EU funds land registration and road signs project

TIRANA, July 22 – This EU funded 1.5 million Euro technical assistance project, implemented by the OSCE Presence in Albania, was presented last week in Tirana aiming to complete the first property registration and updating of existing registration for some 60,000 properties in coastal areas of the country from Palase Gjolek in the north to Xarre. This will give owners clear legal title and boost the potential for investment in the region. The project also includes new street signs installed in Saranda, Selenica, and Armen, and soon to be installed in six other areas (Golem, Qender Vlora, Orikum, Lukova, Delvina and Dhiver) at a cost of 103,000 Euros. EU Ambassador Ettore Sequi said: “Clear property titles and legal certainty are essential prerequisites for prosperous development of the country and attracting foreign investment. Only when such a system is finally in place will Albania become an attractive location for foreign investors to establish operations leading to employment generation.” OSCE head Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth stated: “The project will assist the Government in increasing security of tenure, which is crucial for the sustainable development of the coastal area. It will also provide a basis for officials and lawmakers to formulate appropriate laws, policies and procedures to establish clear property titles and to protect this right.” The project collects and processes property-related data and facilitates public participation in a transparent process that will provide public institutions with the information required to accurately determine and protect property rights. It offers persons the opportunity to provide documents and information demonstrating a right to property and to request legal recognition of this right. All documents and maps collected and generated under the project will be handed over to the Immovable Property Registration Office. The project, which receives additional funding from Greece, the Czech Republic and Switzerland is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011.