The Vlora Local Bar Association has reacted strongly to the recent decision to relocate the State Cadastral Agency from Vlora to Tirana, describing it as unacceptable, one-sided and deeply harmful to the city, legal professionals and citizens of the Vlora district.
In a public statement, the Chamber of Advocates states that this decision is not an isolated case, but is a continuation of a systematic policy of institutional emptying of Vlora. According to it, this trend has culminated with the previous removal of the Administrative Court and the Court of Appeal, leaving the city without key justice institutions and turning it into an “institutional periphery with no weight” on the legal map of the country.
reaction
The Vlora Bar Association expresses its indignation and strong opposition to the decision to relocate the State Cadastral Agency from the city of Vlora to Tirana, an unacceptable, unilateral and deeply harmful decision for the city, legal professionals and citizens of this region.
This action, the Chamber emphasizes, is not isolated, but represents the continuation of a systematic policy of removing state institutions from Vlora, which has culminated in the removal of the Administrative Court and the Court of Appeal, transforming the city into an institutional suburb with no weight on the map of Albanian justice.
According to the Chamber of Advocates, the removal of state institutions from Vlora constitutes:
serious violation of access to justice and public services for thousands of citizens;
direct blow to the legal profession, the functioning of the justice system and legal security;
open territorial discrimination, which favors extreme centralization in Tirana and abandons the country's historical and strategic cities.
The Chamber emphasizes that Vlora, as a city of historical, legal and national importance, cannot and should not be treated as a second-class city. Such decisions, taken without consultation with the legal community and without a real analysis of the consequences, constitute a violation of the principles of the rule of law and administrative decentralization.
In conclusion, the Vlora Local Bar Association requests:
the immediate review and cancellation of the decision to relocate the State Cadastre Agency;
the cessation of the policy of removing institutions from Vlora;
the restoration of judicial and administrative functions, necessary for a city of this dimension and importance.
The Chamber warns that, if this trend continues, it reserves the right to take any institutional and legal action, in collaboration with other local and national actors, to protect the public interest and dignity of the city of Vlora.
"Vlora will not remain silent and will not accept being stripped of its institutions," the statement concludes.
