After many coming and goings in the legalization office, some of which have lasted up to 10 years, citizens have now in their hands the legalization certificates of their houses. Thousands of citizens received today the legalization certificates in Fushë Krujë and Shkodër.

One of the citizens that was in the legalization office in Fushë Krujë to have his certificate said that the first time he applied was 10 years ago, while now he is very surprised because 10 days after he submitted his second application, we was told that his certificate was ready.

Prime Minister Edi Rama visited today this office and assisted during some moments of the teamwork in this office.

“I have applied since 2006. Ten days ago I came here and asked and then they told me that the permit wasn’t ready yet” – a citizen told the Prime Minister when asked if he was satisfied with the service of the Office.

Another citizen said that he also applied in 2006. “I applied in 2006 as well. Nobody would come before, while now the employee comes to my house once this is legalized”- he said.

“Was it free or you had to pay for it?” – the Prime Minister asked. And the citizen replied: “Absolutely free. I congratulate you on keeping your promise. You promised us this and you kept it.”

Another citizen who made the initial application years ago said that this is a kept promise. “I asked again two and a half weeks ago. They came, made measurements, everything for free and today they invited us to get the certificate” – he said.

The Office Director said that 100 legalization permits have been prepared only in November. Together with the permits issued in the last 6 months, the number of certificates issued amounts to 460, which equals the number of permits issued in 8 years (450 permits) by the previous government.

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The process continued at the Palace of Sports in Shkodra, where in the presence of Prime Minister Rama 700 legalization permits were distributed. The process was accelerated also in Shkoder were 1400 legalization permits have been distributed in 7 months. The amount equals the permits issued by the previous government in 8 years.

ALUIZNI Director Artan Lame said that for the first time legalization offices were opened in Malesi e Madhe, Koplik and Puke.

The first legalization permit was issued to a citizen of Shkoder who is disabled and who had been waiting for the legalization for 10 years.

“There was finally someone in Albania who kept his promise” – told to the Prime Minister one citizen from Malesi e Madhe where until a short time ago there was no legalization office.

There have been very few legalizations in Malesi e Madhe, the Prime Minister said, because applications are mainly for houses and no one wanted to deal with people to build houses. Instead, they wanted to deal with businesses that could afford to pay bribes.

“We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. They have promised us for 23 years in a row and have done nothing”- another citizen said while receiving the legalization certificate.

“Thank you! Finally, I believe it.” – another one said.

This day is a very important day, the Prime Minister said, for hundreds of families who have been waiting for years for legalizations, after they have been paying legally and sub rose.

“This is an important day for these citizens who are finally having legalizations and they are getting them for fee, in this area where 1400 legalizations have been made in 8 years. 1400 out of 21000 self-declarations have been collected in an area where we, in just 1 year, besides giving today an additional of 700 permits, did as much as has been done for legalizations in 8 years altogether. The operation started 7 months ago, because first we had to make an inventory in the offices where citizens’ documents were missing, so I believe that we have done a colossal work in 7 months. Today, legalizations are issued to families that have been waiting for them for years, after they have been paying legally and sub rose.”

The Prime Minister noted that the priority is the legalization of houses.

“There is another figure that tells the difference between the two eras. From the 1400 legalizations made in 8 years, 75% have been cafeterias and legalizations for profit, to the detriment of taxpayers since in most of the cases they have been abusive legalizations which today must be expropriated in order to be re-discussed. In the last 7 months we have made the same number of legalizations made in 8 years, but they are all for people’s houses. This is a very big change.

You shouldn’t listen to the “owls” who say that your houses will be destroyed, that they will be selective. We will complete this process thoroughly, as we promised, for free and not how it used to be when people had to stay in queue and wait at ALUIZNI’s door; while now, it is ALUIZNI that comes to your door to serve you, makes measurements, helps you with documents and eventually you will have the paper which proves that you are the owners of that house.”

Artan Lame brought another absurd case in Puke that has accompanied this process until a short time ago. “The only permit issued in Puke was issued for one reason only, because a road was expected to be built there and they wanted to get the money. It was expropriated 1 week after the permit was issued, for 100 million ALL. No other object has been legalized throughout Puke.”

In Shkoder the Prime Minister Rama was accompanied by MPs of the area.

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Twenty workers more than a year ago and indirectly 5,000 families included in the scheme of his enterprise are the first effects of investment made by an entrepreneur in Bajze of Shkoder, in the collection, processing and packaging field of medicinal plants, after benefiting from the government schemes to support agriculture. The new center was visited today by Prime Minister Edi Rama and Minister of Agriculture Edmond Panariti.

