The Chairman of the Freedom Party, Ilir Meta, has welcomed the union of the Democratic Party, saying that the union of forces and energies is positive in the abnormal situation that, according to him, Albania is in.
According to him, “every difference must be put aside to achieve a unity and a cohesion as inclusive as possible within the opposition”.
The full statement of the chairman of the Freedom Party, Mr. Ilir Meta:
Rampant and schizophrenic corruption is the only major goal of the “Renaissance”.
Corruption is part of the deliberate anti-national depopulation agenda of the Government that promised 300,000 new jobs but forced over 700,000 Albanians to flee the poorest country in the region, but with the most expensive cost of living.
Corruption is the reason why 67% of the population survives today in poverty, with ridiculous salaries and pensions, which cannot afford taxes and the stratospheric prices of food and medicine.
Corruption is the reason for the bankruptcy of agriculture, the extermination of livestock, the degradation of education and the deepening of ignorance.
Where there is corruption, there is no transparency or accountability! They run parallel!
This is the reason why Albania, champion in the region and on the continent for government theft and bribery, has recently been ranked at the top of the list for the lack of transparency and publication of official documents.
Therefore, there is no surprise from the expected negative results of the Regional Openness Index for transparency and publication of official documents, which ranks Albania with 24.8 points, far from North Macedonia with 27.4 points, Kosovo with 34.2 points, Montenegro with 36.5 points and Serbia with 50.2 points.
Nor are we surprised by the fact that among the ministries that refuse transparency, the champion would be the Ministry of Health, which turns out to have not made any decision public.
It is widely accepted that free healthcare has been and remains one of the biggest and treacherous frauds of the “Renaissance”, where 10 years in power the only record achieved is that Albanians pay 60% out of pocket for healthcare more than all in Europe.
This great gap between the Government and transparency gives even more impetus to the determination of the Freedom Party in the fight against corruption and the return of the screaming need for transparency and accountability, as the main pillars of democracy.
On this occasion, I congratulate the deputies of the Freedom Party who have prepared three concrete legal initiatives to guarantee transparency and accountability.
Assessing the right to information as an inalienable constitutional right of Albanian citizens and as a key element in the fight against crime, corruption and impunity, as well as assessing it as a national priority and with the full conviction that a coordinated fight is needed to them, our deputies have specifically proposed three amendments:
In the law “On the right to information”;
In the regulation of the Assembly;
In the status of deputy.
(We will make all three amendments available to all journalists).
In the practice of communication with central, local and independent institutions, blockages in receiving information, required by law, have been continuously verified.
These blockages have violated every law and every legal deadline, making it impossible to exercise the controlling activity of the Assembly of the Republic of Albania, through the deputies.
In particular, information on matters of high sensitivity to the public interest and their serious social and financial implications have been blocked.
This deliberate blocking of information has deepened the abuse of power and corruption, producing very serious consequences for the interest of citizens and public finances.
This deliberate blocking has been evidenced through repeated requests, which have not received an answer, thus shaping an arrogant and unacceptable attitude of central and local institutions, such as the scandalous case of the Municipality of Tirana, which has long refused transparency and accountability.
Even after the notification of the persons charged by the law to apply penalties and sanctions to the violators of this law, it turned out that none of the parties acted.
This scandalous situation necessarily requires legal changes, which foresee clear and strong responsibilities, so that the practice of blocking transparency and accountability ends once and for all.
I also want to congratulate our local councilors, especially those in the Municipality of Tirana, who are fighting a dignified battle in defense of the public interest, transparency and accountability.
On this occasion, I want to refute the false claims of the Mayor, Erion Veliaj, according to which the Freedom Party has voted against the decisions to provide economic aid and rent bonus for the needy classes, while it is quite the opposite.
The Freedom Party has not only approved all the decisions related to the granting of economic aid and rent bonuses in Tirana, but has also proposed concrete initiatives to increase the funds of economic aid and the number of beneficiaries, so that we do not see more shocking sight when representatives of the most needy strata protest for their livelihood in front of the City Hall, losing their senses under the office of Erion Veliaj, who pretends not to see them.
I also recall that the Freedom Party proposed 11 amendments for the removal and reduction of a number of local taxes and fees in the Municipality of Tirana, from which citizens and businesses would benefit 50 million euros per year, but that they were arbitrarily dismissed after the interest of Erion Veliaj is not in the civic interest but in the theft through the phantom incinerator of Tirana, where he is also its de facto owner, according to the former Deputy Prime Minister himself.
Specifically, the proposals of the Freedom Party, which were rejected by Veliaj, were:
➡️
➡ The current price of water for family subscribers, from 66 Lek/month to 44 Lek/month.
𝐀𝐧𝐮𝐮𝐢𝐢𝐢𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐢
𝐀𝐮𝐮𝐢𝐢𝐢𝐢 of 𝐈𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐡𝐡𝐡𝐡𝐡𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐢
𝐀𝐮𝐮𝐢𝐢𝐢𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐢
➡ 𝟓0% of the table tax level for the effect of advertising in electronic form, from 290 thousand lek 2/year 𝐭 𝐪𝐈 ё𝐩𝐡𝐭𝐭𝐭𝐭𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐭𝐭, 𝐧̈ 𝟒𝟓 𝐦𝐣ё̈ 𝐦𝟐/𝐯𝐢𝐭.
➡ The increase in the tax level affects the infrastructure from 5% that is currently, from 2 to 4% of the value 𝐭̈ 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭.
➡𝐏𝐈𝐫𝐠𝐣𝐲𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐦𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐨 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐢𝐦𝐭 𝐈𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐢𝐦. From 𝟓𝟕𝟓0 lek to the small business that is currently 𝟐𝟖𝟕𝟓 lek. From 100,000 lek for retail and 111,000 lek for wholesale for VIP business, it becomes 𝟓 𝟒.𝟎𝟓𝟎 Lek for retail and 𝟓𝟕, 𝟓000 Lek for wholesale for the business VI.
➡️The fee for obtaining a work permit, from 1% of the investment for the current work permit, in – 𝐒𝐢 𝐡𝐡𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝟏𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟬.
➡ 𝐑εῐლილიარა of the rates for the occupation of public spaces, from 2000 – 1800 lek/m2, which is currently 1000 – 𝕕 𝟓𝟎 𝐥𝐞𝐤𝐞̈/𝐦𝟐
𝐀𝐮𝐮𝐮𝐢𝐦𝐢 of 𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐢
Of course, Erion Veliaj rejected these proposals since his only interest is the continuation of the affair of the non-existent incinerator of Tirana, for which, as the Freedom Party also proved, he continues and increases the payments affecting even the budget for education, i.e. the funds for construction of nurseries, kindergartens and schools.
