Speaking at an information meeting with local officials and residents in the southern city of Gjirokastër as part of consultations on the reform, Rama said the changes would aim to rationalise the allocation of local government functions and improve the functioning of administrative units.

“The aim is to ensure a more rational distribution of some functions that small municipalities cannot perform, and to address the fact that administrative units themselves are not functioning properly,” Rama said.

Such representation would allow the towns to have a direct voice in municipal decision-making and budget allocations, he added.

Rama also acknowledged concerns that some administrative units were not functioning effectively or fulfilling the responsibilities for which they were established.

The territorial reform consultations, he said, were intended to address these shortcomings and create a more functional structure for local government.

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