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Administrative-Territorial Reform 2.0/ Report, 5 issues under "magnifying glass" for the new map

2026-07-25 16:49:00, Politikë CNA

Administrative-Territorial Reform 2.0/ Report, 5 issues under "magnifying

The Report on the Administrative-Territorial Reform 2.0, drafted by the Special Parliamentary Committee and presented to the Assembly by socialist deputies, also focuses on several measuring indicators of the current map.

Based on the findings of the report by reform experts, 5 issues are listed as the most concerning, including economic performance, territorial inequality, urban index, local functions and financing, and legal framework.

The final report drafted by the majority emphasizes that 2026 is the critical deadline, as according to international standards these changes must be completed at least one year before the 2027 local elections, while it is assessed that the legal changes to the map also require public consultation, as stipulated by law.

Excerpts from the report's findings:

Scale matters, but not equally for every function

Larger municipalities perform systematically better: they maintain 13 employees per 1,000 inhabitants versus 26 in smaller ones, with per capita costs following a U-shaped curve with a minimum above ~20,000 inhabitants. However, economies of scale are selective: for some functions the solution is intermunicipal cooperation or regional organization, not changing borders.

Territorial inequality is the central problem

Tirana concentrates about a quarter of the population, about 40% of local income and almost half of active enterprises; 47 municipalities each generate less than 1% of the country's local income. More than half of the municipalities remain below the medium functionality threshold, while about 36.6% of local tax revenues come from the cyclical infrastructure impact tax.

Geography allows for consolidation, with clear exceptions

In all 12 counties, the municipality with the highest urban index is the county center, the natural anchorage skeleton. Half of the municipalities measured reach the anchorage within 30 minutes; only three (Tropoja, Fushë-Arrëza, Himara) exceed one hour: cases that, like units with minority and identity characteristics, require special treatment, not mechanical unification. Meanwhile, 50 mountainous administrative units remain over an hour from any municipal center, a problem that requires remote service models, not new border lines.

Functions and financing require simultaneous recalibration

Of the 41 local functions, only 4 are exercised well and 6 remain practically unexercised; sectoral legislation interferes with local competences and some mandates have been transferred without funding. The transfer formula is based on outdated indicators, the property tax remains below potential without a fiscal cadastre, while the “financed competence” principle should guide any reallocation, including the fiscal architecture of a possible second level, without gaps and without double funding.

The legal framework allows for reform without constitutional change.

The map is changed by a qualified law, with the obligation to obtain the opinion of the population (Article 108/2), while the concept of a regional level over the 12 existing counties avoids a two-thirds majority. International standards require the completion of territorial changes at least one year before the 2027 local elections; 2026 is the critical deadline./CNA