📍 Strasbourg | At the Council of Europe’s Session on Local Authorities 🇪🇺 🇦🇱 The Albanian delegation is participating in the 51st Session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. The discussions focus on the monitoring report for Albania regarding the implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. 🗣️ During the review of the report and the Congress’s recommendations, Ms. Emiriana Sako—Chair of the National Association of Municipalities of Albania and Mayor of Durrës—along with Mr. Pjerin Ndreu, Mayor of Lezhë, underscored the importance of strengthening local governance in Albania. 🔎 In her remarks, Ms. Sako emphasized that these recommendations come at a critical juncture, as a new phase of administrative-territorial reform is currently under discussion in the country. She pointed out that the challenge is not merely about the number of municipalities, but, above all, about strengthening local institutions and their capacity to serve citizens. Key issues highlighted included: ▪️ Strengthening financial autonomy and improving the formula for the distribution of transfers to municipalities. ▪️ Ensuring genuine consultation with municipalities and local communities throughout the reform processes. ▪️ Development of the administrative and professional capacities of local government administrations. ▪️ Strengthening of local democracy, transparency, accountability, and citizen participation. ▪️ Support for the role of municipalities in the European integration process and the implementation of European standards. 📌 The recommendations of the Congress serve as an important reference point for discussions on the continuation of the administrative-territorial reform. Any changes must be based on an assessment of the experience gained thus far and should aim to foster stronger local institutions with clearly defined competencies and adequate resources. 🤝 The National Association of Municipalities of Albania remains committed to contributing constructively to this process, in defense of local autonomy and in pursuit of governance that is more effective, democratic, and closer to the citizens. Adelina Farrici Emiriana Sako Pjerin Ndreu Ervin Ceca Eriselda Sefa Ermira Urupi