New gov’t program aims to revive economy, strengthen rule of law

TIRANA, Sept. 11 – In his first address to parliament, Albania’s new Prime Minister Edi Rama pledged to take the country closer to European Union membership, strengthen the rule of law, fight corruption and crime as well as overcome challenges presented by a weak economic environment.
Rama’s Socialist-led leftist coalition achieved a landslide victory in the June election, taking 83 seats in the 140-member parliament.
Wednesday’s procedures were postponed from the morning to late afternoon after the opposition Democrats asked for more time to analyze the new government program.
Rama, 49, on Tuesday was named as prime minister by the president, who also received for approval his 20-member cabinet created together with the Socialist Movement for Integration Party of Ilir Meta.
Meta, 44, who was elected Parliament speaker on Tuesday.
Rama on Wednesday said taking the EU’s candidate status and launching membership talks were top priorities.
“Complying with commitment as a NATO country and the EU membership process are a national goal defining the future of Albanians in and outside the country,” Rama says in his program titled “Albania of a new generation. Freedom, Accountability, Solidarity” made available on the Socialist Party’s Web site.
Albania became a NATO member in 2009 and has applied for European Union candidate status. But so far that has been denied over criticism it has not done enough to fight corruption and push through democratic reforms. The Democratic Party-led opposition complained of lacking time to analyze the new program.
The premier pledged to fight the “drastic rise of criminality figures” with a deep multidimensional reform “to return trust of the public opinion for a safer Albania where the rule of law is equal to all.”
Rama also pledged “a continuous and sustainable commitment” creating a National Bureau of Investigation as a specialized unit in the fight against organized crime and illegal trafficking.
Rama also pledged concrete steps to fight corruption “as one of the deepest wounds hampering the possibilities for Albania’s sustainable political, economic and socialist development distinctively separating it from the EU countries.” He says he would do so with deep reforms in the judiciary and making senior officials accountable to the law. Fighting the budget deficit, that has gone up to 64 percent of the country’s GDP, was another target of the new cabinet, aiming to increase the country’s production and not base on the consume model.
Albania and international institutions have forecast a GDP rise of 1.8 percent from 7.5 percent five years ago.
The new government aims to create 300,000 new jobs and also change from the 10 percent flat tax of the previous cabinet to a progressive tax in which “the ones earning more should contribute more.”
“We aim at setting Albania as a preferred destination in the Mediterranean offer of the international market of tourism,” said Rama.
They also pledged a radical reform in the health sector with a “universal coverage for all Albanian residents” and lifting the value-added tax on the medicine and services and funded through the general taxation.
“Freedom and competition… everyone’s accountability to the country and the law … solidarity with the weakest … these are the values that will enlighten the road to the Alliance of the European Albania,” said Rama, referring to the leftist coalition’s name. “Let’s give to Albanians a tangible view of European Albania they dream and deserve.”