The liberation of public spaces in Korça/ What will happen after the action, explains Sotiraq Filo

2025-07-31 14:20:00, Aktualitet CNA

The liberation of public spaces in Korça/ What will happen after the

Businesses operating along the pedestrian zone of the city of Korça have reacted in a symbolic, but quite clear way to the authorities' decision requiring them to vacate public spaces, at the height of the tourist season and with a very short deadline.

Through posters pasted on the windows of a bar in the pedestrian zone, they expressed their concern and dissatisfaction with the lack of dialogue and delayed notification from institutions.

Meanwhile, the Municipality of Korça has officially launched the action to free public spaces occupied by businesses, as part of a national initiative that aims to restore urban order in the most frequented areas of the city. The Mayor, Sotiraq Filo, held a meeting with business representatives, especially those operating in the pedestrian zone. He informed them about the new standards for the treatment of public space.

"The Municipality of Korça has launched the action to free up public spaces in the city, following the national action. This action will affect public spaces occupied by businesses, public spaces surrounding buildings. Yesterday I had a meeting with businesses that operate in the pedestrian zone, which is affected by this project, where I informed them about the new standards for the treatment of public space. The first aspect is the elements of urban furniture that will be allowed to be placed in this public space, which will only be umbrellas, chairs and tables, removing all other elements such as platforms, side partitions or vases around businesses. The second element is the size of the public space that will be made available to businesses, to respect the ratio of 25% for businesses and 75% available to passers-by."

Under the new rules, businesses will be allowed to use only tents, chairs and tables, removing all other additional structures such as platforms, side partitions or vases around them. The space used by private entities will be in a ratio of 25% to 75% left available to passers-by.

The deadline for implementing these measures is August 17, which coincides with the end of the Beer Festival. Until then, businesses can keep their existing tents, but must immediately remove any other elements that do not comply with the guidelines.

Within today, the municipality will make available to businesses the space they can use according to the regulation, and details of urban furniture will be communicated, including the color and type of tents allowed.

"Yesterday's discussion with businesses was treated by me as a constructive discussion, where I was open to listening and accepting to a certain extent the real concerns of businesses. The concern was that we are unable to produce the tents to replace the tents and kiosks. You have been given this deadline by me until August 17, which coincides with the closing of the beer festival, but in the meantime you have been asked to remove all other elements, platforms, vases, and the tents can remain until August 17, and then be replaced."

"Within today, the space that they will be able to use will be made available to them, respecting the report we said, and they will also be given new elements of urban furniture, the color of the tent, the type."

Mayor Filo recalls that this axis has previously passed from a car road to a pedestrian zone, with the aim of increasing the quality of urban life and the aesthetics of the city. According to him, the structures that have been transformed into kiosks are a consequence of tolerance due to the ban on smoking inside the premises, but have never been encouraged by the institutions. He emphasizes that he has been open to reasonable concerns of businesses, such as the physical time for the production of new tents, but in cases where there has been abuse of public space, there will be no more understanding.

"I have made a chronology of the progress of the pedestrian zone since the moment this investment was made by the municipality. This axis has been transformed from a passageway for cars into a pedestrian zone. The situation there was that initially the businesses that were the first to open and operated as coffee bars were exactly in the situation we are looking for now. So they had umbrellas and chairs, tables and especially that critical point was the beginning of the implementation of the law banning smoking inside the premises, the creation of these structures outside the premises that took on the appearance of kiosks began. The truth is that I, as mayor and I believe that most businesses should testify to this, have never encouraged them to make this type of intervention, and there is even a period of several years that I have informed them that they are in the wrong direction and that a project will have to be done here to restore the pedestrian zone to the way it was before. Some businesses were not allowed to place these structures but continued with umbrellas, chairs and tables, another part were allowed but "They have always said that the moment there is a project from the municipality, we are ready to voluntarily remove these structures. This is a public space, which is administered by the municipality and the rules for the use of this space are set by the municipality. I was and am ready, yesterday I discussed and I was understanding about those points that were a concern such as the deadline for changing the tents that takes a physical time to produce the tents, but for the points that are abusive, I was not and am not understanding at all."

While businesses express concern about the timing and manner of intervention, local authorities are determined to enforce rules to protect public space./ CNA