Prime Minister Edi Rama held a meeting today with representatives of Albanian entrepreneurship, where the construction sector was at the center of discussions.
During his speech, Rama said that Albania has seen a significant increase in foreign investment over the years, going from 300-400 million euros per year to over 1.5 billion euros currently. According to him, this growing interest of foreign investors is directly related to developments in the construction sector.
The head of government described this development as part of a broader transformation, emphasizing that integration into the European Union is not just a formal process, but a real change in the Albanian economy and society.
Regarding the corruption allegations, the Prime Minister rejected them, arguing that the increase in revenues in the state budget is directly related to the increase in taxes paid and the formalization of the economy.
"So those who talk today about an Albania gripped by corruption are gripped by their own throats by anger at success. They find it impossible to find the strength to accept and forgive others for their success. Those who talk about the corruption that has grown on us should actually hear from you that corruption cannot increase when you pay 14 million euros in taxes for a construction project. When corruption was higher, much less tax was paid because the percentage of the tax is in the hands of those who govern and who are also promoters or opponents of corruption. But 14 million euros in taxes and corruption do not go together. If income increases, it does not increase from the rain, but from taxes. If the state treasury has more income and we have more income, then it means that there is less corruption. Builders who cross the threshold have a fight with us over the quality of projects, so these are the cases we are talking about, otherwise how would we claim that corruption is being "We would be disappointed if there were no examples of this nature, both positive examples of construction, economic growth, salaries, pensions, and negative examples that are exposed in the fight against corruption are two sides of the same coin, where there is more economy and less corruption," he said.
