Speech of Prime Minister Edi Rama during the ceremony for the distribution of legalization permits in Lezha:

Hello everyone!

It is great pleasure that we are meeting here, in this great public work built after so many years during which the centre of this historic city was turned into a chaotic parking space. I am convinced that since we managed to make such a significant change of the “heart” of the city in one year only, with our representative that you will choose on June 21, there is no doubt that we will do for the city Lezha in the 4 coming years more than it was done in 25 years taken together.

We will do for this municipality what wasn’t done for many years and has transformed this city into a pit of despair and hopelessness. With the hope reborn here, in this historic square, we will proceed further, all together, to create better conditions for citizens of the new city of Lezha. For now it is not simply the old town anymore, but it is the new city that includes all those living in areas of municipalities who will not be “second hand” citizens anymore, but will be equal citizens of a municipality with strategic importance for economic development, tourism development and for trade.

Here, in this area, we have a number of companies and a number of factories that are emerging. We just came back, along with Monika, with the Mayor and many others, from a visit to a fish processing company, which thanks to the Employment Promotion Fund benefited from the new scheme of our Government to create new jobs, has significantly increased the number of employees and is ready to continue increasing it, in addition to having very encouraging export projects, through the processing of raw materials here.

So, these are some encouraging signs and of course, this is just the beginning, not the end. However, these are encouraging signs sufficient for any reasonable man and for anyone who has gone through the difficulties and the void of all the previous years to understand that this is the right direction and that together, in this right direction, we can and will accomplish much more.

These legalizations are also an encouraging sign because, as Director General of ALUIZNI said, there was here not even an office, never mind legalizations. With legalizations completed to date, in a few months of real work, we have overcome the number of legalization made in this area in 8 years altogether. There is a difference though; the majority of legalizations made in 8 years were not for the homes of families who with their savings have built a new shelter. They were legalizations for businesses, motels, commercial units that are usually built where they shouldn’t and are abusive legalizations. And the reason is that those legalizations were made for money profit. Meanwhile, you are all witnesses that a brand new chapter has been opened, the chapter of free legalizations that are not legalizations for businesses, but legalizations for families, for homes. Today, we are very proud of this first step which will be followed by other steps, because our commitment is clear and we will legalize for free all homes that are in the informal settlements. In addition, there is no doubt that we will do our best to improve the conditions of all those households that from a shelter not listed anywhere will own a real estate by means of these legalization permits. As soon as the house becomes a real estate and is registered in the mortgage office, it serves as a guarantee for banks where everyone can go and apply for a loan to start a small business, to expand their farms, to join others and undertake an activity in agriculture or livestock, or even to support the studies of their children. This will be a benefit also for the national economy, because the capitals that you have spent to build your houses, from a dead capital that they are today will turn into an active capital and will increase also our common economic strength, our national economy.

The main reason why the legalization process has a special importance is not just because with the legalization permit the home becomes a property that no one can demolish, or if they are demolished they should be expropriated according to the rules applied to every owner. It is not this. The main reason is that by registering these properties, we turn them into capital and the money spent in bricks, mortar and roof by families is now registered as a capital.

We will distribute these permits with pleasure, while all permits that are ready will be distributed throughout the day.