A new phase of work and leadership kicked off today at the State Cadastre Agency following the appointment of Dallendyshe Bici as the Agency’s new Director General, almost a decade after leading a transformation process in this field.

Prime Minister Edi Rama presented the change at a meeting with the State Cadastre officials and workers, underlining that time is high for a fresh impetus to embark on a final stage with a different momentum in this process, which should ultimately guarantee complete stability of the property, the relation with the property and the citizens’ relation with the state in terms of the property.

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Hello everyone!

I have called this meeting today to inform you on a management change to State Cadastre Agency, almost a decade after leading the transformation process in this field, although let’s not forget that this process started off with a reform integrating and merging the former Immovable Property Registration Office and Agency for Legalisation, Urbanisation and Integration of Informal Areas and Buildings (ALUIZNI) into one State Cadastre Agency and the outcomes are definitely obvious and tangible. Drawing comparisons would be like day and night. However, it is time now for a fresh impetus and the need to usher in a final stage with a different momentum in this process, which should ultimately guarantee complete stability of the property, the relation with the property and the citizens’ relation with the state in terms of the property.

The basis has been laid for us to move forward faster, namely the technology and the technological processes already underway at the State Cadastre Agency, allowing us to deliver services to citizens without them having to wait in long queues and provide Cadastre services online. However, this cycle is still open as replies regarding certain services still require paperwork and the postal service and more components that are practically part of the problem and not part of the ultimate solution.

The Cadastre Agency is the country’s most important bank. The Cadastre is the bank of the immovable properties and it should act and work as such in all aspects. Therefore, putting an end to direct contacts and eventual alteration of the organizational scheme and, as I already said and I am not here to reiterate a lot of things we have repeatedly stated about what has already changed, but we are here to discuss what has yet to be done and what should be done.

So, not only all the service windows should be shut down, but the entire organizational scheme should also be altered and all the division areas should be eliminated immediately. The scheme should not work based on areas, should not work based on domains of influence.

On the other hand, closer cooperation is needed with the special anti-corruption prosecution office regarding the land ownership certificates. And this hasn’t to directly do with the Cadastre Agency, but it has to do with the efforts to get rid of corrupt individuals and the past corruption practices, dating back to the so-called communes as the property titles have been issued by corrupt officials in the local government, pretending that such titles have been issued since 1991. But of course this is much more complex and it should include other institutions too.

The phenomenon of property titles showing up in already consolidated properties of the investors that are developing them in order to ask for undeserved compensation should no longer be allowed. Intense work is needed to tackle the problems that the institutions face when it comes to the legalization of the properties outside the Law No. 7501 in certain areas across the country, where important steps have been taken forward, but where more concrete and materializing steps are needed and, at the end of the day, the satellite service should become immediately operational, as it has started to produce initial results, and this way the State Cadastre Agency can finally assume a complete technological dimension.

The main problem facing the State Cadastre, like almost every other institution, is the stability and quality of human resources and in this respect the Cadastre should be fortified to stave off any outside influence efforts to prevent outside influences and interventions, because, as I already noted, the Cadastre is the country’s most important bank and therefore nobody should ever think that the Cadastre is a niche for employment, just like that nobody should think about the Cadastre as an employment office, but in this aspect the responsibility is general and primary a political one, with the government definitely being bearing the main responsibility.

Since this is an open communication with the public, I am addressing all public administration employees about courage and fear, because I happen to hear a lot of speculations suggesting that people are scared and they are unwilling to sign. There is no reason for anyone to be scared if they enforce and respect the law.

There is no reason for anyone to shun responsibility, because they are part of the state administration to serve the country, to serve people and make sure that the law is devised to help people.

I am concluding by announcing that a special taskforce will be set up to ensure complete law enforcement and avoid any outside influence and intrusion in the institution’s digital system.  The task force will be established immediately and it will be tasked with cutting the remnants of the past wrongdoing and corruption practices in the offices of the Cadastre in the Republic of Albania.

Serious measures are indispensable in order to get rid of corrupt individuals in this institution and combat the widespread corruption in the State Cadastre throughout the country. The new head of the State Cadastre is tasked with establishing an internal task force to bring corrupt Cadastre officials and workers to justice

We have promised people that their properties are secured and that all the Cadastre services for the properties will be delivered by this Agency and be obtained by citizens without having to leave their homes, but instead just take their mobile phone and have their request approved just via a few clicks.

We can’t tell people that they should have to wait 10 or 20 more years for them to be fully guaranteed that their property won’t be affected by anyone and that they can obtain their property ownership certificate via their smartphones.

This is the message I have to convey and this is the reason behind this change to the Cadastre management. Changes are always made to improve work and they are not designed to deny significant progress that has been made, although there are cases when one has failed to deliver and therefore change is needed, but there are also cases when huge laudable work has been done, yet it is insufficient and fresh impetus, ambition and strength is needed to take things further forward.