Territorial/Minister Demo: We should not perceive it as if we are simply drawing some borders

2026-01-28 11:50:00, Politikë CNA

Territorial/Minister Demo: We should not perceive it as if we are simply drawing

Minister of State for Local Government, Ervin Demo, held a press conference, where he spoke about territorial reform.

Demo said that the reform should not be perceived simply as a process that will change the boundaries of municipalities.

Demo further said that territorial reform should be based on data and previous experiences, a reform which the minister described as a challenge. Demo stated that the ministry will include as many actors as possible in the territorial reform process, while saying that he hopes that this reform will last more than 10 years.

Focusing on the change of districts, Demo said that this change will automatically bring changes at several sensitive levels such as the Electoral Code.

" We should not perceive the Territorial Reform as a process that will change the boundaries of municipalities. Territorial reform should be based on data, on the experiences that we already have. What are the challenges that municipalities have faced. We must be aware of the importance of this reform in the way we will manage the territory. The reform is not a small challenge, but an extraordinary opportunity. I hope we have a reform that lasts more than 10 years.

The Ministry will play a role by involving as many actors as possible in this process.

We need to do an analysis, different actors see Territorial from different perspectives. This is a very good chance to do an analysis of functions at the local level. We should not perceive it as if we are simply drawing some new borders. We need to see what the challenges of tomorrow will be. Municipalities are not what they were 10 years ago, we have endless territorial problems. Municipalities have grown, this is indisputable. We need to guarantee that tomorrow we have better services than today.

The change of districts naturally brings changes at levels that are sensitive, such as the Electoral Code. There is a lot of room for discussion regarding districts. In the coming weeks we will have an open debate, which I hope will be inclusive, starting with the actors in Parliament. This process has already begun, a call for all actors to be involved.

The Special Commission will start the public process, a document for public discussion will be produced. All actors must be public. This document will talk about the concept of how a municipality should be to care. What are the challenges and what do we perceive. We as the minister will support the commission with information , "said Demo./CNA