Prime Minister Edi Rama communication with media following government’s meeting in Berat:

 

Good evening!

I see you have come from Tirana as well.

You did well as Berat is much more beautiful than it used to be last time we were here.

We are here in the frame of the monthly commitment of government meeting in one of the regions. The meeting is due to a simple reason, but in my point of view and important, to address the relevant issues of the region, to discuss and share related development programmes with the local public. Further today we will present publically Berat portfolio, hence I will not be long in such aspect as a special space and time will be dedicated to it where certainly you can make your questions related to the county we are at the moment.

On the other hand, the government has focused on several decisions aimed at increasing the quality of interaction between government agencies, local government and citizens in the context of professional counseling, social services and employment. To this reason, the establishment of a social fund that goes towards decentralization of social services has been approved. But it goes beyond, it makes it possible to create a mutual fund between municipalities and the government and all the hitherto funding from the center, from above, from the government to the community, are now available to those who apply to participate in this process to provide social services, to establish social service centers, which is not our invention, it is a good experience and practice in many countries, even in the region, and we believe it will give us a significant improvement in this regard. The Government therefore authorizes municipalities to set up social services as close to their needs and as closely as possible to the specific requirements of communities and citizens in every municipality.

We have lastly discussed about National Employment Service status as well as national employment programme, which is government’s great challenge and is being drafted based on our programme, but not as a strategy either as a good-willed or detailed project on each employment sector which we aim to launch publicly in spring. We have established a considerable circle of trustworthy foreign expertise with the World Bank, other donors and of course the best domestic expertise as well as all ministries involved in the employment process.

These were some things I can tell from the just finished meeting while I am convinced your questions will complete the interest on this first part of our activity.

-I wanted to address a recent concern encountered in Berat related to extraction of decorative stoneware in Tomorr Mountain. These extraction companies were suspended by minister Klosi in January this year. Entrepreneurs along with workers have protested twice and blocked the national road in Berat-Skrapar within this week. What measure will the government take further in relation to these firms that pretend to have been endowed with relevant licenses by the ministry since November 2017?

Prime Minister Rama: They can claim what they see reasonable. What we do not pretend but have estimated by findings in the field the compatibility of activity these companies have taken permits for, and the cries of Tomorr Mountain from the savage bites of these companies, is enough to tell those who block the road that there is no chance we will open the way to this barbarism.

Just like – thank you for the question – as in the meantime the minister of Tourism and Environment who leads the ambitious greening programme of all bitten and massacred territories throughout the years is following up compatibility permits every stone quarry with priority, not only in Berat district but across Albania. We have closed other stone quarries.

We will continue to foreclose quarries. Every company, every enterprise seeking to exploit mountains hills to extract stones must at the same time implement rigorously all contract standards, because contract are explicit and the standard is clear:

You cannot bite, engulf, and run!

You need to rehabilitate, renew it, in parallel!

The same situation is with quarries at Ura Vajgurore.

You know this, because you are here, a disaster only 100 meters from the inhabited area.

A slander to all children who cannot grow further, assisting this audacious violation of their right and of the right of this country, not today only but to many and many years to come, even when we would not be around.

Hence our message is crystal clear! Exact implementation of standards which is our non-negotiable objective!

Tomorr Mountain is a great treasure just as Kruje Mountains.

It will happen similarly there too. We will present the rehabilitation plan along with the minister in a special meeting the following day.

We can no longer tolerate Skanderbeg’s Castle bitten by the transition’s barbarism, because we are then part of the common national shame of all under transition governments. The plateau as a whole will be re-greened. The project is ready. We will continue re-greening processes. We will no longer allow the exploitation of that mountain slope, suggesting all companies that meet other solution criteria, in order for them to also work, but that Albania should not be mutilated.

-Following HPP built over Osum River call off, could you tell us if there will be other licenses in other coordinates? Or there will be no HPP over Osum River at all?

Prime Minister Edi Rama: We are absolutely determined to encounter all the landmines laid on our path from the past. There are plenty in every step in every sector. But, on the other side, we are even more firm, careful and aware to not plant any mine in any sector in Albania, meaning that, there are always issues by inherited HPPs, or the inherited rights, like in Valbone, where we minimized what was expected due to a range of issued permits, but did not achieve to utterly neutralize it as we would otherwise face a long story of courts and arbitrary tribunals that may have cost us multiple times more, besides even gaining the right to make this story continue.

So, we will ban any kind of industrial work where this country’s main future industry, tourism, is violated. It does not certainly mean that HPP will no longer be built in Albania, but we will be extremely careful and will operate in full national awareness.

Meanwhile the Minister of Tourism and Environment is heading another process, the creation of Vjosa National Park map to definitely separate the part where no interventions will be allowed from the part where it is intervened or might be intervened – probably in the future as the present holds no such developments in the horizon – other developments related to electrical power industry.

-Development of Berat, and not only, but the entire park now seems that it is obviously heading towards tourism. Will there be more projects?

