Parliamentary committees approved with only a majority vote a legal initiative that provides for the transfer of tenders of the National Agency for the Information Society (AKSHI) to a joint-stock company with public and private capital, where the state will own at least 51% of the shares. According to the draft law proposed by socialist MP Erjon Malaj, AKSHI will no longer carry out procurement and maintenance contracts for digital platforms, but these will be transferred to the new ICT company.
The opposition strongly opposed the initiative, linking it to SPAK's investigations into tender abuses at AKSHI. According to them, the changes come after the discovery of a structured criminal group that allegedly controlled large-value tenders, where former agency executives and businessmen involved in the case have also been named as defendants.
Opposition MPs raised concerns about national security and the protection of sensitive data, demanding in-depth financial and technical audits before any transfer. They warned that transferring critical digital infrastructure to a private company could set a dangerous precedent and undermine standards of transparency and European integration.
On the other hand, Malaj and government representatives argued that the changes are necessary for technological development and for a clear separation of functions between public ownership and technical operation. According to them, public institutions will remain owners of the systems, while the new company will deal with operation and maintenance, without compromising data security or the core competencies of the ANA.
