The cycle of public meetings with citizens on the recently launched National Consultation went on with a gathering in the town of Lushnja today, in the latest inclusive government initiative designed to encourage citizens to express their opinion and citizens in the decision-making process on issues of strategic interest for the country.
A steadily growing number of citizens are increasingly joining this new way of national consultation as many are filling in the questionnaire available online and already delivered to every household across the country.
In remarks at the meeting, Prime Minister Edi Rama said that the National Consultation initiative represents another step further towards the citizens’ inclusion in the government’s major decision and make the citizens have their say in the decision-making process regardless of their political convictions.
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Good evening everyone! Thank you very much for attending this event! I really appreciate it and I am very glad that the meeting, which was set to take place although it coincided with the campaign for the March 6 mayoral by-elections in certain municipalities across the country, including Lushnje, where citizens will decide on continuation of work and the authorities to head their municipalities.
Each and every one of you have to know Eriselda, the Socialist Party mayoral candidate here in Lushnje, not only as an activist, but also a dedicated and hardworking person, as well as a local government authority and I am convinced it is not difficult at all to realize who is the right person. This is not that I have something against them or that I dislike them, because I don’t know them at all, but as the saying has it “show me your friends and I will tell you who you are” and of course like minds stick together.
But we are here to bring together people and not divide them. And we are seeking to unite people, not behind our political party, but behind important issues about their daily lives and the communities they live in, issues concerning our common homeland and other aspects concerning progress of communities.
The National Consultation is another step we have decided to take to bring the government closer to the citizens to provide the opportunity to every citizen, regardless of their political affiliations, to express their opinions, have their say and influence on the government’s important decisions.
It is another step that follows earlier steps to build via the co-governance platform a new bridge of communication with the citizens and make sure that citizens no longer be tormented while waiting in long queues at the state offices in order to obtain official documents and public services.
In the meantime, I want to inform you that within a few days or within the first half of March, at most, but even sooner, we will publicly announce the closure of all public service windows to allow everyone the opportunity to obtain the services via their phones, computers without having to report in person at offices and stay on long queues, without having to seek for the help of influential individuals or officials and without having to pay a single cent in tips or bribes in exchange of a certain public service they are entitled to.
You have all seen for yourselves how the online e-Albania platform served best everyone during the toughest of times, when we were forced to observe a total lockdown due to the pandemic and just like it was the case with the platform back then and the issuance of permissions to leave homes and travel for certain services, the same will be the case once the service windows are shut down and all the public services will be delivered online only.
We have built an entire control mechanism that would allow us to receive real time information for any possible delays in delivering public services to the citizens all over the country and this way I am confident we will give a significant blow to small corruption practices at the level of state-citizen relation, namely in delivering public services to the citizens.
More will remain to be done to tackle issues concerning services that feature direct contact in person at hospitals and the police, but the overwhelming majority of public services will be totally relieved of pressure for bribes or the distress caused because of waiting in long queues for hours in order to receive a reply or obtain an official document.
The National Consultation process is an invitation extended to everyone to express their opinion on issues, we don’t lack the votes about, but they are decisions we need to make as a government, but about which we face our dilemmas and it is exactly for this reason we need to listen to the people too. It is precisely for this reason we need to rely on the citizens’ opinion so that we can make up our minds to embark on this or that way when it comes to making a certain decision. I would illustrate it through the decision we expect to make on providing special support for mothers of three or more children. It sounds as if nothing has to be put up for discussion when you say it this way and one would wonder “why the public opinion matters?” However, there are people who reject the idea of distinguishing among people, as the government should support everyone equally and therefore there is no reason to grant special support for mothers with three or more kids. The same goes for the issue concerning legalization of the savings generated by emigrants, who find it very difficult to transfer money via banks. This decision is rejected by some and supported by many others, but it is normal that all Albanian emigrants, who have amassed savings through hard work over the years – and we are talking about money generated from work and not through criminal activities – to be provided the opportunity to deposit their money with banks in Albania, without undergoing investigation into the source of their savings. Some even think this is dangerous as certain individuals can take advantage of the decision to involve themselves in money laundering and proceeds of criminal activities.
