Press conference of Prime Minister Edi Rama, at the end of the year 2015:
Hello!
This is the last conference of the year, and as such it is open to any questions. But before I give you the floor to ask questions, I would like to present several topics related to our efforts and achievements to date.
· A greeting card to truckers
I want to begin with a greeting card for Albanian truckers who transport goods in Italy, and who have been bearing for 25 years the burden of a totally unfair taxation that has remained in relation to goods going to Italy from Albania, since mid of the last century. A totally absurd tax regime, where Albania has remained together with two other countries of the Middle East
A continuous effort has been made in these years, but without succeeding in having truckers released from this burden.
Today, I had a conversation with the Italian Prime Minister, who was here one year ago, and he gave me the good news that truckers have been waiting for a long time, because finally the Italian government passed a decision, which is now in the Italian parliament, to remove this tax amounting to 500 Euros for every truck entering Italy and coming from Italy to Albania.
Once it passes the parliamentary procedures, it becomes law. Meanwhile, in addition to the decision the Italian government has deposited also the financial coverage of the amount that will be removed from our truckers shoulders. So it is a promise kept by the Italian Prime Minister, to whom I have repeatedly reminded that I could not let another year pass without finalizing this solution.
· Economy
Today, we are at a time when we can say with conviction that we have entered an intermediate stage of our big project of state-building reforms and transformation of the sectors of life in the country liberated from a cancer that was asphyxiating them. A major bleeding has been stopped in the vital organs of the country’s body, and a comprehensive recovery has started.
Starting with the economy, which is the part you are directly and more interested in, but that is the most difficult part as it combines all other components, I want to tell you that we have attained the goal to continue with sustainable growth, and we are confident that next year economic growth will go beyond 3%.
On the other hand, precisely because we are in a process where reforms have started to produce results, we managed to zero tax for 83.500 small businesses with annual turnover up to 50 million, and we halved taxes for another 15.900 businesses with an annual turnover of 50-80 million ALL, a direct result of the operation against informality, which gave us good reasons to be strongly encouraged to continue the state-building process.
We have paid over 600 million dollars of debt we inherited from the previous government in all sectors, for works or contracted services, public works, education, energy, transport, culture, agriculture, justice, and so on. And we have paid all debts accumulated and hidden for people in need.
Thanks to the replacement of flat taxation by fair taxation since the very beginning, citizens who pay tax on personal income from wages in state or private employment have saved 230 dollars a year, and thanks to the reduction of this tax, 97 % of Albanians have obtained an average 75% increased wage. It is the highest wage increase compared to the past years taken together.
Meanwhile, for teachers, policemen, nurses and other employees in the public area will have the possibility of receiving a 13th salary. Therefore, we have confidence that this is the right path, and that this reform process and the outcomes of the reforms will provide more opportunities year after year.
In just one year, we increased the revenue collected from taxes and customs more than in the past 5 years of the former government taken together. This year, while we had a mismatch in the forecasts, namely between our plan and real income, I want to emphasize that we collected 242.2 million Euros more than in our best year, which was 2012, of the collection of revenues in the 8 years of the previous government.
I want to reiterate that this mismatch has been clearly analyzed and is based on a number of objective factors and international conjuncture related to prices and the market, which we could neither predict a year ago, nor the Albanian government could halt.
Today, we have recorded 45.600 new active businesses in the last 2 years. On the other hand, we can be at ease and feel proud to look entrepreneurship straight in the eye, because debts have been settled. In this regard I have to say that the amount of remaining debt is not due to our financial inability, but it is due to the documentary inability of the enterprise, but our project is clear: we will repay every penny of the past 8 years.
I want to underline the fact that today, as we have repaid dues amounting to 82 million dollars that the previous government would held forcibly in the form of VAT, amount that what supposed to be returned automatically, we have built an automatic system of VAT reimbursement, where there is no corruption and which system works on the basis of an objective formula, so there is no possibility of interference or to miss VAT refund.
I want also to emphasize that the export of agricultural products, where we have placed a special focus in the context of trying to transform the economic model, has given very encouraging results; last year it was 20% plus, and in the 6-month period of this year it was 34% plus compared with the first six months of last year.
Foreign investments, which last year totalled 1.1 billion dollars, increasing by 19% compared with 2013, this year were even higher, and we have full reason to believe that we have 100 million plus in foreign investments, compared with last year, although we will have the final figures only at the beginning of next year.
· Order and Security
Everybody can see now the truth that the State Police, one of the most corrupt and the most unreliable institutions according to Transparency International, has been transformed into an institution that enjoys a growing confidence of the citizens.
Actually, this year is closed with half the number of murders and a drastic drop in the number of ordinary crimes. This is a fact. This year is in absolute the best in terms of achievements against crime and criminality compared to all other years. In addition, an average decline of 50% in the number of murders has been recorded.
The digital police station is a beautiful success story and a more solid basis to continue the intensification of the work of police in the service of citizens, as it is one of the steps in the way of a continuous process of technological innovation of the State Police.