Albania is a renowned exporter of medicinal plants and is advantaged in the competition thanks to the characteristics of their high quality. Minister Panariti urged farmers to cultivate indigenous variety, because competition in foreign markets is done with quality and not quantity.

“This investment will increase the capacity of medicinal plants. Demand for export is growing continuously. For sage, we cover 70% of market needs in the United States. Demands are growing for the EU countries. We must maintain indigenous seeds”- Minister Panariti said.

The Prime Minister assured the farmers that support for enterprises will be increased not only to promote the production and employment, but also exports.

“We will provide a lot of support, by encouraging entrepreneurship, encouraging people who have ideas, who have the courage and are able to create production cycles and include then many families, because until yesterday the products of those who would produce were lost or never put on the market. While today, with these points of reference, which will double next year, we give the opportunity to all those who have such products in their hands to collect them and bring them here. We want to encourage further export. This product covers today 70% of the US market, but if we cultivate indigenous product and do not mix it with other seeds of the other stories that have led to lower demand on us, then there will be an increased international demand for this product. This is a country to which God has given everything, but people have prevented this country from developing”- the Prime Minister said.

While showing satisfaction that this support has been translated into increased employment for entrepreneurs, jokingly the Prime Minister said: “This is for those of your party, who say there is no increase in employment.”

Director of the AARD, Suela Popa said that through regionalization map, funds will not be distributed anymore without certain criteria.

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With the support of the Government, through the Agency of Agriculture and Rural Development and with a fund of 150 million ALL a new modern center for the collection and drying of the chestnut has been established in the region of Lezhe. This collection point, the largest in Europe in terms of capacity, alongside the European market has expanded export map of the Albanian Chestnut in other countries like Japan, America, etc

Prime Minister Rama and Minister Panariti visited this enterprise and assured the continuation of support until the complete closed cycle.

“As a result of this investment, this year we had another outbreak of chestnut export for an amount of 1 million 300 thousand Euros. Of course, the potential is expected to double in the near future”- Minister Panariti said.

Prime Minister Rama stressed that this new approach is marking a significant shift from agriculture for survival to agriculture of entrepreneurship.

“We are very encouraged – the Prime Minister said – because we see the seeds we planted to promote entrepreneurship and capitalistic development in the village have started to grow. Today, we have concrete evidence of how out of nothing, within 3 months an ultramodern point has been launched and how a common man of this country provides an exceptional example of the extraordinary potential of our country through ideas, through will and through cooperation with others, to go from parasitism and unemployment to self-employment and even to fair benefit.”

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In Shkoder, Prime Minister Rama met with a group of citizens, residents of the area around the stadium. The Prime Minister talked with them about the project for the reconstruction and expansion of the stadium and ensured that the apartments that are affected by this project will initially be expropriated.

“First of all, this has nothing to do with my heart. This has to do with UEFA’s standards. We will transform this stadium into a stadium for international matches, as we did with the stadium in Elbasan, with every parameters from UEFA, otherwise it won’t allow us to have matches. According to those parameters we will create respective space both inside and outside the stadium. The moment the project complies with these parameters, we will proceed with expropriations.

So there is no tendency to demolish without criteria, but we will destroy only what it takes to meet the parameters of UEFA. On the other hand, the stadium will be completed and it will not be as it is today, with a broken arm. You must not worry, because the expropriation process will begin and will be completed and only the parts needed to create space will be destroyed. This is not about what I want, but about what we should do to transform the stadium according to the parameters of UEFA, otherwise no international matches can be played here.”

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Two months after the first inspection, today Prime Minister Edi Rama returned again in Lezhe to see the works progress for the rehabilitation of the city center and the Drin River.

With an investment worth over 220 million ALL from Government program “Urban Renaissance of Cities”, the center of Lezha has been subjected to comprehensive urban interventions to rehabilitate the square “Beslidhja” and the square “Gjergj Kastrioti,” and restore the park in front of the Skanderbeg memorial.

The city center will be integrally linked with the river that crosses the city, which will undergo complete urban transformation with a fund of 30 million ALL. Along the river a promenade area, a cycling lane and green spaces will be built.

All these interventions create an integrated area that brings social functionality and recover public spaces.

In Lezha Prime Minister Rama was accompanied by the Mayor, Victor Tushaj.