The first visit after the territorial reform of the Deputy Prime Minister, Niko Peleshi, was in Bradashesh, Elbasan, a commune that was against being united with Elbasan.
Peleshi took advantage of the inauguration of the Balez-Letan road to speak about the changes that will be brought by the creation of bigger local units. Different from the claims of some communes who opposed joining with their main cities, the Deputy Prime Minister spoke about the economic profits and their economic development from the unification.
The Albanian government invested 100 million during this year for cities with a tourist potential. More financial attention will be shifted on the development of new local government units, according to the Deputy Prime Minister. He said that besides the Albanian Development Fund, another structure has been estblished for this matter, the Development Fund for Regions.
“These two organisms will be more powerful with the new municipalities. One of the problems that our municipalities have, are the capacities for these projects. Starting from the budget of this year, we will open a new account for each of the 60 new municipalities at the Albanian Development Fund for financing the project. We will have bigger municipalities, more powerful, with additional capacities and with more money in funds not only from the government, but also from funds that are given through what be saved from this reform”, Peleshi declared.
The Mayor of Elbasan mentioned another reform that the government should take after the territorial one.
“It is not easy realizing a mechanical unification. I have always supported this, but I hope that we will also have a decentralization of the competences”, declared the Mayor fo Elbasan, Qazim Sejdini.
Decentralization was the condition set by the Democratic Party for being part of the territorial reform. According to the DP, the map should have been preceded by more competences for the leaders of new units, a reform that the government has promised to approve within Autumn of this year./top channel/