The testing of project of the incorporated cameras for the patrols in the capital is about to be concluded. It will guarantee a real-time monitoring of the activity of police officers on the ground and in contact with the citizen. It will guarantee the registration and monitoring in real time the communication of police forces with citizens, a much faster and much more efficient coordination of the police structures, when the first signal for support or rapid intervention, coming in real time via the incorporated camera to the central operational room, which will turn into an electronic brain of the State Police.
In addition, next year high quality camera will be placed at the entrance and exit of cities and national roads throughout the country, and they will be another extraordinary instrument to monitor everything from the central operating room, and to organize in real time, at a maximum speed, any intervention or support needed, when required.
Without going further with figures and very stubborn facts about the ongoing transformation of the State Police, I want to underline the need to continue with the further transformation the state police, the average age of which is still very high. Therefore, it needs to be constantly refreshed, and at the same time an increased capacity in all aspects of police forces.
The Academy of Security, which has been fully restored, constitutes a very important and supportive basis to go ahead with this transformation.
· Education
We have done for education what was not done in over 20 years taken together, to move from an era where in Albania there was no education in terms of the system and guarantees of the system, and where the structures of educational departments and educational offices were part of the overall gangrenous system of corruption, in an era where we have laid the foundations of a modern, European, competitive and quality education.
Reform in Higher Education has been one of the many important reforms finalized during this year. Accreditation and ranking by performance of universities in this country is one aspect that has been missing for many years, and which will be another assurance on the teaching quality and standards, and on the adaption to market demands.
We have cleaned out the system of secondary education which had over 4.000 teachers without adequate education, or who would teach outside their profile. We have set the foundations of a system that is transparent, meritocratic and safeguards against corruption through the portal “Teachers for Albania”. We had this year the second edition of the national testing of teachers, in an indisputable form in terms of transparency, and impenetrable by interests that until had turned education into a political feud of clientele and widespread corruption.
Today, no director of departments or office directors can any longer arbitrarily decide on the fate of teachers. There is no longer possible for an educational office or school board to overcome the individuals and not respect the credits taken in national tests.
We saved 480 thousand students from the chaos, confusion and the madness of the Altertekst policy. We cleared out 600 textbooks from the folly and mistakes that have cost a lot for many years to pupils and parents, and alto to the quality of secondary education in Albania.
Today, 74 thousand students use textbooks by Oxford, Pearson and Cambridge, among the highest ranked textbooks in the EU. Within three years, these textbooks will be available throughout our secondary education system. So, students of this country will have the possibility, starting from the first grade throughout high school, to learn on textbooks and according to methods used by their fellows in the UK and the EU.
Today, 13.500 more children receive free textbooks. Another 7.400 families having more than three children receive free textbooks as well. So, we have tripled the number of categories of families receiving free textbooks compared with two years ago.
On the other hand, since we see the education activity associated with sports activity, without getting into what we have done to advance our sport project in schools, by restoring the hours of physical education, in addition to making a constant effort to enhance the quality of activities during these hours, I want to emphasize that we have invested in sport, not more, but much more than 23 years gathered together.
In cooperation with the Albanian football federation, we have started transforming the structure of our stadiums. The stadium “Loro Boriçi” in Shkoder is about to be completed, and are very close to starting work on the National Arena in Tirana, which will be without the slightest doubt, one of the most beautiful stadiums in Europe.
You are not sports reporters, but I would ask to those involved in sports to keep note of this: one of the most beautiful stadiums in Europe for our red-and-black national team, which is in the finals of the European championship to be held in France.
· Health
The most recent and good new news about health is that starting next year begins the family doctor will provide free service. No more fees and payments at the family doctor. On the other hand, based on our major national project on free check-up for 870 thousand citizens aged 40-65 who benefit from this health check every year, we have made citizens save 45 million dollars.
I urge all those who have attacked this project in a barbaric and to have included in the list of targets to be shot with mud, to note this figure and keep it in mind.
On the other hand, for the first time we set the basis to have what every normal country has been having for centuries or for decades, what we have been lacking; an overview of the health conditions of the population, and an instrument to identify on time issues that are emerging and which can be prevented, and to determine the profile of policies and health expenditures.
I’m not dwelling on the prices of drugs that have been eventually consolidated at minus 30% compared with two years ago. Citizens will benefit directly from this reduction, just as they will benefit 70 million dollars, or $ 100 per family by removing the tax on medicines. Every single aspirin was taxed until two years ago. We’d rather leave this money in the pockets of citizens, and not to take it in with taxes in the state budget.
There is a whole range of such mitigating measures that have increased the purchasing power of citizens, and certainly have reduced the amount of money collected to the state budget, but we are more interested in the first one. I want to emphasize and another fact that people don’t know. The emergency service has grown and strengthened this year, but it remains a major challenge, because we still have a very backward emergency service. However, to those who make a lot of noise against this project, I want to say that this year the air emergency service has carried out 400 emergency rescue flights more than last year or in the previous years, so that we cannot do any comparison.
· Energy
I think we don’t need to dwell on energy. Although facts are stubborn, I believe a few figures won’t do any damage in this ending of the year.
360 thousand families that were left in the trap of debts and late payment interests increasing daily, have signed agreements with the company to repay the outstanding debt. Over 200 thousand customers have been written of 40 million dollars through these incentive and favourable schemes.
