By Klodian Tomorri
Many of those who follow political developments are quite surprised a day ago, when Edi Rama announced the creation of a new ministry, which unites economy, culture and innovation in a single department.
Beyond the round of names, the departure of Margariti and the approach of Blendi Gonxhe in the government cabinet, the biggest surprise of the opinion lies in the fact that what connects economy and culture together and what is the logic of their union in a single institution.
This is not an unnatural surprise. It is about two sectors, which in terms of policies and administration are so far from each other. Therefore, in the history of the governance of modern Albania, culture has never been an institutional satellite of the economy or vice versa.
However, the organic structures of government are not rigid. After all, government cabinets are formed in function of the governing philosophy and priorities of the ruling class. And the governing philosophy of the current majority has created a segment with very large interests, where economy and culture mature with each other. It is the administration of properties in historical places or cultural monuments.
For some time in the oligarchic corridors and those of the majority, there have been rumors about some important projects in protected areas with the status of cultural monuments. Porto Palermo and the Palace of Brigades are two of them.
The first is one of the most coveted areas of Albania. A jewel in the necklace of the Albanian Riviera, which has so far escaped the long hands of the oligarchy or the private interests of power precisely because of its protected status.
The same applies to the Palace of Brigades. An extraordinary historical and cultural complex, which is spread over an area of 37 hectares of wooded park. This complex is a priority monument in the national heritage of Albania. But concessions break the blockade, while financial appetites shape governments.
Both for Porto Palermo and for the Palace of Brigades there are plans to involve the private sector through concessions. For the first, last summer there were preliminary non-institutional discussions with a businessman from across the Atlantic. As for the second, two years ago, the Ministry of Culture financed a draft strategy for long-term management.
In the strategic document, a hybrid management system with the involvement of the private sector was recommended to enable the financing of the maintenance and development of the Palace of Brigades, albeit in the form of a non-profit foundation. In short, a similar administration system as that of Butrint.
If we add to these the large funding front that is expected to open in the Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence sector, it is clear that a portfolio of huge financial interests has been created here.
Apparently, Gonxhe is the right person to manage it and push forward the “reforms”. Even in these cases, fate reserves a joke. In many Hollywood action movies, there are scenarios where members of old gangs reunite after many years for the latest heist. Rama and Gonxhe started their careers together. Now they were together again. This time not to drown New Tirana./Capital