Of course this is not the goal. Our goal is to help all of those who have earned money through work and not through criminal activities and the law automatically rules out legalization of the proceeds of crime. However, all these decisions come with their own risks.
This would also be the case with the decision on embarking on a new path should the European Union decide again to keep us hostage of the dispute between Bulgaria and North Macedonia in June. We want to draw the citizens’ opinion on the government decision-making process and have the largest possible number of people speaking up with the same voice with the government when it comes to the relations with our international partners, because, after all, this is all about decisions concerning our own daily lives and our future here in our country, decisions about certain social categories, as well as decisions about the country’s economy and it is up to us to make such decisions.
Of course, as I already noted at the first meeting, I find it not easy at all to speak and go on with our meetings, pretending as if nothing is happening every hour in a country, which, although not a neighbouring country, is actually very similar to us both in terms of the challenges and the economic problems it faces, whether in terms of the vitality and desire of people to do more, while today facing a situation nobody of us would imagine and where they could lose their lives.
It is important that although it is not a neighbouring country and it doesn’t border Albania, still it is a country belonging to the same family of nations that have made their choice to live free, to believe in democracy, believe in elections and pluralism, to believe in freedom and their independence. We can pause for a moment and realize how little we value what we have and how much we underestimate what those people out there today see getting out of their hands and actually turn into a far distant dream.
Just imagine that those people would really have wished to be sitting here today and listen to one of their representatives from whatever political party they have willingly elected and would then walk out of here and go to a bar without fearing for their lives from the aerial bombings or as the missiles rain on their homes and without having to go underground so that they can protect their kids and family members and without having forced to separate from their wives, sons and daughters before taking up arms to defend the country, although their peacetime occupations have nothing to do with guns and war.
Therefore, it is important for us not to forget or make efforts, although this is very difficult for human nature, because humans tend to forget about all the good things that happen to them and humans always demand and aspire always for more and discontent and demands naturally grow, because life is like this. However, we should not forget and always bear in mind that we enjoy freedom and peacefully live in our wonderful country, its stunning nature as God has created it, the people we know, the opportunity for us to live in a society and a community, where everyone speak our mother tongue and nobody is seeking to violently impose something else and where everyone is granted the opportunity to elect, vote and openly express political convictions. Fortunately, we are in a position and context, we are more protected than the Ukrainians, but also in their respect, to all those who would like to be like us today, we must give more importance to citizenship, civic responsibility in our daily life and our obligation to be more than good people for our family, but also to be good citizens for our country and our community.
We need to attach more importance to the opportunity we enjoy to live in cities not destroyed by bombs, that are not threatened with destruction, and that we are not required to defend with weapons, but we are required to keep them clean, not to make them dirty, not to throw garbage as if it is not our place, but as if it is a godless commodity, up to the vote.
Some people say they don’t care about the fact that elections are going to be held, because nothing would change. It is not the same thing. The March 6 mayoral elections won’t be the same. It would be totally different if Eriselda is elected and it would be totally different if any of the two other candidates are to win the elections on March 6 in Lushnje. It is pretty different if voters elect someone, who will be working for them and do utmost efforts to best serve residents in this municipality, and totally different if one of the two others, who have nothing to do with this city, are elected on March 6.
I would like to highlight the fact that there are people who think that the National Consultation process is a long delayed initiative.
First of all, the fact that we launched such an initiative at the start of our third term in office is not something that should be seen negatively, but it is a positive move that we, although at the very beginning of our third term in office after having successfully completing two previous terms, we want things to be done better. We didn’t have such an idea in the beginning, but this idea was a result of the need and our wish to do things better, the wish for our government to be closer to the people, that people feel more their own government and governance and the decisions that are made and better understand why we make this and that decision, but we also better realize what coincides with the instinct and the intuition of the people.
Some even claim that this process is useless, because you will still decide the way you want to in spite of the citizens’ opinion. What would be the reason for us to ask for the citizens’ opinions if we were to do as we please?! Why should we commit all these energies and why should we carry out a door-to-door delivery of a questionnaire and urge people to fill it or invite Albanian citizens currently living abroad to fill in the questionnaire via the online platform and do as we please without heeding the citizens’ opinion?
