“The Revitalization Bonus”, a government compensation grant available to all individuals wishing to develop their properties located in the historic centres of various cities across the country, contributing also to the community that benefit from the city’s revitalization projects.

Prime Minister Edi Rama introduced the latest government initiative for every citizen ready and willing to cooperate with the state during a public hearing with local residents and tourism entrepreneurs at the Berat Castle.

Owners of family homes will be provided a government grant to restore and transform various properties located in historic centres of the cities into sustainable business models that generate income and employment for local communities.

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Thank you! First of all, I would like to sincerely congratulate investors and owners of this property, which has been transformed into an exemplary revitalization environment through an impressive investment, not in terms of its size and financial aspect, but in terms of wisdom and commitment to rejuvenate this building by maximally respecting all its traditional elements and elegantly adding more elements like this platform we are sitting in, which turn this until recently unused building into a stunning attraction in Berat.

I hope we will be able to share a promotional ad via the social networks after this meeting and, in the meantime, I feel really good that through a concrete epitome of the economic and social impact of the revitalization project, we announce today that another election campaign pledge and a point of our Albania 2030 programme now becomes a tool available to everyone who wishes to take advantage of the revitalization bonus to give fresh life to their family homes located in historic centres, primarily within the Castle area, and turn them into economic instruments, because restoration of castles and other historic and cultural heritage sites is one of the most beautiful things a country with rich cultural heritage like Albania can do.

I avail myself of this opportunity at this initial informing meeting to issue an appeal to all individuals owning such homes and properties that with the revitalization bonus already operational and under this new support program we stand by them, as the Minister noted, by offering everyone two important support instruments: one for restoration and consolidation of the house structure, namely the walls, windows, doors, the façade and the roof, by providing a bonus of up to $10,000 , and a bonus of up to $50,000 under the second instrument for all of those wishing to join a transformation plan and transform the house into an economic unit.

In principle it is the very same instrument offered to farmers to support development of agriculture through the collection and storage of agricultural products and the agro-processing centres.

It is an instrument borrowed by a model set by the European Union, with the government giving away a grant, not a loan, certainly based on the commitment of the private entities on their part that should present a project and certainly fund a part of the investment.

We are actually confident that with the zero tax policy on small business – and all these investments are mainly small businesses – the zero VAT rate on businesses with annual turnover of up to $100,000, the government bonus will allow these families and their young children in particular commit themselves to a lucrative business by taking advantage of the property they inherit to generate income that, in all scenarios, are higher than the monthly salary from a government job. Not only that, but they will also be able to generate new jobs for other people.

I am sure that the two bartenders have taken up a job here after having worked most probably abroad earlier, or this job could be their first work experience, but this is the system to launch small businesses by taking advantage of the heritage and boost economy through impact of tourism growth.

The more such family homes are transformed, destinations that become either hotels, restaurants, guesthouses or traditional culture and crafts or shops, the higher will be the number of visitors to the country, as we would build capacities for longer stays instead of a single night, and this is the goal, providing tourists ample opportunities with a map featuring many stations and attractions across the country in order to boost tourism and economy.

The new program is being launched in tandem with a series of important projects already underway in Berat and Gjirokaster, two important cities in terms of history and cultural heritage, where central and local governments are both extensively investing and I very much hope that before the New Year’s Eve, or in early next year at most, we will be able to launch the new construction sites to transform this whole square – currently serving as a kind of parking lot, near the city’s main square in front of the religious sites all the way up to the Castle – into totally different area in quality terms so that it becomes an important attraction and one more reason to visit the city of Berat and stay here. 

This, combined with a series of important infrastructure interventions already implemented by local government authorities through the central government support, including the bypass road project that is nearing its completion. It is about an important project as it is also designed to ensure the city’s protection from the river overflows, as well as to ease road traffic. The road we drove along up to here and the road leading to the Castle are not a totally different reality and these are all projects that like the ones in the city of Gjirokaster, the underground parking lot at the Çerçiz square and other transformation projects, will significantly increase value of properties and it would be regrettable if such properties as part of the cultural heritage are not properly exploited.

In collaboration with local government authorities, we will make utmost efforts to make sure that everyone is informed – and this is really important – and a project-based evaluation system will then be established.

A modest fund has been made available for this very initial step, but it suffices to assist a considerable number of households and entities seeking to invest in this domain, and the government funding for this program will increase each year to provide the opportunity to a growing number of families benefiting direct government funding to add up to their own income and savings or bank loans to support launch of such businesses. I am convinced such a program is widely welcomed by those who have ideas and plans to transform these properties, but who probably lack the opportunities to do so on their own and we are ready to jointly press forward such projects and together create new realities. It is true that both Berat and Gjirokastra – and I am highlighting these two cities as top priorities, although the government bonus will be made available to every citizen owning a traditional house either in Shkoder or Diber, Mirdite or Sarande, Elbasan, Durres or Tirana – but Berat and Gjirokaster are top priorities thanks to their physical constitution as the two are home to a large number of cultural, religious and historic heritage sites.  The Berat Castle will also be a priority, as the site’s revitalization will add another engine to the local economy.

I have been informed and I know that a number of families are involved in serious disputes about property-related issues here in the Castle area, but I would amicably invite them to solve these problems and agree to jointly invest and benefit government bonuses and consider other better solutions in the future, because if an economic mechanism that generates income is established, the income then can be shared according to the size of space everyone owns.  I would also like to note this is not something to happen today, neither next year, nor in two years, but, on the other hand, we are going to intervene, just like it is the case in other countries, by imposing restrictive measures and sanctions when it is about buildings of special importance being at risk because of disputes among the co-owners, who fail to agree and risk the building’s destruction by doing so.

Of course, by restrictive measures I mean administrative and financial sanctions, and no extreme penalties, but we will seek to first promote cooperation among these families so that they rejuvenate and give a fresh life to these buildings so that this project works.

This is not something we are inventing, but it is a good practice already being implemented by countries that own such treasures. Of course, it is high time for us to set this plan in motion, because this is not something we didn’t know previously, but we couldn’t afford financial opportunities to deliver on such a program.

I am very pleased to have presented this idea and campaign pledge here in Berat and it is again this city we come to confirm our pledge as a promise kept, as the funding has been allocated and all it takes is cooperation with businesses, households, the citizens and investors to transform these traditional family homes into sustainable business models, just like this amazing model right here were are sitting in. “Castle Berat” – and this is a promotional ad – has been a school building and the building’ owners have transformed it into a sort of a castle everyone should visit.