National minority in Albania may be considered every group of at least 300 people

 A meeting of the Albanian Government in 2018 (archive)

 The Albanian government will recognize new national minorities, beyond the 9 minorities already recognized by law. A draft decision of the Ministry of Interior asks the government to set up an ad-hoc commission to assess the income requirements for new minorities in Albania.

What stands out in the draft decision of the institution led by Sander Lleshaj is the fact that a national minority can be recognized if it consists of at least 300 people.

The assessment of the legality and composition of this minority according to the Ministry of Interior should be certified by an ad-hoc committee that will be set up by order of Prime Minister Rama.

"The request for recognition of minorities is submitted to the Commission for review of the request for formal recognition of the national minority (hereinafter referred to as the Commission), by a group of citizens of not less than 300 (three hundred) persons with full capacity to act, that claim to belong to the national minority”.

Currently, the law "On the protection of minorities" has recognized 9 national minorities. The formal recognition of a national minority, different from that defined in this law, is done through the submission of a request to the Minister of Interior by a group of citizens consisting of not less than 300 people, who claim to belong to a national minority and is examined. by the ad-hoc Commission.

But against this draft decision drafted and proposed by the Ministry of Interior, the Institute of History, at the Academy of Albanological Studies.

"We consider it unnecessary, perhaps even detrimental to national interests, to set up such a commission to discuss the existence of other national minorities in Albania."

The People's Advocate has also expressed reservations about the number of new minorities. But regarding this claim, the Ministry of Interior has clarified that the prediction of a group of 300 citizens is based on the number of cultural, social, political organizations, but this fact is also decided at the meeting of the Inter-Institutional Working Group where the People's Advocate was also a member and they agreed to sanction the number of 300 people.

If the draft decision is approved by Prime Minister Rama, it will be approved at the government meeting and will then enter into force after its publication in the official gazette.