Territorial Development, Gjiknuri: Investment projects comply with local plans

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy in cooperation with the National Territorial Planning Agency organized a forum on “General Local Plans, an Instrument and New Approach to the Consolidation of Territorial Reform”. The Forum was attended by Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, Damian Gjiknuri, AKPT General Director, Adelina Greca, Swiss Ambassador Christoph Graf, Mayor of the Municipality, as well as Heads of Central and Local Institutions in the country.

In his greeting speech Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Damian Gjiknuri emphasized that planning is the most difficult, but at the same time, the most important thing.

“The human dynamics and the nature of the development I would often call spontaneous, made Albania never had a plan and never even had some plans that it had approved itself. The territory of the Republic of Albania until 2014, had only 7% of the territory covered by planning, the rest was part of spontaneity. This report has radically changed these years, enabling us with the approval of the plans of most municipalities, we have made most of the territory of Albania, about 77% of the territory, covered by planes already clear development and that really belongs to the local authorities but also to the government, about how they will interact with each other in order for this development to be truly sustainable and consistent with these strategic instruments that we have adopted, otherwise what we will do, would be a failure “- said the minister.

Minister Gjiknuri guaranteed the heads of municipalities that they will have the support of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy for the completion of local plans.

“The government will engage in this part, on the other hand, since we have the Ambassador of Switzerland and other representatives from the international community, I urge you to help us with the rest of the finances so that all of Albania is well-planned.”

Following, Minister Gjiknuri emphasized the implementation of the general local plans.

“This forum should be used to have a very practical dimension, what should we improve and what should we do? The central government agencies, development agencies, the development fund, the region’s development fund all these should help to contribute to sustainable development. As Minister of Infrastructure and Energy and from the point of view of the competencies and the ministry I lead, an integrated planning of many infrastructural developments should be part of this. This is the advantage. Often, planning national infrastructure is intertwined with local plans, or affecting local interests, wherever it is better to have an integrated planning of these interests. ”

Minister Gjiknuri asked the mayors present in this forum to say what problems they have encountered with the plans in force and what needs to be improved so that this can be properly implemented.

“Often, the greatest pressure on strategic instruments is random populism, small local interests that will put pressure on changing a strategic instrument. There must be a reflection that goes hand in hand with sustainable development and an acceptable time cycle, not whenever there is a group of interests or whenever there is a shift in the rotation of local governments to have pressure for their change. Otherwise, we will not make the mistakes that others have done before and we will not stumble Albania to have a sustainable development. ”

In conclusion, the Minister stressed the importance of diaspora involvement in this process, which is another initiative of the Albanian government.

“Diaspora is a great potential, not only in terms of remittances. The problem is that our diaspora is integrated, our diaspora can also have key positions, people who have made money, created capital, are well integrated into the economies of developed countries, then how can we turn this opportunity to great capital and knowledge to come to Albania and become part of this development. Therefore, the Minister of State for Diaspora also with our support as a government, by introducing this dimension together with the local government, we have the opportunity to give life to these developmental plans that we have adopted. “