Extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers on the emergency response after the natural disaster. Remarks by Prime Minister Edi Rama:
Today we will initially adopt two Council of Ministers’ decisions on special financial treatment for the earthquake-survivors, who need a lifetime help following the natural disaster and the tragedy that struck their families. Likewise, aged people, in addition to the monthly pension payment, will benefit an additional payment that is eight times higher than the social pension and equal to the special state pension of around 60, 000 lek in the Republic of Albania.
Following is the list of individuals benefiting special pension payment:
Special financial treatment of 100,000 lek per month for Mrs. Lindita Cara.
Special financial treatment of 100,000 lek per month for Mr. Albert Cara.
Special financial treatment of 100,000 lek per month for Mr. Elez Çupi.
Special financial treatment of 100,000 lek per month for Mr. Albert Lala.
Special financial treatment of 100,000 lek per month for Mrs. Denisa Gregu.
Special financial treatment of 100,000 lek per month for Mrs. Marjana Rexhepi.
Special financial treatment of 100,000 lek per month for Mr. Fehmi Vata.
Special financial treatment of 100,000 lek per month for Mrs. Pranvera Qato.
Special financial treatment, in addition to the pension payment of 60,000 lek per month will be allocated to the aged members of the hardest-hit families by the devastating earthquake. We will provide these families not only financial help, but also moral assistance. Last night we started to accommodate them in new houses and the housing process should complete by December 15 at most.
I would like to thank Dajna for personally taking care of their quick and decent housing.
Meanwhile, we have asked the government of the Republic of France a change to the relation with the French Development Agency and to this end we will adopt in principle an agreement allowing the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania to sign an agreement with the government of the Republic of France, allowing the French Development Agency to operate in Albania, an internationally-renowned agency for its financial capacities and its activity in support of development in other countries. The President of France is personally committed to give a strong impetus to this Agency in view of enhancing cooperation in the field of investment programs in our country, but now mainly focusing on the post-disaster emergency priorities. Of course, the agreement will extend beyond this satiation, but the Agency will first make available its financial means to heal the earthquake-wounds in Albania
I would like to add the fact that I have received the initial reactions via letters sent from all over the world, conveying encouraging messages, which hopefully will continue in the days to come, in order to mobilize an international solidarity, which, for the sake of truth, has been immediate in terms of communication, but we should do whatever it takes to translate it into a constant solidarity in view of efforts to heal these horrible wounds.
It has been already confirmed that I will address a big investors conference that the President of the Republic of Turkey will host with investors from the Eastern region and, as we have agreed for now, we will address the conference jointly to call for maximum solidarity from the business representatives attending the conference, an annual event which will include a special session about the earthquake in Albania.
What really emerges as an added opportunity is the willingness of some countries to build a direct bridge of cooperation at the level of the Ministries of Education. Therefore, the Ministry of Education should address to the European counterparts, even in a wider region, so to all counterparts in the countries I have been communicating with, by providing a summarized information on the damages to the education infrastructure and the psychological state of teachers and schoolchildren alike and humbly ask for their assistance.
The same goes over the Ministry of Health as several countries have expressed interest to learn more about earthquake damages to the health infrastructure. Indeed, hospitals have not suffered serious irreparable damages, but some minor damages.
On the other hand, it is time to speed up construction and imperative improvement of the entire aid coordination system in order to avoid confusion and uncontrolled movement of aid supplies currently coming from everywhere, just like it was the case in the first post-earthquake days. In the meantime, we are witnessing high readiness and strong solidarity from many countries. But, having said this, I reiterate that considering all contacts I have had with a number of engineering expertise about the buildings’ solidity our expert teams have expressed incredibly positive impressions.
The expert teams are working on the ground intensely. Other expert teams arrived yesterday. Others are expected to arrive in the coming days to cover the whole perimeter of the affected area and assure people that the vast majority of the buildings do not pose any risk though they need to be repaired, and, at the same time, to put a cross on buildings that should be demolished.
We have already launched preparations for a public conference and we have agreed to host it on Friday. I would like all people to hear true information and not the misleading information disseminated by certain media channels. Members of the expert teams that are inspecting damaged buildings will provide information to the public and unveil concrete cases and various kinds of damages in order to explain what people should worry about and what they shouldn’t. And of course, independent expertise should be conducted for each case.
I would avail myself this opportunity to appeal to the media to try, if possible, to address their questions to these groups. The groups are on the ground. It costs them nothing to look for them and address them questions.
We are also working – and hopefully we will conclude soon – on the new legal and criminal framework on construction abuses. Meanwhile, the special anti-corruption unit has begun drawing the entire map of actions to identify responsibility in the problematic buildings.
To put it bluntly, there are damages that pose no threat to the building’s solidity, but make them uninhabitable and the damages are caused by abuses after and during the execution of a building permit. It is an undisputable truth that new buildings and those built since the mid-1990s and later, in 99, 99% of them have best resisted to the earthquake. The rest, that very small proportion, is in 99% of cases of abuse by individuals and not companies.
I have asked the plenipotentiary emergency chief to produce in collaboration with the local government authorities a report on the building additions that have not been envisaged in the construction permits.
As for the rest, people’s psychological state has begun to improve. It is imperative to prepare the next phase, that of housing families and individuals currently accommodated in hotels.
Reconstruction will last and it is not something that ends in a blink of an eye, although there are people who ask for a new house, or apartment homes today. They want us to build their homes right way, and this is of course understandable, because they are in a state of anxiety as they can’t reenter their damaged homes. But they should stay in apartments until their own homes are ultimately repaired.
Given the examples of other countries, namely Italy and Greece that have been hit by powerful earthquakes years ago and a considerable number of families still live in cabins, I am extremely concerned, but at the same time I want to assure everyone that we allow this to happen here too. Everyone should be told a clear deadline. Of course, the reconstruction process may last one, two or even three years, but I believe that we should provide a clear perspective to everyone within 2020 and everyone should be provided decent housing. Meanwhile those who are part of the total rebuilding program must be fully guaranteed to live in normal conditions until they return to their new homes, which will be either rebuilt on the site of the previous homes, or somewhere else. But this is a matter of planning and programing.