I already said this is not about decisions that we cannot make, because we lack the majority of votes and pretend as if we are doing what people are suggesting us to do and make use of the citizens’ opinion to pressure the opposition or anyone else. No! We can make such decisions and we could have already done so. But we are not convinced which would be the right one.
We are not 100% convinced that we should legalize cannabis for medicinal purposes. There are 1000 reasons for us to think this would be the right thing to do, since many other countries are doing so and such a decision would create new jobs and economic growth. But we feel we are in a dilemma in making such a decision.
By listening to the citizens’ voice we can make up our mind and we are not that foolish to do quite the opposite of what the majority of people tell us to do. There is no reason for us to do so.
Lastly, this is a matter of trust, but verify. It costs you nothing to fill in the questionnaire. Many spend time in bars, exchange opinions, comment on politics, express opinions on social media, they talk to each other and again involve themselves in politics and go back home…
It costs you nothing to fill in the questionnaire during this period since many of you engage in debating and commenting on politics. It costs you nothing to fill in a questionnaire regardless of the fact whether the government will take into account your opinions. You need to fill in the questionnaire first to find out whether the government will consider your opinions.
This is all I had to say and I would welcome any comments or questions about the questionnaire you have already received or you are about to receive.
I was just told that the Technical Committee of Experts has decided to lift the curfew, but the mandatory use of facemasks in indoor spaces will remain in place.
-Hello everyone. I would like to thank the co-governance team for delivering the National Consultation questionnaire door to door and thank you for allowing us to express our opinion for our voice to be heard.
The government has proposed the Open Balkans initiative in a bid to strengthen the country’s economy, but I think that a business empowering policy is needed first for our business community to become competitive in the market?
PM Edi Rama: Thank you for the question also for another reason since most recently I have come across certain individuals who have rejected the Open Balkans initiative since the very onset are now taking advantage of the recent event as if we didn’t know who Russia is, which are the Serbia-Russia relations and as if the Open Balkans initiative represent the former Albanian-Chinese friendship.
But the Open Balkans initiative does nothing but simply provides relief to people, who as we speak, but even in the past, when the Open Balkans was never imagined, people were involved in trade activities and exchanges in this region. I have provided figures on the number of Albanian agricultural enterprises exporting their goods to Balkan region, namely to North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and elsewhere. There are many Albanian exporting companies. What the Open Balkan initiative does is that it provides them the opportunity to export without facing the tormenting queues and countless customs and border checks. So, all it takes for them is to depart from the place where they load their goods, vegetables and fruits, and arrive at the place where they will unload without being forced to show documents and apply and obtain more certificates at every customs office at the borders of the countries in the region.
If an exporter from Lushnja transports goods to North Macedonia or Serbia, and the exporter is issued all the relevant certificates on the quality of goods and transport documents and has to obtain again other certificates and tests results upon arrival on North Macedonia’s border, this would take a very long time and the fruits and vegetables he transports would rot. I provided this illustration, but this is an example valuable for all sorts of goods. We are not altering the trajectory of our foreign policy in terms of our position regarding any of the neighbouring countries or relative to the alliances any of the countries have formed with other nations. This is not the case at all! We are merely and just seeking to improve the conditions for economic activity of individuals and companies already cooperating and operating in the market and more companies and individuals that would wish to operate and engage in trade exchange activities in the future. You can ask Albanian exporters to the Balkan countries to express their opinion on the Open Balkan initiative. They are looking forward to seeing all these being implemented as soon as possible, because all the decisions are still at different implementation stages. They are looking forward to it, because they will reduce time, they will cut costs and will go through less distress and will reach their destinations easier and faster. Albania applies no boycott or embargo measures on export of certain goods to any of the countries in the region. Normally, except the period when an embargo was enforced against former Yugoslavia during the war, trade relations with countries in the region have taken place within a general framework. So, in other words, the Open Balkan initiative will not change any framework agreement on free trade, but it will simply make it easier for the people and businesses. This is the reason why businesses engaged in trade exchanges are pleased with the initiative, but they also suspect whether the agreements will be really implemented. Those who