Administrative Court’s absence translating to high costs

TIRANA, September 1 – Business costs associated with the absence of administrative courts are more than 400 million euros a year, say government officials who are pushing to have the law on the new court system approved in parliament.
The law, which has strong support in the business community, has become a ploy in the fight between the government and the opposition because it requires an absolute majority in parliament, which the governing parties do not have.
The deputy economy minister, Enno Bozdo, says it’s the opposition’s fault for keeping the business community in limbo.
“Albanian business lost as a direct cost approximately 400 million euros a year from not having the administrative courts. Let’s leave polemics, let’s leave the rhetoric and let’s vote a law that is neither the Democrats’ nor the Socialists’, but it is for the economy,” Bozdo said on television last week.
He added the opposition’s stance is costing the economy in general.
“The opposition should play its role as the opposition and criticize things that go wrong in the economy, but it is intolerable to have a systematic attack on the country’s economy through rhetoric, through attitudes and missing actions. The economy has two pillars, the real economy and that the perception one. If you hit the pillar of perception is understandable that the real economy will also suffer,” says Bozdo.
Much of Albania’s business community has thrown its support behind the administrative courts which would make it easier to solve disputes not only for businesses but individuals too.
However, due to the importance of the law it cannot pass with a single majority as the opposition has refused to vote on it, hoping to increase pressure on the government to accept a recount of the last parliamentary elections which the opposition says were rigged.