TIRANA, Oct  31 /ATA/ The Parliamentary Committee on Education and Mass  Media reviewed Monday the draft budget of the Albanian Telegraphic Agency, which for 2023 is expected to amount to 59.5 million ALL.

The Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA) director general, Valbona Zhupa, reported on the main items of the 2023 budget for the institution she runs.

Zhupa asked the commission to approve an extra fund of 5 million lek which will be used to upgrade the infrastructure of the computer and technological network of ATA.

“This investment is important for the servers of the institution to store written and photo materials that has become obsolete, but also for the equipment with high-tech cameras to keep pace with the time we live in,” said Zhupa.

The director of ATA also requested an additional fund of 10 million ALL for the digitization of the archive.

“I also need your support for an additional fund of 10 million lek (as the first phase for 2023) to achieve my ambition that the ATA  will have its digitized and easily accessible archive fund. Meanwhile, this requires infrastructure, system testing, staff training and IT system maintenance that will last for a period of 2 years.”

Zhupa announced that “ATA boasts the richest archive of photographs and written newsletters with materials dating as far back as 1946 and has in its golden fund over 250,000 photos and photographic negatives, most of which are one of a kind and testify to the history of our country. Their depreciation would lead to the loss of an invaluable capital not only for our Agency, but above all for the new generation, students and historians, art lovers, enthusiasts for science and culture, who through this archive, have the opportunity to study and gain insights into the past of our country.”

Speaking about ATA’s projects with other international news agencies, Zhupa said that “on July 7 of this year, the Albanian Telegraphic Agency started broadcasting news in the European News Room. “European Newsroom”, based in Brussels, brings together 18 news agencies that work towards unbiased and independent reporting from and around Europe.”

The head of the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Mass Media, Flutura Açka, said that “we will forward your request and support your project for digitalization of the archive of ATA.”

The Socialist Party MP, Eduard Ndreca, said that “the request of the ATA director general, Valbona Zhupa, is very much grounded and I ask the committee to support it. Let us hit the ground running, we don’t pretend to finish it in a month , but let’s start it because it is in our interests.”

While the deputy of the Democratic Party, Ina Zhupa, said: “I support your request and it is one of those cases when our committee has agreed to, it has never happened before that we are united in the requests of the institutions.”

“This request is about a national asset, it has nothing to do with the left or the right wing, it is in the best interests of the people and the country, it is an opportunity for researchers, students to access it, why not for foreign tourists who are keen to explore the archives,” she said.

/sm/