DP prepares new legal package for integration, focusing on Strategic Investments and Protected Areas

The head of the Gazment Bardhi Parliamentary Group has announced that the Democratic Party has prepared the first package of legal initiatives aimed at fulfilling some of the conditions set by the European Union in the process of Albania's integration.

According to Bardhi, the package includes four main initiatives to repeal laws that, according to the opposition, have favored narrow interests and harmed competition, public property, and national heritage.

Specifically, the DP proposes the repeal of the Law on Strategic Investments, changes to the Law on Protected Areas, the law known as the Mountain Package, as well as some provisions of the Law on Cultural Heritage.

Bardhi stated that these issues have been the subject of criticism from the opposition for years, but have now also become demands of citizens who are protesting against the government. 

DECLARATION:

The Democratic Party Parliamentary Group has ready the first package of initiatives to fulfill some of the conditions that the European Union has imposed on Albania in the membership process.

Our first package for implementing these conditions begins with the law that symbolizes more than any other law the model of favoritism, lack of competition, and the disappearance of public interest: the repeal of the law on strategic investments.

Our first package for the implementation of these conditions begins with 4 laws that symbolize more than any other law the model of favoritism, the lack of competition and the disappearance of public interest:
1. Repeal of the Law on Strategic Investments.
2. Repeal of the amendments to the Law on Protected Areas.
3. Repeal of the Law on the Mountain Package.
4. Repeal of some provisions in the Law on Cultural Heritage.
This is not a new concern for either the European Union or the Democratic Party.

This is not a new concern for either the European Union or the Democratic Party.

For years, we have been demanding the repeal of this law, because Edi Rama has used it to distort competition, violate property rights, impede fair competition, and create unfair favors for a limited group of beneficiaries, part of his political and economic clientele.

Precisely for this reason, the law on strategic investments has become a symbol of Edi Rama's economic model, a model based on favoritism, corruption, and the use of power in the service of private interests.

Today, I note with pleasure that the repeal of this law is no longer just a concern of the opposition. It has also become one of the main demands of the citizens who are protesting.

We are united with citizens by the same concern about a governance model that violates property, damages protected areas, endangers cultural heritage, and places the interests of a handful of people above the public interest.

For this reason, we have decided not to limit ourselves to initiatives related to the European Union's conditions for membership.

We start with the repeal of the law on strategic investments.

Edi Rama changed the law on protected areas two years ago. The Democratic Party voted against it, because we knew that the goal was not to protect nature, but to pave the way for its concreting.

For this reason, we have also requested the repeal of the changes to the law on protected areas.

We will also demand the repeal of the Mountains Package and changes to the law on cultural heritage.

All of these are citizens' demands today. And all of these will take concrete form in Parliament.

We will do everything to advance the public interest.

This is another opportunity for Edi Rama to take a step forward. Not to prevent the majority from supporting these initiatives and, above all, to find the courage to sign the only request that we cannot submit to Parliament: his resignation.