Let me remind you that we have cancelled 15 million dollars of bills accumulated arbitrarily at the expense of citizens. While today, nobody can say anything about the average price of electricity, about which an ugly propaganda was made with a clear project to prevent recovery of the sector. Today, this price is lower than it was before the reform started, 9.5 ALL per kilowatt.
Meanwhile, there are 200 thousand people receiving 16 million dollars every year as compensation for the removal of the 300 kilowatt range, which turned into a shield for all ordinary abusers.
Debts amounting to 92 million dollars have been paid to private hydropower, and today their payments are made in real time, while 1.600 new jobs have been created only in this area. Six times more investments in the sector, and for the first time interventions are being made in the nervous system of the country, if we can call so the system of distribution of electricity, 80% of which is over 40 years old. In addition, investments are being made to improve very significantly the quality of distribution for consumers in some critical areas and of course, throughout the coastal area.
For the first time, Albpetrol has become a contributor to the state budget, and from a company that had only losses due to theft and robbery unprecedented in any country, in a company that contributes with income.
The level of processing oil this year is three times higher than two years ago. Just as the amount of ferrochrome produced in Albanian plants, where significant investments have been made during the last two years, has increased by 50%.
Doe to the investments made during the past two years only, the mining industry has created more than 700 new jobs. 200 permits for abusive exploitation of underground wealth have been cancelled. Activity has been blocked in 62 caves – scientifically they are called danger zones – where you know well what has been done to the national wealth and human lives. 119 abandoned galleries have been closed, because people have systematically found death, and because they had become nothing but sources of accidents.
· Pension reform
I think the pension reform is another reason why this government has earned to date the trust of 1 million Albanians. A reform delayed for over 20 years, the lack of which was the reason for the blocking the final financial support from the World Bank, and for a threatening situation to the country’s finances that risked collapsing due to the annual deficit, because no one would dare to touch this aspect.
This reform has started to yield very significant results thanks to a 120 million dollar growth of the Pension Fund, as a result of the public involvement in this process. I believe that we are obliged, we owe Albanian citizens, we owe to those who see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears and think with their head, and are not manipulated and are not fooled by professionals of slander and baseless accusations, the fact that our reforms have found popular support.
These are difficult reforms that have cost and pain, but the vast majority of Albanians have supported them because they are many steps ahead of politics, many steps ahead of the parties, of the interests and the struggle for power, and they know how to read properly the interest of the family and above all of their children.
After more than 20 years wasted, during which the national assets has been undermined, the territory has been massacred, and during which development has concerned only the cancer cells, not the path of development, Albanians are understanding and the vast majority are supporting the fact that we don’t need another 25 years to pass like the previous ones, and that their children need to grow up in a country where there is state, in a country where there is institutions, in a country where laws and regulations work.
We are not there yet, but we are clearly headed in this direction, and Albanians know this, feel, this and support this.
· Social support
We have tripled economic assistance. This is for those who weep for the poor, and blame on the reforms everything affecting the poor. Up to two years ago economic assistance would range from 15 to 30 thousand ALL; while today it goes from 45 to 80 thousand ALL. They are not sufficient, but it is certain that this government has made available to the poorest and most vulnerable groups the greatest financial package. It is certain that 81 thousand beneficiaries receive 25% more than two years ago. It is certain also that people with disabilities receive 25% more than two years ago. As it is certain that 39 thousand families have been compensated for electricity. There are 59 thousand children of families that receive social assistance, who have benefited financial compensation for education. 18 thousand children of families receiving social assistance have been compensated for vaccination.
· Urban Renaissance
A few words about a different approach that has brought the first results, with investments oriented towards communities, and for the first time in over 20 years has made people feel like residents living in a city, and not in an isolated crossroads.
This is the direction of the major investments we have made in the central squares of cities, with an aim to giving positive energy to the community life. In order to not spend too much time searching, just have a look to an important article on Berat of a big US newspaper, to understand the chain impact these works have, and which are considered by many, unintentionally, of course, and due to their blindness and short-sightedness, facades or decorations.
I will not list all the projects we have done, but I can just say that in over 20 year zero projects have been made for city centres, for the community centres.
47 projects have been already implemented to start a process of urban renaissance and to give back to people their cities, the spaces of coexistence, the space where there is hope, and where there are opportunities for small business, tourism and so on.
Zero projects were made in over 20 years to rehabilitate the green spaces for children and the elderly. 16 such projects have been already implemented.
Zero projects were made in over 20 years to develop a tourist infrastructure in tourist areas. Today we have 12 projects that have been implemented or are being implemented, while others will be implemented the next year.
We have built and rebuilt 154 schools and kindergartens. We have built 47 sports complexes, without leaving behind culture.
· Culture
Our investments in culture are many times more than those done in many years combined. Suffice to say that we are towards the completion of the National Museum “Marubi” in Shkodra, a treasure that was abandoned and saved only thanks to the passion of someone, who was a director, otherwise we would have found no trace of it. Works for the National Museum of Medieval Art in Korca are also about to be completed, to continue with projects on the cultural infrastructure of theatres, the Theatre of Shkodra and the Theatre of Korca. This year, work will start for the new Theatre in Tirana, the Opera Theatre.