vow to ban the Open Balkan initiative, should make it clear what they plan to ban. They have to clearly declare what they are going to ban. This is the question. What will they ban? Will they stop trucks? Trucks are still waiting for hours to undergo the customs procedures. What do they plan to do? Will they force them to wait longer? Why? For what reason? This is free trade. What does making the Open Balkan mean? Politics certainly acts in this case to sow divisions for their own narrow vested interest. They are just issuing slogans against the Open Balkan initiative, claiming that something bad is happening. But what is exactly happening? Ukraine has yet to recognize Kosovo. Ukraine didn’t support Kosovo during the war. Quite the contrary, as Ukraine was sided with Russia back then. Albanians both in Albania and Kosovo fully support Ukraine today and this is really very significant. Kosovo didn’t have Ukraine’s sympathy, same support and solidarity when Kosovo was the victim of a totally similar aggression, from which Ukrainian people and leadership face annihilation. What does this mean? This means that moral superiority in this case vis-à-vis the past is on the Albanians side, on Kosovo Albanians side that were victims of a similar aggression. So, they have left behind their past relative to Ukraine and liken Ukraine and the Ukrainian people with themselves when they found themselves in the same difficult situation. I am saying this because I have come across many comments, suggesting that this is to feel inferior about your past. But the amazing solidarity already strongly expressed by Albanians both in Albania and Kosovo actually represents absolute superiority relative to the past and we have been working, we are working and will keep working for peace and take things forward peacefully, not because we are naïve, we don’t realize what risky friendships can trigger, like friendship with a country, which has embarked on a very dangerous path for itself and whole world. If we are to see the future through the eyes of the past, it would be very difficult for us to write about the future. If we see the past as a reason not to be repeated in the future, but all this political aspect that I said, is more a reflection of what I have followed these days in a debate we are saying popular across social networks, by ordinary people, where there is also a thankfully very small part that says we should return the change to the Ukrainians. While the Open Balkans has nothing to do with these, it is not a change of basic lines of our foreign policy, in terms of alliances, partnerships and others, but it is a very important step forward and today in terms of what is happening, is even more important than it was yesterday in my view and time will show.
– My question has to do with the future of my students, who have already graduated or are attending Tirana University, who claim they feel insecure about their future once they graduate as they enjoy no employment or job prospects. It is appropriate to voice such a concern here and I think it is the right place to do so, because they have also created their own families and have to work two jobs to provide for their families and earn their living. My question is, can the government provide additional financial support by cutting their income taxes? I am asking this question, because the mayoral candidate pledged that youth employment is her priority. Can the government exclude businesses created by young people for a period of 5 to 6 years?
PM Edi Rama: This is actually an issue that has not been included in the National Consultation questionnaire and the National Consultation process also includes another more important part of the national consultation that may cover more important issues than the one we have presented. There could be definitely more important issues, but this ongoing National Consultation process is the first of its kind taking place in the country and just like any new initiative it has to go through a testing period and it will help us to draw conclusions and conduct a better process next year. We are seeking to hold a national consultation process each year until the end of our term in office. We want to draw the citizens’ opinion about some of the most important decisions. I am confident that the public’s interest will significantly grow next year, although we didn’t actually expect we would see such a high number of people joining the process and providing answers to the questions. It is the very first time and many people are sceptical and this is the goal why the questionnaire is totally anonymous this time, meaning that nobody would find out who has or hasn’t filled in the questionnaire, because as you have already seen the envelope doesn’t bear a name or an address, but it is simply delivered door to door and everyone can send it back through post. This is one element. Another element is selection of the questions. The questions we have asked are really about decision-making issues and you raised the issue of young people and I will answer. But the questionnaire also includes a question about an issue that has been constantly a problem, namely the issue of those who have reached the retirement age and continue working. According to the existing rules, he who works should also pay social insurance. This is a seemingly easy debate, but it is not like that within our structures. If a retired person keeps working, he has to pay the social insurance contributions, because he or she is holding the job position of someone else. But there are other people who think that they shouldn’t pay social insurance contributions.
