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Analysis: ROAD WITHOUT A ROAD OR WHEN THE GROUND GIVES AWAY FROM YOUR FEET…

2026-02-26 18:38:00, Opinione Luan Rama

Analysis: ROAD WITHOUT A ROAD OR WHEN THE GROUND GIVES AWAY FROM YOUR

By Luan Rama

- A state that considers infrastructure part of national security should treat road projects as strategic investments, not as propaganda pieces.

Under the guise of an almost collective erection, which without any sense of prudence or self-control is revealed every time any political or non-political representative of the government has to parrot about Albania preparing to join the European Union, which is in fact trumpeted as the greatest achievement of the majority (although not yet achieved and will likely remain so even beyond the dreamy border of power!), what is in fact the truest truth of all and in the eyes of everyone, has to do with the fact that Albania today is a country that is floundering, wandering aimlessly.

It is not only the section of the road between Librazhd and Prrenjas that has been massively collapsed, as it has been massively and greedily destroyed and stolen for thirty or more years, proof of our roadless debauchery, but almost the entire geography of the country's roads is similar to it.

Wherever you go and wherever you stumble upon them, you will encounter them, especially on new roads; cracked roads, flooded roads, collapsed roads, destroyed roads!

I do not exclude the possibility of the influence of natural factors. They have their weight and role and are a risk factor in every project. As such, they are predicted, calculated, evaluated and it is important that projects, before being implemented, foresee preventive and protective measures. The land is not the same everywhere, and consequently, the resistance to natural phenomena is not the same.

But is this argument enough to justify the destruction of new roads almost everywhere they have been built? Could the heavy rains (even though they were not at all above the multi-year average of recent years) have had the same impact on the destruction of roads such as the Librazhd - Prrenjas road, the Arbërit road, Burrel, Gjirokastër, Mokër (the Qukës - Qafë Plloçë road), Dukat, the Korçë - Ersekë road, the Vlorë River - Qeparo road, and many others like them?

Only a fool could believe this tale, and worse still, an even more fool could defend this argument.

The real problem lies in the fact that what is not foreseen nor prevented is the human factor. So, the problem is not that Albania has difficult terrain. Nor that the climate has become more extreme and rainfall has increased.

The problem is that the state response remains the same; post-disaster declaration, emergency funds, temporary repairs, and the cycle repeats. This is no longer a matter of one or a few roads, it is no longer a matter of infrastructure.

It is a matter of lack of responsibility in the real analysis of the situation, which has turned into an alarming phenomenon with serious consequences that reach as far as threatening national security.

I'm not exaggerating in what I'm presenting.

The new National Security Strategy document 2023–2028 describes the aim to identify and address the main challenges and threats that affect the national security of the Republic of Albania.

This document clearly states that: “National security includes the protection of the territory and ensuring the normal functioning of critical infrastructure”. Managing natural hazards and increasing resilience to disasters are strategic priorities. Transport infrastructure is considered part of the critical assets for economic stability and emergency response.

Unfortunately, over the years, our governments have built a response model that is not preventive, but passive.

Instead of independent audits of road projects, adaptation of standards to climate change, continuous geological monitoring, systematic maintenance, etc., we see emergency interventions after damage, endless tenders to repair repeated damage, lack of transparency on technical responsibilities, and so on. In this way, the road is repaired, but the problem remains, the situation worsens.

A country that considers infrastructure part of national security should treat road projects as strategic investments, not propaganda pieces. It should hold technical failures to account, publish audits and risk analyses, and set uncompromising standards for quality.

Not only the destruction of an important part of a national road connecting Southeastern Albania with the rest of the country, but even the collapse of a bridge on a road connecting a village to the center of the area would be enough to bring the entire state mechanism to its feet.

Therefore, it is not only senseless, but also inexcusable and irresponsible in the exercise of the duty of the Head of State, not to immediately call a meeting of the National Security Council, to analyze in detail the entire situation that has arisen.

The President of the Republic does very well when he finds time to visit the ancient spring of Lajthiza or meets with the students of the "Fan Noli" school in Tirana, but let him go and see up close the destruction of the road between Librazhd and Prrenjas that has divided Albania in half.

Faced with the government's efforts to relativize the situation and cover the mud with rain, without deepening the analysis in finding all the factors that influence the destruction of the roads, the President of the Republic has a constitutional obligation to become the protector of the public interest and guarantor of transparency on issues related to national security.

Although the National Security Council is not a decision-making body, it is an advisory body to the President of the Republic (Article 168 of the Constitution), which deals with important issues such as: national defense, national security, state of emergency and situations of danger to the state.

National security does not begin at the border, nor is it guaranteed by the Armed Forces alone. It begins on the road that connects a village to the hospital, a city to the market, a region to the center. If that road is constantly collapsing, then the problem is not just geological.

It is political and state. / CNA