· Agriculture
We have increased the capacity of the support schemes for farmers by 40%, and have increased by 60% the number of the beneficiaries. Two days ago the National Guarantee Fund was passed to the government in order to enable farmers to be credited with much lower interest rates, or in certain cases according to the criteria of the projects, where interests will be paid by the state, and the farmers will not go to the banks and deal with bureaucratic procedures, because the state will be the mediator between banks and farmers.
Potentially, there are 300 million Euros that can be used to give a breakthrough to enterprise in the village, thanks to our cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the involvement of commercial banks here in Albania.
Just like every entrepreneur, every enterprise, every union that forms a 100-hectare farm will receive a grant of a million dollars directly by the state, and 100 thousand dollars directly by the state for anyone who builds 10 hectares of greenhouses.
As part of the battle to protect against flooding, we have cleaned so far 649 kilometres of drainage canals, and other canals where no intervention was made in over 20 years. Next year, we will immediately begin a project with the new municipalities created after the administrative and territorial reform, in order to go on with this process and to ensure the cleaning of all canals, so that every square meter of farmland will be irrigated. In addition, we are rehabilitating 11 dams and 13 irrigation schemes in view of protection. I think, we have done important works in every aspect.
· Road infrastructure
I just want to put the emphasis only on a fact that has become like a joke, “you haven’t paved not even a kilometre road”. The opposite is true! We rebuilt from scratch many abandoned roads, we have remade the projects, and still to this day we feel the urge to finance projects on abandoned roads. We have also invested, to be more precise, 25% more than last year, and more than 100% compared with two years ago to improve the standards of road infrastructure and to enhance the quality of maintenance.
Meanwhile, we are working intensively in every road segment, and suffice it to tell you that it was impossible to go to Berat until two years. There was an inaugurated road, but it was not actually a road. Today, you can reach Berat through the new road. This is one example, but I can give you many more.
· Urban Development
Yesterday we presented a very advanced draft of the National General Plan, and two sectorial plans for the Tirana-Durres area and the coast, in accordance with our governing program, within this mandate, and finally after 25 years, we will give Albania and every decision maker or investor a modern planning instrument.
I won’t dwell any further, so I can give you the floor and answer your questions.
***
– Mr. Prime Minister, do you believe that 2016 will be the year when Albania could launch negotiations for European Union membership?
The second question, about two months ago you attempted to have passed in parliament the law on the criminalization of defamation, but after all the noise caused you backed off, in order to amend this Section. Are you determined, Mr. Prime Minister to pass this bill in 2016?
I didn’t mention a number of aspects. I didn’t mention foreign policy and European integration, not because they are secondary, but because I have no desire to make propaganda. It is certain that if this government hadn’t come into office with the support of a million Albanians and hadn’t made the reforms it is making, by giving clear signals since the beginning, Albania would not have received the status of candidate country. Everyone can say what they want, everyone has their own story, but the truth is this. We have received the status of candidate country and are in an absolutely coherent process to open negotiations. It does not depend only on us. To be clear, it does not depend only on us!
Suffice it to bring you the example of Kosovo and visa liberalization, so that those who do not understand can understand that the decision of the European Union is not just a technical matter and a matter of implementation of technicalities.
What is the reason that Kosovo is being delayed visa liberalization? From a technical point of view, Kosovo has everything settled. There is no technical problem. It is political. I am very hopeful that finally Kosovo will be freed from this absurd isolation. It is the only nation in the entire map that cannot move freely without a visa. This is a big paradox compared to the past, when they were in a dictatorship regime and could move more freely. Now, they live in their democratic country and are isolated. I believe that next year will deliver Kosovo, and we will continue to insist on this.
It is the same for our process. We are absolutely convinced that, had we stuck in strict technical terms to what we have done, negotiations would have been launched. But it does not matter. What we are doing with the Justice Reform is practically the exhaustion of Chapter 23-24 of the negotiations. When negotiations start, they start with Chapter 23-24, which is justice. What we are doing are things we would do in Chapter 23 and 24. When negotiations are launched, and if the Justice Reform will pass successfully, and I am convinced it will, chapter 23 and 24 will be a chapter that will pass more quickly and more easily, because we will have done most of the work, if not all of it.
Regarding defamation, my friends, I am sorry that there was a lapse on our part in that statement, and people thought that the aim was to have criminalization of defamation affect journalist’s oppression. It has never been part of the thinking on this issue. The thinking on this issue comes from the fact that we live in a country where slander is more common than in all other countries put together, at least on the European continent and in all other parts the world where there is a democratic normality.
I assure you that if you do a statistical research, which is probably not possible, but it is theoretical, people do not slander across the globe where there are normal states as much as they do in Albania in a single day. Politics, one person and society are nowhere criminalized as they criminalized in Albania through politics.
We talk about decriminalization. It was a necessary process, and it is good that it had a concrete result. Today there is a basis to prevent people with criminal records to judge a variety of offenses receive mandates or work in the state administration, but the criminalization has become an even greater problem.