Meanwhile, since I talked about retirees, there are a lot of people who say, well, what is the point of this national consultation, when it doesn’t include the question should pensions be increased? We don’t ask questions whose answer is 100% known. This depends on the creation of the opportunities. This is something I have repeatedly stated. If there is a person who would wish more than anyone else to raise pensions and wages that person is the Prime Minister. But if there is a decision that is the most difficult one to be made in any country, including Albania, it is definitely the decision to increase pensions. It doesn’t matter whether it is about pensioners in Albania or in England or elsewhere, a prime minister would wish more than anyone else to hike pensions and increasing pensions is the toughest decision. Making a decision to increase pensions in Albania is twice as difficult in Albania rather than in other countries, also because of the reason that the social insurance and pension scheme in the country were massively sabotaged over the years, as previous governments failed to rigorously demand payment of social insurance contributions. Second, the pension increase was also sabotaged for years as no real reform was ever launched so that everyone can receive a pension payment according to the social contributions they have paid. The pension payment after the reform is higher now after the pension payment ceiling of 200,000 lek was removed. It is difficult to make such a decision, although opportunities are now created to afford a pension hike decision. However, the problem is that no decision to lower them should be made after you decide to increase pensions. And our effort is to create an opportunity that would allow us to decide on a pension hike within this term in office. It is absolutely not easy, but we want to announce a pension hike at any costs. However, we have been facing a series of serious challenges, starting with the devastating earthquake that required allocation of significant funding, the pandemic and now a war is looming. Thank God Albania is not under threat in militarily terms, but prices went up all over the world after the pandemic and prices keep increasing, because certain essential goods imported from Russia and Ukraine, wheat for example, are no longer available at large quantities as they used to be previously. Wheat and food products won’t be scarce, but we have recently noticed that a number of countries have been seized by a panic, fearing that they would run out of food supplies. It doesn’t work this way. If Albania is to be included in war this would mean that World War III is at its peak. However, I hope this is just an imagination. All the more that Albania is a member of a military alliance, which works under the principle of collective defence. The problem is that Ukraine is not a NATO member country and Russia rejects the country’s membership with the Alliance. And this is why the war is underway and that’s why NATO won’t intervene militarily there, because of another sort of relation with Ukraine. But if a centimetre land of a NATO country is occupied, this would mean that the invader has declared war on the United States of America, Great Britain and all NATO members.
As far as youth employment is concerned, the government has undertaken a commitment that should increase each year and it has allocated funds to encourage young people embark on the path towards technology and the market of technology or the web-based service market. This is the future of young people for them to access a market and work for leading companies all over the world without having to leave their homes. And these are not fairytales, but a reality involving yet a small but significant number of young Albanians and we will invest in this aspect, while keeping doing utmost efforts to support both university students and graduates who join public administration, where a special channel dedicated to best performing students has been already launched. This is a continued challenge and by concluding I would like to say that we would be able to successfully go through all these stages by showing a lot of patience. It would take just looking at the relation with the justice system. I am convinced many of you would acknowledge today that they have never imagined that the day would come so relatively soon when the culture of impunity would end and be materialized with renowned individuals, including high-level officials from the ruling majority’s ranks, despite all sorts of comments many can make. But on the other hand, this doesn’t mean that the justice system is now working the way we would want it to work. This would take more time, because there are still judges and prosecutors, who should be removed from the justice system through the vetting process, the new justice bodies need still time to further strengthen and so and so forth, because it is not something it can complete overnight, just because I or my government want it to happen that way. There are things that take their time. We are building a justice system for the first time in the history of this country. This country has never had a serious justice system.
If all these steps were to be taken 20 years ago; we would have been talking about other issues today. But no such steps were taken, as it is obvious to everyone now taking such steps was not easy at all and people are rightly asking for more now that we are actually taking such steps and our citizens are eager to see things happen now, but they take their time. One cannot deliver on everything simultaneously and two terms in office and the third one now are not a short period of time for a governing generation, but it is a very short time span relative to the state-building process and establishment of a justice system that forms the backbone of the state.
– Mr. Prime Minister, I represent a group of older people here. However, before making my question I would quote a saying: Tongue ever turns to the aching tooth. But, to no avail. You already healed it. Thank you and congratulations. You actually answered as I was about to ask you about the retired people.
