Albanian Democratic Party MP Ina Zhupa has reignited the debate surrounding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s book The Albanian Files, arguing that the publication reflects a broader vision for Albania’s development that she says serves oligarchs rather than the public interest.
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According to Zhupa, The Albanian Files represents the concept of the “New Albania” envisioned by Rama—an Albania that, in her assessment, prioritizes powerful private interests over ordinary citizens.
“The Albanian Files” contains the ‘New Albania’ that Edi Rama has designed: an Albania for oligarchs, against Albanians,” Zhupa wrote on social media.
Public Land, Protected Areas and National Heritage
Zhupa argues that the projects featured in the book raise questions about the use of public land, protected areas, national heritage sites and other public assets.
She portrays the publication not simply as an architectural or development catalogue, but as a collection of projects in which, according to her criticism, the beneficiaries and developers are effectively predetermined.
“A predetermined client, a studio selected by the government itself, millions of euros in projects, and the vision of one man presented as the country’s development plan,” Zhupa wrote.
Her criticism centers on what she sees as the concentration of decision-making over Albania’s urban and territorial development in the hands of the prime minister and a limited circle of architects, investors and influential business interests.
“It Is Not Just a Book”
Zhupa also addressed those who dismiss The Albanian Files as simply an architectural publication.
She urged the public to listen to what she described as a moment of “sincerity” from Rama during his CNN appearance, arguing that his comments reveal a deeper purpose behind the projects presented in the book.
“For all the skeptics who say, ‘It’s just a book,’ listen for a moment to the sincerity on CNN,” Zhupa wrote. “It is not just a book. It is the project for Albania that Rama has decided without asking about the public interest and the interests of Albanians.”
A Wider Political Dispute Over Albania’s Future
Zhupa’s intervention comes amid a broader political dispute in Albania over large-scale development projects, public land, strategic investments and the role of private capital in transforming the country’s coastline and major urban areas.
The opposition has repeatedly accused the Rama government of favoring politically connected businessmen and oligarchs through major development initiatives. The government, meanwhile, has presented many of its projects as part of an effort to modernize Albania, attract investment and transform its infrastructure, tourism and urban landscape.
The debate over The Albanian Files therefore extends beyond the book itself. For Zhupa and Rama’s critics, it symbolizes a question about who gets to shape Albania’s future—and whose interests ultimately benefit from the country’s rapid development.
For supporters of Rama's development agenda, however, the projects represent an attempt to give Albania a new architectural identity and attract investment through ambitious urban and tourism projects.
The controversy surrounding the book ultimately reflects the larger political divide over Albania’s development model: whether the country's transformation should primarily be driven by large private investments and high-profile projects, or by a model placing stronger emphasis on public ownership, transparency and broad social benefit.