Today there is a basis to prevent people with criminal records and judged for a variety of offenses, from being given mandates or working in the state administration. But criminalization has become an even greater problem. It has become a cultural issue. Everything and everyone is criminalized, for interests that have nothing to do with the truth, and unfortunately this creates such a foggy space that the real issues, the real problems of corruption, criminality, of dubious relationship between different factors will not be into focus.
If words such as thief, robber, and criminal are said so often and for everything on a daily basis, they lose their meaning and importance when said where appropriate, for the right problem. This is simple.
The atmosphere here does actually facilitate the position and blurs the space where in fact corruption operates; it makes difficult the real fight against corruption and the identification of corruption offenses.
As soon as you make a normal attempt to build public-private partnership, you are immediately accused of thief, corrupt and criminalized person. Instantly, automatically.
Just think of what happened with the haemodialysis. A profitable opportunity for the people who need the haemodialysis, and saves them money, efforts and sacrifices has been criminalized in a way that is intolerable. This is not democracy. This is not freedom of speech. This is freedom of defamation, oppression and of making pressure through slander.
This process was carried out and paid in the same way, but the service was provided only in two points here in Tirana. The same money is spent to provide it in many other points, so that people who need it won’t have to come from Korca to Tirana, but will have it there. How can it be criminalized? How is it possible? I took an example, but I can take many more.
I mentioned earlier that the free check-up saves citizens 45 million dollars annually, and what we get is a database that helps us make a health policy. We are the only country to not have it. Total criminalization.
I’ve run the numbers in parliament. How can you say that the mismatch between the plan and the realization of revenue from customs is thievery, how can you say that? Ok, what about the mismatch between the plan and the realization of income that is over 800 million and goes up to a billion in the years of those who we accuse? What is it? Are there objective reasons? Of course, there may be non-objective reasons, and we are working seriously to identify them, but what does it mean telling citizens that it is the government that has taken the money missing from the plan, not from the coffers, but from the plan? It is criminalization.
Therefore, I think that every person who has a mandate to represent and serve the people in a legislative level, at the local level, at the executive level, should be held responsible if they slander. They must prove that they are not slandering, but are telling the truth.
We need to put a barrier to this sludge that practically sullies everything, and even ridiculed us as a society in the eyes of all the others. No society can slander such this. It does not exist. This culture is passed on to others and to our children.
This is my position. I am determined to do this battle. This is a matter that should followed step by step, but this battle, in this culture, it is not a matter of one person, but it a matter of a culture. And I am determined to do this battle together with you against this barbaric and criminal culture, because it is beyond political interests. I don’t mean this in personal terms. I’m used to it. They’ve said anything about me. So many things have been told and retold, that it is useless to ask for explanations. But the culture of constant criminalization is a culture that degrades human relationships, social and individual relationships with the state and of the state with the people.
-Most of the statistics that you mentioned until now refer to last year. I have a question about next year. Where do you base these predictions for economic growth exceeding 3%, or in other words, which will be the main subject of the Albanian economy for next year, the main subject of public investments, of foreign and Albanian private investments, what will prevail over the Albanian economy next year?
Forecasts of growth are based on in-depth analysis made in cooperation both with institutions and the expertise with which we are working, I mean here the IMF, the World Bank, and the Harvard Centre for International Development that has been working systematically. These forecasts are not imagined, but they are based on data, they are consolidated, and we do not include in these forecasts what we expect as a development for some large foreign investments.
We have been working intensely for two years to finalize some major foreign investments in the field of energy and tourism, and I believe that we are in a more advanced process.
It is not easy to take a large foreign investment, because there are many components that must be put together, and I assure you that when we started work it was impossible to receive a positive response, such as “Yes, we agree to consider this”, because the image of the country, the overall conditions and the psychology of foreign investors were a shambles. Today, we are at an advanced stage. I believe we will finalize within a few weeks the introduction in Albania of one of the largest group for oil and gas exploration, the Israeli “Delek” group. Another two major agreements are in process, which we aim at performing into contracts with two other very large groups. On the other hand, we have two proposals at an advanced stage in tourism, and a series of other investments. But these are not calculated in the forecast of economic growth. We fully believe that economic growth will be above 3%, and how much “above” it will be, this something that will be determined by these developments.
– Mr. Prime Minister, you are using this conference at the end of the year to make an analysis of your work, or better, of the achievements of the government. But, I am curious to know if there is an analysis of the relations with the institutions, specifically two of them, the President of the Republic and the Attorney General. A year ago you said that your feelings for these two institutions are not very positive. You were unhappy with the work of the Attorney General, and also in the relationship with the President of the Republic. Will you allow the President of the Republic to spend this year’s holidays in government villas? The State Higher Control has asked you to dismiss the Director of Government Services for a violation, or rather for fraud. She has given false information about the assets that this directorate manages. For the Attorney General, I know that reforms in justice is being done by experts, but in the end the vote will be political. Would you give Attorney General a 9-year term, or a new prosecutor will be elected when the reform starts being implemented?
Before the elections you made public an operation which you claimed would have the same dimensions as the electricity operation, and it was the fuels operation. But, I am speaking personally, I already used my car when you started the operation; I still use it and I don’t see any difference. People haven’t heard you speak publicly very often about the results of this operation. Did it just not go very well, or is it that you simply didn’t want to make public the success of this operation?
