Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama addressed concerns over the ongoing campaign targeting public spaces, emphasizing in a live social media broadcast that the initiative is not aimed against entrepreneurs but intends to restore public areas to the people.
Rama explained that the government is preparing a new regulation to clearly define the boundaries of freedom for commercial units, ensuring they do not encroach on public spaces, with technology playing a key role in enforcement.
“As a deputy of Tirana, I have campaigned and observed the situation closely. Amid the transformation of Tirana, we have noticed significant congestion and misuse of public spaces. Therefore, I have mobilized all deputies to work toward reclaiming these spaces for citizens. So far, 1,800 points have been identified that need to be cleared,” Rama said.
He stressed that the campaign targets removable constructions rather than unauthorized permanent buildings such as walls or brickwork, and there is broad understanding among those involved, though some cases require enforcement action.
“This is not an attack on entrepreneurs. We are preparing a regulation that will clearly establish freedom of operation while respecting public spaces. Technology will assist us in this phase. As there has been progress at the municipal level, this wave will extend to territorial control structures, starting from the Inspectorate of Territorial Monitoring (IMT) to municipal police,” Rama added.
