THE DEPOPULATION OF TROPOJA BEGINS WITH THE LOSS OF ITS INSTITUTIONS By Flamur Buçpapaj

THE DEPOPULATION OF TROPOJA BEGINS WITH THE LOSS OF ITS INSTITUTIONS
By Flamur Buçpapaj
Tropoja is one of Albania’s most important regions, not only because of its history, its contribution to defending the country’s borders, and its national values, but also because of its extraordinary economic, tourism, and natural potential. The Valbona Valley, the Albanian Alps, its forests, livestock farming, agriculture, and its strategic location near Kosovo make this region a national asset. Yet, paradoxically, for many years Tropoja has experienced a continuous institutional decline. Almost all essential public services have been centralized in Kukës. The people of Tropoja do not have a regional hospital with comprehensive medical services, they no longer have a local court, they lack a fully functioning property registration office, and many state agencies are administratively dependent on Kukës. For a property document, a court procedure, an administrative service, or an official certification, citizens are forced to travel long distances, wasting time, money, and energy. This institutional injustice can no longer be justified. It is unacceptable that after more than three decades of democracy, Tropoja still lacks the public institutions it deserves. Even during the reign of King Zog, Tropoja was not subject to such administrative dependence on Kukës.
The burden placed on citizens is enormous. Every trip to Kukës means transportation costs, lost working hours, food expenses, and, in many cases, overnight accommodation. For pensioners, low-income families, and farmers, this has become a heavy financial burden. Many administrative procedures cannot be completed in a single day, forcing people to make repeated journeys for the same matter. Instead of public administration serving the citizen, the citizen is forced to serve the administration. Such a system obstructs the region’s development and creates the feeling that Tropoja has been abandoned by the state.
My own family is a concrete example of this reality. For six years we have faced endless bureaucratic procedures to register land inherited from our father. Although we possess the required legal documentation, including the Agricultural Land Ownership Certificate (AMTP) and other official documents, new requirements continue to appear, while the process remains unresolved. This is not merely an injustice toward my family. Hundreds of families in Tropoja face similar obstacles. When property cannot be legally registered, it cannot be used as collateral for bank loans, cannot be freely sold, and cannot attract investment. Consequently, economic development is blocked and the value of citizens’ assets is significantly diminished.
The economic consequences are evident. Investors avoid areas where administrative procedures are slow and unpredictable. Businesses encounter unnecessary bureaucratic barriers. Young people cannot find employment opportunities and are forced to leave. Even the development of tourism in Valbona and throughout Tropoja suffers because efficient public institutions capable of supporting investment, urban planning, and territorial administration are missing. A region with exceptional natural potential cannot develop on scenery alone; it also requires an effective and accessible state administration.
The social consequences are even more serious. The absence of institutions creates a widespread feeling of abandonment. Citizens lose confidence in public administration and feel that they are treated differently from citizens in other parts of Albania. Many young people migrate to Tirana or abroad, while many residents increasingly rely on Gjakova in Kosovo for essential services because of its geographical proximity and greater accessibility. This has become an undeniable reality. When the citizens of one Albanian region are compelled to seek basic public services outside their own administrative area, it is clear that the state is failing in its obligations.
Depopulation is not driven solely by economic hardship. It also occurs when the state itself is absent. When there is no local court, no regional hospital, no accessible property registration office, no local forestry administration, and no effective public administration, citizens lose the confidence that the state is present in their daily lives. This results in poverty, declining investment, business closures, the abandonment of villages, an aging population, and long-term economic stagnation. As a border region, Tropoja should not be institutionally weakened. This is not merely a local issue but also a matter of national security. Border regions require strong institutions, effective public administration, and quality public services to preserve their population and ensure sustainable development.
The Constitution of the Republic of Albania guarantees equality before the law and equal access to public services without discrimination. The Code of Administrative Procedures requires public administration to be efficient, impartial, and citizen-oriented. The Law on Local Self-Government provides that public services should be delivered as close to citizens as possible, while the principles of decentralization require that border regions not be deprived of essential state institutions. Therefore, the current situation is not simply an administrative problem but also raises serious concerns regarding constitutional principles and balanced territorial development.
The new government should intervene urgently to correct this long-standing institutional mistake. Tropoja must regain its property registration services, judicial institutions, a fully equipped regional hospital, the directorates that are currently subordinated to Kukës without sufficient justification, forestry authorities, and territorial administration offices. Equally important is the continuous monitoring of the Valbona area to prevent illegal construction and protect one of Albania’s greatest natural treasures. However, territorial control cannot replace the permanent presence of functioning public institutions. Citizens need an effective state every day, not only occasional inspections.
Tropoja is not asking for privileges. It is asking for what it is entitled to under the Constitution and the laws of Albania. Its citizens should not be treated as second-class citizens. No mother should have to travel for hours to receive medical care, no farmer should spend years attempting to register inherited property, and no entrepreneur should abandon investment because of unnecessary bureaucracy. It is time for the Albanian state to restore to Tropoja the institutions that have gradually disappeared over the years. This is not merely an administrative issue; it is a constitutional, economic, social, and national obligation toward a region that has given so much to Albania and deserves to be treated with dignity, equality, and respect.