I don’t know your relationship with your car, and how you can tell whether our effort has been successful or not, but I can tell you that we have done that operation and have received the expected result with a very important increase of receipts and a significant increase of quality. A number of important punitive measures have been taken, which have given results. But we are still far from our objective of having a thorough control and monitoring system of fuel movement in all aspects. Even in this regard, next year, I believe we have good reason to be confident that we will make some important developments in terms of technology to electronically control fuel flow entering Albania, and that from refineries go to their destination. This project that has already been designed, and investments will be made next year and it will be implemented.
As far as happiness is concerned, this is a big word. To be honest, I would not say that I am happy with myself or with the work I am doing, so it is not a problem that I am unhappy with one institution or with another, because it is not a negative attitude. It is merely an observation. If you ask about the level of happiness, if there is an increase or decrease in the level of happiness, I can tell you that I’m on the same scale. Neither more nor less unhappy.
But the most important part in your question concerns justice reform. I will tell you very simply that there is no doubt that reform is the main subject of our mandate, and as such it has a very great importance that affects many interests. Therefore, it will necessarily produce an earthquake across the foundations the current justice system. If it doesn’t, it is not the right main subject.
We have been aware from the outset of the importance of this reform, and of the fact that if there has never been in Albania a thorough justice reform, this has come as a result of the barrier created by politics. This obstacle has been lack of will, lack of experience, lack of knowledge, and I believe that after 25 years this obstacle can be overcome with will, on the basis of experience and knowledge. Since the beginning, our belief has been that not politics but only expertise can bring knowledge in this process.
You’ve seen that is a process that has covered more than a year. It has involved also those who advocate the reform, those who do not speak but have been against the reform. They also have been involved in the process. Every institution, ranging from the institution of the President of the Republic, to the institution of the Prosecutor, to the institution of courts, lawyers, notaries, magistrates, all of them have been involved in the process. They have been invited, they had their experts in all groups launched in this regard. So, there has been total inclusion.
Second, foreign expertise has been complete, not only representatives of various missions, EURALIUS OPDAT, the Council of Europe but also specific expertise that has been invited. You’ve followed the process. You have seen many of those who have come especially to support the reform. Politics is not involved in this process deliberately.
You ask me now, if we are going to extend to the mandate of the Attorney General to 9 years. I have not read the draft reform. You are free to believe it or not. I am not aware of it, intentionally. Because I have been convinced from the beginning if entered this process, the co-chief would have done the same – this has been also his conviction – we will enter with the parliamentary groups, MPs, and we will only be an obstacle, not because of the lack of willingness but because of the inability to give the judgment required by experience and expertise.
I have said since the very beginning and I repeat that there is no possible political consensus on the reform, but the majority and the opposition will decide together that the Venice Commission gives us the key of consensus. So there is a draft, and it can be contested by anyone, and if it is not contested it cannot be a reform. This is my opinion and it has been consistently opposed.
Fortunately, and happily since we talked about happiness, suddenly the DP was happier than ever, as far as I can remember, about something that concerned the other party, and referred to the Venice Commission with such superlatives that only a saver came from God can be referred to. Perfect. We are in a completely new stage. We made a fantastic step ahead. We have the Venice Commission, we have the draft, we align them both, vote the reform and make a spectacular and unexpected consensus that I have never imagined in my most optimistic forecasts. It is understood that politics will not go in a robotic way to parliament. Our political will will be established as an investment required by the people that voted us on the basis of a draft and agreement. The Venice Commission report is the basis.
I personally have only one question that I keep asking. Will there be an earthquake or will not? This is my question. As long as the answer is that this process, this product brings an earthquake, so it shakes the whole system and sets a clear line between those who deserve to be judges and prosecutors in this country and to serve the people, and those who need to go do other work, for me this is the basis. The rest are technical issues, about which I am aware I cannot interfere.
I strongly believe that we will succeed, and I am convinced that no diversion, no effort of any kind to split the majority in this process is going to succeed. I say this because there are many efforts in this regard. They will not succeed!
We will do justice reform together, but the majority will not violate any principle and will not make any compromise to reduce the power of justice, and to reduce the shocking effect that this reform will have on the system. Shocking and modernizing. There cannot be modernization in any sector without shocking. Today, the only sector that has remained untroubled and has become the business card shame for Albania, is justice.
I fail to understand what kind of courage and what kind of commitments people with power, with the mandate, with the possibility of representation have, when they make relative the fact that this is a corrupt and criminal power, in the full sense of the word. Because there is also another element, the reform has been viewed only as a shocking force that will take to jail “x” or “y”. A few see the reform as the basis on which a modern, independent and professional justice system will be raised, one that will serve the people that will serve those who could not find justice for their property.
Only in Albania, only this system, only this criminal power can produce decisions, such as “x” goes to the court and requires the restitution of 50 hectares property, and the judge returns 500 hectares. How is it possible? Have you ever seen a court give judgments in surplus, you go and ask for a pen and they give you the desk, and you did not require it? It happens only here, and then the logic is clear. How come? The judge has looked at the map of the property and thought: ok, he is asking for this one, but what about the rest? Whose is it? Come on, let’s share it. I am not offering hints, I speak with the facts on this issue, and there are many other issues.