PM Edi Rama: I actually just touched it and it has yet to heal as the pensions increase and not the reason why we currently can’t make a pension hike decision would be the real healing. However, I tried to provide a direct clear answer in this case unequivocally, because you already know I have never pledged any pension increase during at any electoral campaign meeting, because I know it is the most difficult thing and once a pension hike decision is made it would actually represent finalization of an important stage and transition to another stage.
– However, you provided an answer to all of my friends.
PM Edi Rama: It would be great if all our friends were to be like you are, but this is not the case.
– Hello Mr. Prime Minister! Taking notice of the National Consultation questionnaire, I have a question to make. Since the vaccines’ effectiveness lasts six to seven months, don’t you think that making the vaccination passport mandatory offers just a false sense of security?
PM Edi Rama: The reason we have made this question is because we have been really facing a dilemma about this. Many countries have already taken such a step, but we have been facing this dilemma as we are now going through a stage with the danger still imminent, but we are learning to live with COVID-19 and, after all, it matters a lot what we think, whether we are ready and whether we really want to obtain a green passport for all of those who frequent the indoor public spaces.
That’s why I would beg everyone to fill in the questionnaire and express their true and raw opinions. It is really important that the questionnaire contains raw thoughts, as it is totally anonymous. Meanwhile, as for the vaccine’s effectiveness, the green passport offers an extra guarantee when it comes to indoor public spaces, but people are now really tired and distressed after fighting for such a long time. Albania has been one of the countries applying some of the strictest measures and a total lockdown during the first phase, while being one of the most liberal countries in terms of more relaxed measures during the later phases of the pandemic. Generally speaking, I think things haven’t gone so bad. It would have been best if we were not to encounter such a high number of people refusing to receive the vaccines. This is a problem, but this is not the case in Albania only. I feel unable to explain how on earth people can be more confused now amid so much available information. I don’t understand this. I don’t know how one can decide to trust certain individuals, not only Albanians but also foreigners, rather than mainstream science. I don’t grasp how one can believe in senseless speculations, fake news and conspiracy theories instead of taking notice of the shocking cases of those who are losing their lives just because they refuse to receive the shot, because it is a fact that the fatality rate among those who refuse the vaccine is higher than among the vaccinated people. I don’t know! This is the greatest mystery of the time we live in.
-Does the state benefit from the legalization of cannabis for medical purposes?
PM Edi Rama: It is extremely important to point out that this is for medical purposes only and not for general use, which means not free cultivation. When for medical purposes, cannabis cultivation is done in extremely strict conditions, based on strict international standards. The facilities or the sites where cultivation would take place should be closed places, strictly surveyed by cameras, etc. because the essence in this case for a country like Albania is the export to certain pharmaceutical companies in Western countries with which agreements are made, namely Israel, Canada, etc. These pharmaceutical companies won’t purchase your product if the latter is specifically grown for medical purposes only and under pharmaceutical conditions, meeting certain optimum standards. Of course, the economic benefits that can come from the regulated commercial availability of medical cannabis are one of the motivations. Economic benefits are significant as it has been already demonstrated in other countries, because it is mainly an export-bound product and it generates increased tax revenues, job growth, and investment opportunities. This means it would generate revenue for our economy, it would create jobs and quality employment as cultivation will take place in specifically built facilities that meet highest standards.
It is an activity already legalized in many other countries, including North Macedonia, Greece and other countries and the effects and results in other countries show that it is worth it. This is actually a debate not taking place now, but since the very beginning when we embarked on the fight against illicit cultivation of cannabis and I used to say back then that growing medical cannabis could be to the benefit of the economy, but time has yet to come for such a decision. Now time is high for us to make such a decision as we no longer face the time when cannabis cultivation was a disturbing phenomenon. There are still illegal growers, but cultivation is estimated to be in quantities acceptable within the normality of the fight against illegal activities and, of course, it is important for us to find out what the majority of people think about this issue, and not only that but we are encouraging and urging the citizens to participate and feel part of the decision-making process, be it either a “yes” or a “no”. This is national consultation and not a referendum, which means that this is just to draw the citizens’ opinion, because otherwise why would we do so and what would be the point if we were to make a decision that runs counter to the majority of people?
