"The 2014 reform was partisan, not administrative"/ Boçi: Depopulation is proof of failure

2026-05-22 18:23:00, Politikë CNA

"The 2014 reform was partisan, not administrative"/ Boçi:

The Special Parliamentary Committee for Administrative-Territorial Reform held its next hearing in Debar, attended by citizens, local government representatives, and civil society actors.

In his opening speech, the co-chair of the Commission and vice-chair of the Democratic Party, Luciano Boçi, stated that the 2014 territorial reform has failed and that one of the clearest proofs of this failure is the massive depopulation of rural areas.

Boçi emphasized that territorial reform is not the property of the government, but of the citizens, arguing that a reform without public consultation creates problems from the very beginning.

"If we implement a reform without consulting the citizen, then we have a bottomless reform, like the one in 2014," he said.

According to Boçi, public hearings are necessary democratic instruments to understand whether the 2014 reform has improved citizens' lives, representation, services and economic development in different territories.

He raised questions about the quality of services in Dibër and the differences between urban and rural areas, emphasizing that Albania has a complex territory and different problems from one region to another.

Boçi stated that the 2014 reform failed to bring fiscal autonomy and the promised competencies to local government, while producing deepening inequalities between municipalities.

"What was a poor municipality became even poorer," he said, adding that this has directly impacted emigration and the emptying of rural areas.

In his speech, Boçi described the 2014 reform as a "party reform" and not an administrative one, citing as an example the difference between the districts of Dibra and Gjirokastra.

"Dibra has about 150 thousand inhabitants and only 4 municipalities, while Gjirokastra with fewer inhabitants has 7 municipalities. This shows that the reform was not administrative-territorial, but political," he declared.

Boçi also recalled that the initial reform project envisaged 47 municipalities, while the number was later increased to 61 for political reasons.

He defended the need for increased competencies and financial autonomy of local governments, strengthening of regions and inter-municipal cooperation, so that stronger municipalities can help weaker ones.

Finally, Boçi brought up Croatia as an example, which according to him has 556 municipalities and still benefits from billions of euros from European funds, arguing that the size of the municipality is not a condition for development or benefiting from funds.

"The truth is that the European Union seeks political consensus. It seeks that important processes be supported by both political parties. It does not seek a majority that imposes its version just because it has the votes and an opposition that remains outside because it does not have them.

So, the EU seeks consensus and demands that citizens be heard. We as the Democratic Party have sought this and consider it necessary. We believe that the architecture of the state in the territory is the Territorial Reform and that it is not the property of the government, but the property of the citizens.

If we implement a reform without consulting citizens, then we have a bottomless reform, like the one in 2014. The main flaw of the 2014 reform was precisely the failure to consider the opinion of citizens. The reform started from the map and ended with competencies and citizens, creating serious problems.

Secondly, I think that hearings are very democratic and very positive institutions. Today we have the opportunity to get answers to the objectives of the 2014 reform.

Did the life of the citizen in Dibër improve? Are the citizens represented in the municipal councils? Do the citizens receive the services? Are the services the same throughout the territory? Did the reform have an impact on economic development throughout the territory or did it create developmental discrimination?

These answers are given by the citizens. And as you say in Dibër: “Good deeds are seen in the assembly.” The hearings are important for a very simple reason: Albania is a country with a diverse territory, with rugged terrain, with infrastructural problems, with economic difficulties and with untapped potential.

The problems of Dibra are not the same as those of Elbasan or Tirana. That is why we need to get the clear opinion of the citizens. At the end of the day, this hearing is also a test of the sincerity of politics.

Does politics have the courage to face the effects and consequences of its decisions? Today we are in a new reform after 12 years and it seems as if we live in a regime of endless reforms. But we are not here today because we have administrative problems, because the government can regulate administration.

We are here because of the concerns of citizens and because of the failure of the 2014 reform.

The government promised fiscal autonomy and did not deliver. It promised local government powers and did not deliver. It promised better services and citizens say that did not happen. It promised better representation, but today we have discrimination between urban and rural areas and between municipalities that have different financial support.

This reform produced a deepening of inequality. Those municipalities that were poor became even poorer. That is why we have today the depopulation of rural areas. And not only internal migration, but emigration outside Albania. The “supply warehouse” of urban centers is being emptied, because people are leaving the country.

This alarm should be reflected in the work of this commission. This reform should stop the exodus of citizens, which is the greatest bloodshed of the nation. Dibra has about 150 thousand inhabitants and only 4 municipalities, while Gjirokastra, with fewer inhabitants, has 7 municipalities.

Why is this happening? Because the 2014 reform was not an administrative-territorial reform, but a party reform. This is a public secret. Initially, 47 municipalities were envisaged and then 61 became. This is a fact that must be accepted. Only by looking the truth in the eye can we build something that corrects this situation.

We are here to collaborate, to change functions, to increase the powers and financial autonomy of all citizens, regardless of where they live. We all pay taxes, in the city or in the countryside, but not everyone receives the same services. We want the same standards.

We want cooperation between municipalities. A strong municipality should help a weaker municipality. We want to strengthen the regions and give them real powers, because that's how we can solve the problem of services and decentralization.

If we do not intervene, then we will further contribute to the depopulation of the country. Also, we should not be under pressure that the municipality must necessarily come out “with a profit”, because the municipality is not a business. The state has funds, grants and instruments to help municipalities.

"Croatia has 556 municipalities and receives billions of euros from European funds. So, the number of municipalities is not the main problem. That's why we want your opinions, because they are very important for the conclusions that this commission will draw," Boçi declared./ CNA