Only here it happens that the poor guard in a parking lot who reports a criminal is accused of perjury. Convicted of perjury, because he told the police officer: “yes I saw him. It is this one in the photo.” Who is going to deal with these people? Will justice be bought or will be offered for free? And will go where it should go, or will it go to the one who buys it? That is the question.
How can we control the system? If you want to control the justice system, keep it this way and it will be much easier to control it. You control it as did those who were here, with the division of roles. The judges wash away my sins, and I close my eyes before your sins. This is why the spectacular crimes that are made in this country are punished, because it is the story of a sin that is as a shareholding company, where one party has some shares, and the other party has some others. “You proclaim me innocent when I kill people, and I pretend I don’t see your misdeeds.” At whose expenses are these misdeeds done? At the expenses of the poor people in the streets. Let’s steel the people, let’s take away their property, let’s put in jail witnesses, and let criminals free, provided that when I kill someone, it won’t even occur to you to judge me. I have to be proclaim that I am innocent. The guilt will remain with those who are accused the most in the people’s trial of daily criminalization. There is in Albania a people’s trial every day, and prosecutors and judges held press conferences on behalf of the parties. I am talking in plural, since we are in holiday season, and we don’t want to ruin their holidays.
-The first question is about the Albanian Radio Television. The Socialist Party promised the reformation of this institution when it was in opposition, and so has done the government. This didn’t happen in 2015, and we see that we have a blocked situation with regard to the Director General although a new council was elected. What will be done in this direction, and is the majority expecting to amend the law on the media as far as the election with a mere majority of the director is concerned?
The second question regards concession of the Tirana International Airport. Your government has promised again that this concession will be amended and reviewed, or to be more precise, there will be withdrawal of exclusivity in terms of international flights from this airport, in order allow the construction of new airports and international flights from these airports. What is being done in this direction, and is there a specific time in terms of the conclusion of this deal?
First, with regard to the ART, I don’t watch it, as you can imagine, and it is not in my press review either, for a very simple reason, because I feel beholden to all those who pay taxes to the Albanian Public Television. Because it is today the most outdated structure, but at the same time and the most paid in the media world. Television with a lot less money, with less investments, with far less people, make a much higher audience and that is a fact.
There is no responsibility and there is no reason for me to criticize anyone in that facility as long as responsibility and criticism should go directly only to this ruling majority, and if you like, also to me personally along with the head, although justification is there. We have voted an absurd law where we have participated in an absurd consensus to run a company. It is an enterprise. A public enterprise, and it has a great mission which is informing the public, based on the public interest and not on the commercial interest that any other private TV has.
We elect the President of the Republic with consensus in the fourth voting by mere majority. This here is as if we were electing the Secretary General of the United Nations. This is nonsense.
We did not want to interfere with the law. We have the votes, and we have the obligation to do it. We also have an obligation to those who are provided this service to provide them a quality service, because we wanted to ask this consensus beyond reason, and we could not find it in 2 and a half years. Then there are two ways; either to agree and give solution to this problem or to amend the law. We will not wait beyond January. There is no more time. The Albanian Public Television requires a radical reform like all other sectors and institutions, mortgages, ALUIZNI.
Speaking of ALUIZNI, I want to highlight here that it is a success story that has come as a result of a reform. The good news I want to give people want is that from the beginning of next year, ALUIZNI will be a mediator with the Mortgage office. So, it won’t be any longer an individual relationship, in which a person takes the legalization permit and then goes to the mortgage office and wastes time, but it will be an institutional relationship, due to which people will be given the mortgage document, not just the legalization document.
With regard to the other question, we are in very unfavourable conditions because we have inherited some concessions which are armoured in parliament, and in our view they are not conducive to the public interest. I know that we are criticized. Why have we cancelled some concessions? Because consulting companies that have contacted to study the withdrawal, have told us clearly that we’ve lost the battle in arbitration, as concessions are armoured in such a way. I am giving you an example. There is a concession in Albania that is beyond any standard of WTO and the Stabilization and Association Agreement. It is unique in Europe, but it has been decided by the parliament. We are the government of Albania, parliament is the Albanian parliament, we are the same institutions despite the names have been changed. The Court does not recognize PM as an individual, or the President of the Assembly as an individual, or the parties, the court recognizes the Parliament and the Government. If we go to arbitration, the court says sorry but this may be contrary to everything. The Albanian Parliament must have gone crazy, it is its right to go crazy and take a sovereign decision that says “I don’t care either about the EU or the WTO, I want to do so.”
However, we have negotiate every concession and I challenge you, not you here in this room, because at least you are not part of criminalization, I challenge you to study the concessions.
We have strongly negotiated the scanning concession, and have reduced costs significantly, from 39 euros to 22 euros per bill, along with a number of other aspects.
The concession of fiscal stamps. We have strongly negotiated to reduce costs, and above all we have not allowed an increase in the medicines costs. The concession of the airport is an older concession. We have strongly negotiated, and we are in the final stage. I assure you that next year we will have freedom in the territory of Albania to build new airports, beyond a radius of 80 kilometres circumference from Rinas. This is our goal and, we will achieve this definitely. Today we are talking about 3 projects of those I mentioned. We have three concrete demands which are very reliable, for the airport of Kukes, the airport of Saranda and the airport of Vlora.
