Monitor Editorial
At the height of the energy crisis, in the mid-1990s, as electricity supplies were cut off for extended periods, a high-ranking government official at the time, justifying the energy crisis to the Voice of America radio, stated, among other things, that Albanians do not have the luxury of heating with electricity.
These were times of transformation, where many were adapting to the rapid developments of the post-'90s, and the blame for the lack of electricity supply was found in the "luxury" of citizens.
The years passed, the country went through continuous change processes, citizens evolved, but the mentality of the government, especially in times of crisis and major problems, did not change much.
More recently, at the height of the rise in energy prices after the conflict in Ukraine, an Economy Minister advised citizens to think carefully before opening the refrigerator. Advice that, ostensibly aimed at saving, but essentially transferred responsibility back to the consumer, as if the problem were with the refrigerator door and not with energy policies or the lack of timely intervention.
Along the same lines, citizens have also been advised not to use their vehicles for small trips, such as buying cigarettes, or that walking is good for your health. The advice itself may sound reasonable, but it becomes ironic in a reality where public transportation remains limited, almost exclusively to buses, and alternatives are minimal.
Or when cities are built in such a way (without greenery, without level or spacious sidewalks, with potholes or moving tiles) that they make them unsuitable for walking, without considering the dangers they pose for parents with strollers or the elderly.
Albanians are among the largest users of public transportation in Europe, even though they have very few transportation alternatives.
These episodes, almost 30 years apart, are not accidental. They are part of a pattern repeated over the years, where governments, instead of taking responsibility for policies and results, for the systematic daily or strategic failure to manage state affairs, prefer to give “advice” to citizens, shifting the burden of failures and inaction from institutions to the individual or business.
From "don't heat with electricity" to "don't open the refrigerator," the narrative remains the same: the problem is not our management (that is, the government's), but your behavior.
Today, in a new context of crises and high prices, this approach seems even more pronounced. Albania continues to have among the highest fuel prices in the region, mainly due to the high level of taxes. However, despite this burden, interventions to alleviate the situation, following the increase in prices that came from the crisis in the Middle East, where prices have increased by 25-30%, have been minimal.
Even instruments like the Transparency Board, restored in a new form, proved problematic from the start, withdrawing (shamelessly) less than 24 hours after lowering the price at the first pompous meeting it held and then increasing it again, on the day the price also increased on the stock exchange (the reaction is not so quick to decrease).
Meanwhile, the government has refused to remove or reduce important taxes, such as the one on oil, from which around 250 million euros were collected in 2025 alone. At the same time, Albanian citizens continue to pay almost double the taxes per liter compared to countries in the region and, ironically, the latter have eased the fiscal burden more.
In this reality, it would not be surprising if in the coming days we hear some new “precious” advice. In a country where irresponsibility is covered up with propaganda, even supported with considerable funds, such “advice” has no guiding, educational or advisory feature, but is simply an instrument of justification, even arrogant.
The irony is that, while citizens are asked to save, sacrifice, and adapt, the state continues to collect more, without reflecting on the burden it is transferring. And so the cycle continues: weak policies, shirked responsibility, and ever more creative “advice.”
As George Orwell would say: “In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.” In our case, perhaps the truth is simpler: citizens do not need advice on how to live with less, but policies that enable them to live better.
