Albania criticised for opaque urban projects and costly Bënja hot‑spring demolition

Deputy Ina Zhupa of the Democratic Party said Albania’s urban development under Prime Minister Edi Rama lacks transparency, public consultation and respects neither cultural heritage nor protected zones. She cited the “Dosjet shqiptare” study, which documents 60 international architecture firms working on projects that bypass competitions and favour private interests. Zhupa highlighted the recent concrete works at Banjat e Bënjës, a natural hot‑spring and tourist site, where the Albanian Development Fund spent about €2 million on a project that she described as “the destruction of one of the country’s most valuable natural assets.” She noted this follows an earlier €200,000 intervention that failed to deliver results.

In a separate statement, Democratic MP Luan Baçi pointed to the latest AmCham Business Index, which fell to 40.34 points, describing it as a “severe alarm signal” that business confidence in Albania’s institutions and market has eroded. Baçi linked the decline to perceived monopolies, corruption, bureaucracy and the government’s failure to protect public property, urging a new governance model based on rule of law and fair competition.