Himara Organizations Address Letter to EU Ambassador Stefan Fule
June 9, 2014
The Honorable Štefan Füle
European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy
200, Rue de la Loi
B - 1049 Brussels (Belgium)
Dear Mr. Ambassador,
We are writing to you on behalf of the 11,000 citizens of Himara, Albania and members of the diaspora.
As the Republic of Albania’s European Union candidacy status decision
approaches on June 2014, we wish to bring to your attention the plight
of the people of Himara, Albania and their disenfranchisement of their
basic human right of property ownership.
Progress in the area of property rights is one of the 12 key priorities
the European Commission identified in order for Albania to be considered
for candidacy status. The Commission’s 2012 report found progress has
been made towards this priority by the adoption of a comprehensive
strategy on property reform. However, we wish to inform you that for the
people of the municipality of Himara, any progress on property rights
must entail a change in the laws and policies of the Albanian government
which currently do not allow for the return of property to Himara’s
rightful owners. Rather those laws and policies are being used by the
government to facilitate a land grab of Himara for the benefit of
ex-communist party officials and the mafia.
To date, 23 years since the end of the communist regime, not one
Himariotan has yet to receive title to their rightful property. Rather,
their lands are being appropriated, sold to third parties by groups
with shady ties, or given as ‘concessions’ to unscrupulous interests and
developers. To the people of Himara, their lands are ‘under attack’,
their patrimony is being sold, and they are being marginalized in their
historic homeland.
Albanian Land Law 7501 and its amendments effectively allow for the
distribution of only 20% of the land of Himara that was confiscated in
1945 by the previous communist regime. It does not allow for the
restitution of the family properties, Orthodox Church property or
communal village property that was confiscated. As Himara lies along the
Ionian coast of the ‘Albanian Riviera’, the cover of the law is being
used to claim the remaining 80% in a land grab of valuable coastal
property eyed for touristic development. This has fueled rampant
corruption and land conflicts between historic owners and those claiming
their land. The perpetrators of this land grab believe that they can
act with impunity as there has been limited international monitoring of
developments or independent investigation of events.
For 23 years the people of Himara have consistently called for the
restitution of all the land that was confiscated by the prior communist
regime to the people of Himara.
As Law 7501 has yet to be implemented in Himara or along the Ionian
coast to the south, and as accurate property records exist in state
hands, this should be a relatively straightforward process to carry
out. True property rights and reform would spur lawful development and
growth in an area which has the potential to benefit the country
economically as a whole.
We are in support of the Republic of Albania’s European Union ascension
and progress on all 12 key priorities, including that of property reform
as it applies to the country as a whole.
We also strongly believe that it is in the best interests of the
Republic to hold itself to the high standards of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights in its respect for the rights of property
ownership. We encourage the European Council to address this issue with
the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama and encourage that government
to exemplify bold leadership and take decisive steps to implement true
property rights in Himara based on the full restitution of property to
its rightful owners.
We look forward to the opportunity of discussing this matter with you further.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Himarriotan Society of America, Annapolis MD
Himara Community, Tirana Albania
Himara Union, Athens Greece
Shoqata Bregdeti, Tirana Albania
Drymadioton Adelfotita, Athens Greece
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