PM defends land titles for long-term occupants

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has defended a law that could give ownership rights to people who have occupied state mountain land for at least ten years.

He said the land would not be handed over automatically. Applicants must pass legal checks and complete the investment agreed with the state.

Rama said the scheme is aimed at families who inherited and worked land but never received property papers. He rejected claims that it was written for oligarchs or foreign investors.

Land ownership remains a major dispute in Albania. Communist confiscations and the chaotic return of property after 1990 left thousands of claims unresolved.

Critics say the law could still help politically connected investors take control of valuable mountain land.