Prime Minister Edi Rama: We will make a public launch in a while therefore you are invited to take part. What is important to highlight is that Urban Rebirth in Berat just like in many other areas has echoed-proved against all those wailing about the Urban Renaissance Programme as a façade, because of us progressing ahead the programme here in Berat, where tourism has flourished more than ever before. There is an increasing interest from owners of historic buildings to restore them, from remains in risk of collapse to hostels in function of tourism industry.

We will certainly continue and we will certainly support all projects from the border, let us say upon entering Berat region, until its furthest border, beyond the canyons.

Meanwhile, before coming here, I saw the road connecting Cerrik to Ura Vajgurorre, which is well ahead and will soon guarantee an important time reduction to travel to Tirana. But not only this, it guarantees significant facilities to all the area farmers and products’ circulation which has encountered difficulties in that region due the impassable road.

It is referring to 35 kilometers of new road in this side and the other side, from Elbasan region Cerrik to Belsh and then further to Ura Vajgurore in Kucove.

-In this regard, the city of Berat has been in UNESCO since July 2008 and to preserve this heritage we need to eliminate heavy tonnage vehicles. Is there a draft project for the city’s by-pass?

Prime Minister Edi Rama: It is an age-long discussion. It is a necessity, it has its own cost, but it is definitely one of the objectives to be realized and is a strategic goal to the development of tourist Berat. I agree with you.

-What will be done with families who have come out of the economic aid scheme? As it is known recently has become a problem.

Prime Minister Edi Rama: It has become a problem in the sense that there is a great political manipulation. While the scheme is the same scheme that was piloted for two years in three districts, in Tirana, Elbasan and Durres, which brought 19,100 abusers into only three districts and now extends throughout Albania. If the scheme succeeded in these three districts, there is no reason why not to succeed all over Albania to separate those who unjustly receive economic aid and are thousands and thousands, from those who indeed deserve economic aid.

 

Meanwhile, there are two elements. The scheme is cool. Thus it is computerized. It is not the old scheme we have seen outrageous things from, to the extent that the whole Kukes municipal council provided economic aid to itself for each member. That is to bring an extreme example. But there is, as was acknowledged and known from the very beginning, even by World Bank experts itself, that it is a joint project with the World Bank, a leading institution in the fight against poverty – its own error margin.

Because the schemes have the error margin itself, there is a re-evaluation and verification process and we are in the process. So, there are definitely cases that do not match the outcome of the scheme with the need of a family or another and a way will be found in order to include these families in the scheme. There are such cases of course, but I am convinced that at this stage you will day-to-day see manipulation stories, I think cruelly political, in these cases, which we are aware of and for this reason we are doing this process of verification and re-evaluation.

On the other hand, we have doubled the funds that go to the municipalities. So, from 3% it has amounted to 6%, which municipalities can use without being conditioned on the national scheme criteria to include families the municipality considers deserving economic aid within the aid program.

However, 70% of those who have claimed to be involved and not included in the scheme are persons from 24 to 45 years old, fully capable of work and I cannot accept that the investments made – I am taking Delvina area as an example, factories risking bankruptcy because no one goes to work. And on the other hand, those who are capable of working seek economic aid while being offered work. I cannot admit that an investment of this nature would probably go bankrupt today in Skrapar, where there are vacant workplaces and they remain vacant as they refuse to work. I cannot accept that the same thing happens in Gjirokastra or anywhere else. I’m talking about concrete cases, concrete investments, concrete factories that cannot get into work or work completely out of any survival way because people do not want to work. I cannot accept this.

I could be told, “Why should I work for 300 thousand old lek or 350 thousand lek or why would I work for 400 thousand lek?” For instance, a factory in Durres, where salaries are 450,000 old ALL, there are plenty of vacancies. Of course it is not a salary like mine or yours, but it is five, six and seven times more than the average of the economic aid.

So if you tell me that I want to receive the average 50 thousand ALL, as the economic aid can go up to 110 thousand old lek for families that meet the criteria, but I am taking the average, so I can stay in the cafe and not go to work, I say sorry, but that is not possible because that minimum average is for families who are really in need. It is not for you the 25 year old, 30 years old, 35 years old, 40 years old and not willing to work. That is my response.

-How do you evaluate President Meta stance in relation to Foreign Affairs Ministry request to have power of attorney in negotiations with Greece?

Prime Minister Edi Rama: I share all the love for canyons and all the attention that canyons are one of the most intensive development points of tourism and Berat’s economy with the President. As far as your question is concerned, I believe that I have given my answer and I do not remove any punctuation. If you have come here to report that there is a problem between me and the president, it is the wrong place to do this because we are not far from the canyons and above all I have the obligation of gratitude to the president who has presented me with the canyons and thanks to his invitation, I did rafting for the first time. I invite you to raft as soon as the rafting time begins, as I did. Then you will understand why my answer here is not ironic at all or either to escape your question, but it is the only answer I could give as you came so far for the President.

Thank You!