
SP MP Erion Braçe has opposed the administrative-territorial division proposed by the majority. From the floor of the Assembly, Braçe said that this reform changes the lives of citizens in the 15 municipalities planned to be merged and that it only serves political interests.
"Reform at this level is necessary, while what we have before us is a law that draws a new administrative-territorial map. The map, tested many times, is unstable and, as a reform, completely insufficient. I have heard several times that the map is a product of political opportunities, more bluntly, of the votes, of the majority that they create. With this law, we change the lives of people in 15 municipalities. We also change the lives in other municipalities that are absorbing them. Are we taking it so easily? ", said Brace.
Braçe also addressed the co-chair of the territorial reform commission, Arbian Mazniku, to whom he said that he has not been transparent with the public and that most of the competencies that municipalities have today are formal.
"You refer to the competencies of the municipalities and the fact that they have not fulfilled them and have not provided services. It was not correct. Municipalities have 46 competencies. A large part is formal. These competencies were transferred without a budget or with an insufficient budget, referring to the value obtained from the prices themselves," said Braçe.
Maznik replied by saying that this reform is necessary, despite the fact that there are still aspects where interventions can be made to improve services or access by municipalities.
"I appreciate the debate we have had in relation to the need we have for an evaluation reform, which should not only have a map, but also competence, regionalization. The reasons that made it impossible had to do with an overarching goal, the consistent attempt of the majority to find a compromise with the opposition.
"We are at a point where either this reform is lost and we cannot succeed, or we succeed through this mechanism that we have today. There are some functions that municipalities do not have today. Or they do not have the opportunity to exercise them. Municipalities are not prevented from exercising them by law or by the government," said Mazniku.