– The law on property has been the most affected in the last 25 years, but it is also a law that is considered a guarantor for foreign investments in the country. The President of the Republic rejected this law previously. How will the majority act?
Thanks for the question. I respect very much your work. I want to repeat once again that what I said about the Albanian Television does not absolutely violate the respect for all who contribute and do everything they can to hold up the edifice, which is actually the only media edifice that has remained in the past.
The law on property is not an ideal law. But how could we provide an ideal solution after 25 years of chaos with properties? This law is the only practical solution to stop the emptying of the state coffers that has been going on over the years because of the obligations for the Strasbourg court fines. But not only that. Also to give a definitive solution to the process, because sentences have continued, because there has never been a serious approach. This law has been considered by Strasbourg the first serious attempt of the Albanian government. Imagine, in 25 years this is the first government to make a serious effort and provide a practical solution. It takes 10 years to solve this. Certainly, there are moral, ethical and principled reasons to oppose this law. But we cannot make a better law with these arguments. We simply remain trapped in the past 25 years, and we cannot succeed in making a law. We stay with what we have had so far, which are anything but laws to solve the problem. They are laws to solve something, by ruining something else. So, with this law we will do what we have always done with the President. We will vote the law we have.
This is a majority that has been voted to do these things. We have not been voted to make a consensual dance, but to do these things. We will do these things always by seeking consensus, always by welcoming consensus, but facts are stubborn. Hadn’t we made the administrative and territorial reform, had we remained hostage to the idea of consensus at all costs, as we remained for two and a half years in the Public Radio and Television, we would have today a new territorial division, we wouldn’t have today a new Albania organized at the local level, we would not have a local level with 80% less room for corruption. This is where the effort at any cost and at any price to do consensus lead. Moreover, making consensus with a party that seeks consensus as an alibi for obstruction, in order to stop and to prevent.
– Minister Felaj has stated that it is an open opportunity to go to the next election with a changed electoral system. Are we going with such a changed system in 2017?
I have seen 2 or 3 such statements, not only by the Minister, but by any other minister. These are quite normal and individual opinions, but not official opinions, and above all do not comply with the clear line I have explained to everybody.
Electoral Reform for us means, first, to respect the tradition of cooperation between the majority and the minority, and make it possible for the rules of the game to be approved by both parties, at least this has historically occurred with regard to the electoral reform. Secondly, but not least, any intervention in the process will be an intervention of the majority as a whole, not of the SP or of the SMI, but of the majority as a whole, as a block. In the first place, the majority should decide as a whole the points of the reform, and then negotiate a consensus with the opposition. There will not be an electoral reform with a different method. This means that everything is possible, if there is perfect understanding also within the majority for a unitary approach.
Meanwhile, work has started, we have launched a joint working group between the two coalition forces, and we will include in the working group and other allies, and the committee will begin work. The base is the report of the OSCE / ODIHR. There is so far no idea to go beyond their report. We will comply with the points of the OSCE / ODIHR report.
-During 2015, there have been many requests by the opposition for the resignation of the ministers your cabinet. Are you still convinced that this is the best formation we have ever had, and will there be changes in 2016?
I am convinced of one thing. If you check and prove to be true, based on the facts and evidence, just one accusation of the opposition against each minister, that minister will not only be dismissed from the government, but he or she will go to the prosecutor, and I, the Prime Minister, will report him or her. But that accusation must be proved with facts, not on the old story “keep on slandering, for something will remain”, and then when something remains we ask for the minister to leave, because ministers are not irreplaceable, the prime minister is not irreplaceable, majorities are not irreplaceable. On the contrary. But, it is a government that has undertaken to make reforms, has undertaken to face and withstand many forces and many violated interests that translate into sponsored attacks. Just as it has undertaken to face an opposition that was able to say, “You have copied our program. You left us without a program, and we can do nothing but take bottles of gasoline and burn down the bunker.”
Such an opposition that claims that we have copied their program, and this daily criminalization will not change my mind. Forget about it. We will go on with the reforms. We will go on with public-private partnerships. Criminalization of privatization, of the concession, of the public private partnerships as concepts, is a story that we have inherited from the past, and it is a gift from the culture of criminalization. Privatization can be very useful, it can be very wrong. It may be very efficient to improve a sector, it can be very harmful. A concession can be very useful, and very harmful. These are mechanisms of this system that we have chosen.
Concessions and public-private partnerships are of course needed, without any hesitation, but with the purpose to improve services, otherwise what are they for? What does it mean to privatize hydropower plants that are profitable? A hydropower plant is profitable. You privatize it, give it to someone else who has never dealt with hydropower plants, and lowers the price, apparently because he is reimbursed the VAT. This is a crime, this is not privatization. But if it is a hydropower plant that is not functional, that has losses and is at risk, one requiring investments, and so on – we do not have one – then surely it will be privatized.
There was a turmoil in Tirana when I entered partnership with private for the bus lines. Here you have the system. It is not the best, because you know in whose hands Tirana was back then, for today it is in safe hands.
