With a recent decision by the Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Edi Rama has made changes to the functioning of the Directorate of Government Services (DSHQ), giving the latter the right to negotiate and conclude contracts with airlines, hotel chains and travel agencies under confidentiality clauses.
So, secret payments without competition and in complete secrecy for the use of taxes for the prime minister's luxury.
For this, the deputies of the Mundësia party, Agron Shehaj and Erald Kapri, have requested an interpellation in the Parliament.
"In essence, this decision-making creates a new mechanism that enables the concealment of data on the Prime Minister's official travels from the public, an issue that has been the subject of constant criticism for a lack of transparency and accountability," the document submitted to the Assembly states.
The deputies raised several questions:
· What are the concrete reasons that dictated the imposition of confidentiality clauses for contracts related to official travel?
· How is this practice justified in relation to the principle of transparency and the public's right to information on the use of public funds?
· Are there control and audit mechanisms for these expenditures and how is it guaranteed that they are not abused?
· How is this decision-making harmonized with the applicable legislation on the right to information and international transparency standards?
The Prime Minister has previously refused to set up a commission of inquiry into his travel expenses, and has always delegated interpellations to other ministers.
It's unclear whether he will make a U-turn this time.
