The government has increased its powers over urban development by further limiting the role of municipalities in decision-making on construction. In a decision that further shifts the balance of local autonomy, the Prime Minister amasses more executive power over territory, the environment, and the economy.
In the last three years, permits for construction up to 8 floors were issued by municipalities, but with the decision of July 23 of the Council of Ministers, the National Council for Territory and Water (KKTU) – which is headed by the Prime Minister – lowered this restriction for buildings up to 6 floors.
Furthermore, the KKTU takes the authority to make decisions on any construction in coastal areas, regardless of the conditions and development criteria. On the other hand, the government has banned the construction or use as parking lots or with fences of spaces intended to be public.
Construction under government authority
Before 2015, the KKTU (then simply KKT) was intended as an oversight body for national urban planning.
Initially, it approved local plans and reviewed projects of national importance. But with the changes in the law No.107/2014 and changes in Council of Ministers 408/2015, the profile of the Council changed radically.
Since 2024, the KKTU acts as a decision-making and enforcement authority, without local or environmental restrictions. This transformation of the KKTU took place while the amendment to the Protected Areas Law was being debated.
This centralization worried environmental organizations who considered KKTU “Lord of Protected Areas"after" "it seizes the powers and policies for these areas." This can be seen in the definitional competence as "economic priority area" even state properties, bypassing review at the local level.
The KKTU is controlled by the government and headed by the prime minister. It designates priority economic, tourist and industrial areas. It grants access to state-owned properties, with the exception of forests, pastures and agricultural lands.
It has the right to decide on expropriations and confiscations. It can even legalize unauthorized buildings. "for social housing".
But this concentration of powers raises serious questions about institutional balance.
Furthermore, KKTU makes decisions without open public processes and often without consultation with local communities, or residents of areas where development and construction permits are granted.
Citizens.al has documented the lack of transparency in the allocation of development or construction permits for about 140 towers in Tirana.
In the absence of transparency and accountability, private and clientelistic interests are favored, further limiting the right to development.
On paper, the government says it aims for sustainable development. In practice, it is trying to control every avenue of investment.
The KKTU is replacing local government and excluding citizens from decision-making. In the absence of transparency, there is no guarantee of public interest in development plans.
Cities and territories are being run by a single institution: the government – with more power, but less and less accountability.
Faced with this approach, greater political pressure is needed from the opposition, the association of local units, experts in construction, development, urban administration, and civil society.
He completed master's studies in Investigative Journalism at the Department of Journalism at the University of Tirana. She has been working as a journalist for five years, where she previously covered issues of politics and parliamentary activity, in print and online media. She is currently a journalist at Citizens.al, where she covers various social issues related to the transparency of institutions. At Citizens.al, she leads the podcast "The Unheard" and is engaged as a manager of projects related to the support of investigative journalism.
