The breathtaking coastlines of Albania are fast becoming a private playground for the political elite, leaving ordinary citizens and local landowners out in the cold. In a scathing public indictment, prominent Albanian lawyer Dorina Prethi has exposed what critics are calling a systematic, state-sponsored land grab orchestrated by the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
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| Prominent lawyer and activist Dorina Prethi presents highlighted government decrees |
Prethi’s warning is clear and alarming: "Only a week ago, by government decree, Edi Rama gave a company 86 hectares of public land, using the law on strategic investments. This is not an isolated case. We have seen the same scheme before."
The 86-Hectare Handout in Vlorë
At the heart of the latest controversy is a massive, 86-hectare tract of prime coastal land near the city of Vlorë. Brandishing official government documents and cadastral maps, Prethi detailed how this public asset was quietly transferred into private hands under the guise of economic development.
Instead of an open, competitive process designed to maximize public benefit, the land was effectively handed over to narrow private interests closely tied to the administration. This lack of transparency has sparked intense outrage, fueling accusations that public assets are being treated as currency for political favoritism.
The Weaponization of the "Strategic Investments Law"
The legal vehicle driving this mass privatization is the Strategic Investments Law (Law no. 55/2015).
Under this framework, projects granted "Strategic Investor" status receive sweeping privileges, including:
- The "1-Euro" Land Leases: Millions of square meters of pristine coastal and agricultural land have been leased out for symbolic prices.
- Forced Expropriations: The law grants the state special procedures to bypass local ownership, allowing the government to forcefully seize land from local families to benefit billionaire developers.
- Suspended Competition: Major coastal projects are pushed through without genuine open bidding or public accountability.
What was meant to boost the economy has been weaponized into a mechanism for land theft, bypassing the rights of traditional landowners whose property claims date back generations.
A Pattern of Elite Corruption: From Manastir to Durrës
As Prethi pointed out, the Vlorë handout is part of an ongoing, predictable blueprint. The Rama administration has frequently used these fast-track "strategic" designations to enrich well-connected insiders:
- The Manastir Resort: Prime ecological and coastal land in the south has been cordoned off for luxury private resorts, restricting public access.
- The Olta Xhaçka Scandal: The family of former Foreign Minister Olta Xhaçka famously benefited from strategic investor status, drawing fierce condemnation regarding conflict of interest and the manipulation of property titles.
- The Port of Durrës Redevelopment: The historic, public Port of Durrës has seen massive sections effectively repurposed for luxury high-rises (pallate) rather than serving public infrastructure, drawing a sharp rebuke from the opposition and civil society alike.
A System of Oligarchy Demanding Immediate Abolition
The consequences of these policies go far beyond bad aesthetics; they break fundamental principles of a free market, shatter public trust, and violate constitutional property rights.
The verdict from legal experts and anti-corruption advocates is unanimous: The Strategic Investments Law must be repealed immediately. It has ceased to be an economic policy and has instead become an active instrument for liquidating Albania's natural wealth. For Albania to build a fair, transparent future, this legislative vehicle for oligarchic enrichment must be struck down once and for all.