Opposition says investment law favours few

Albania’s opposition says a law used to approve major tourism projects has become a tool for handing public benefits to a small group of investors.

Democratic Party MP Jorida Tabaku said the strategic investment law, first passed in 2015 as a temporary measure, should be scrapped.

She said the law had failed to bring real foreign investment and had instead helped fast-track coastal resort projects, often creating disputes over private property.

Tabaku said the opposition had warned from the start that the law risked violating property rights.

She said only two of about 80 approved strategic investment decisions could be considered foreign investments.

The law has come under renewed pressure during protests against disputed coastal developments.