Albania’s New Leaders to Battle Illegal Construction

According to MP Artan Lame, the new Socialist-led government wants to crack down on illicit building while also speeding up the legalisation process, although excluding constructions on the coast or in national parks.

“We will not legalise anything that was built illegally along the coast and there will be penalties for those who have massacred the coastline, archeological parks or protected natural habitats,” Socialist MP Lame told a press conference on Friday.  

Over the past two decades, hundreds of thousands of buildings have been erected in Albania without a construction permit.

In 2006, Albania adopted a law aimed at legalising the estimated 220,000 unauthorised buildings across the country.

However, the process of legalisation has run into sand, because since the law entered into force, thousands of new buildings without permits have been built.

According to a report by the World Bank published in 2012, since the law was passed in 2006, some 80,000 new dwellings have been built illegally; the number could even be as high as 120,000.  

In the last few months, the municipality of Tirana has faced accusations of turning a blind eye to illegal constructions.

In a statement on Friday, the head of the Tirana’s construction inspectorate, Florenc Hoxha, called on the city’s residents not give credit to rumours that new illegal builds will be legalised.

“We are verifying all the illegal construction that has been done in the last few months,” Hoxha said.  

“We will act against every illegal building that has been constructed during this period,” he warned.