IS DOMESTIC PRODUCTION BEING HINDERED?b INVESTMENTS, ENERGY AND TOURISM – A MATTER OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
By Flamur Buçpapaj
Albania today needs a clear vision for development more than ever before. After decades of transition, our main challenge is not only the construction of roads and new facilities, but the creation of an economy that produces, exports and creates prosperity for its citizens.
A small country like Albania cannot rely indefinitely on imports. A strong economy is built on domestic production, on energy generated within the country, on quality tourism, modern agriculture and industries that create jobs.
In this process, investments are the main engine of development. Every investor who brings capital, creates jobs and contributes to the development of a region must have the certainty that the state will protect the law and the procedures that its own institutions have approved.
We cannot ask businesses to invest millions of euros and then leave them facing uncertainty, blockages and conflicts that are not resolved through institutional channels. A state that fails to guarantee legal security risks losing not only foreign investors, but also domestic entrepreneurs.
When a company obtains the necessary permits from the state, carries out technical, environmental and economic studies, fulfils its obligations and operates according to the law, it should not be treated as an enemy of development. On the contrary, it should be monitored by the relevant institutions and, if it respects the law, it should be protected.
Environmental protection is a major national responsibility. Albania has extraordinary natural resources and must preserve them for future generations. However, environmental protection cannot become an instrument to stop every investment, every hydropower project, every hotel, every factory or every economic initiative.
Every developed country has found a balance between economic growth and the protection of nature. The solution is not to stop development, but to ensure development with standards, oversight and responsibility.
The greatest problem created when domestic production is hindered is the damage caused to the Albanian economy. If we do not produce energy, we must import it. If we do not develop the food-processing industry, our markets become filled with products from abroad. If we prevent tourism development, we lose millions of euros that could circulate within the Albanian economy.
Ultimately, every blockage of a lawful investment affects ordinary citizens. It affects workers who lose employment opportunities, families who lose income, farmers who lose markets, and young people who are forced to seek their future abroad.
We often forget that behind every business there is not only a company. There are people, families and entire communities. A tourism resort creates jobs for local residents, buys products from farmers, develops transport and services. An energy project contributes to economic development and increases the country’s energy security.
Albania cannot remain only a consumer market for products made by other countries. We must become a country that produces. For this reason, every policy that weakens domestic production must be carefully examined, because it can create economic dependency.
A weak production economy is more vulnerable to international crises. Energy prices, food costs and the prices of various goods directly affect citizens. The more we produce ourselves, the stronger our economic independence becomes.
The state has a clear role: to be the guarantor of the law. If there are violations, they must be investigated by the competent authorities. The prosecution and the courts are the institutions that determine legal responsibility. No one can replace the state and the justice system.
At the same time, businesses also have responsibilities: they must respect the law, protect the environment and consider the interests of the communities where they invest. Sustainable development requires cooperation between the state, businesses and citizens.
However, we must not allow social conflicts to be used to harm the economy. A country where every investment is questioned creates fear and uncertainty. A country where lawful investments are protected creates employment and development.
Today Albania needs more factories, more production, more energy, more tourism and more jobs. It needs a new mindset where investment is seen as an opportunity, not as a threat.
The future is not built by closing the doors to development. It is built by opening the way for domestic production, protecting the law and creating trust.
Albania must become a country that produces, not only consumes; a country that exports, not only imports; a country that creates opportunities for its own citizens.
Protecting lawful investments is not the protection of an individual or a company. It is the protection of work, the economy and the future of Albania.
