Annual Review of Territorial Governance in the Western Balkans, I, 2019, 120-128 Simin Davoudi Summary In October 2018, the world received another stark warning from the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change whose latest report stated that we only have 12 years to keep the increase in the global mean temperature to 1.5°C relative to pre-industrial levels; that every fraction of additional warming would worsen the impact of climate change on
Annual Review of Territorial Governance in the Western Balkans, I, 2019, 107-119 Rodion Gjoka, Gerti Delli Summary The transport sector is one of the main contributors of air pollution, accounting for 25% of gas emissions in the European Union (EU). In Tirana, Albania, the transport sector plays a big role in pollution concentrations, affecting public health. Compared to other countries, the heavy industry and energy sectors in Albania are barely
Annual Review of Territorial Governance in the Western Balkans, I, 2019, 98-106 Godiva Rëmbeci Summary Without any doubt, Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) represent a driving force in economic development today. SMEs by the numbers dominate the world business stage, although their contribution varies among countries. In Albania, SMEs represents about 98% of total companies with a significant contribution of about 70% to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The
Annual Review of Territorial Governance in the Western Balkans, I, 2019, 86-97 Sherif Lushaj, Luiza Strati, Vezir Muharremaj Summary Since 1990, after privatization of farmland, fragmentation – division of land in small farmable parcels dispersed on non-contiguous areas – continues to be one of the major factors that hamper sustainable development of agriculture in Albania. The ‘Consolidation of Agricultural Land as an Instrument for Sustainable Development of Agriculture’ Project was
Annual Review of Territorial Governance in the Western Balkans, I, 2019, 69-85 Aida Ciro Summary For several years, tourism in Albania was driven primarily by enthusiasm; (a) the enthusiasm of foreigners witnessing a piece of communist memorabilia amidst a beautiful, intact history and natural landscape; (b) the enthusiasm of locals, able to finally perceive the dimensions and values of their own country as free citizens; and (c) the daring enthusiasm
Annual Review of Territorial Governance in the Western Balkans, I, 2019, 53-68 Merita Toska, Anila Bejko (Gjika) Summary Local governance in Albania has been the subject of several reforms over the last few years. The consolidation of local self-government units into 61 municipalities through the administrative and territorial reform was accompanied by the approval of a new law on local self-government, a new strategy for decentralization, and the devolution of
Annual Review of Territorial Governance in the Western Balkans, I, 2019, 42-53 Ledio Allkja Summary Albania and Kosovo have taken various initiatives over the last decade with the aim of reforming territorial governance and their spatial planning systems. The territorial development trends of both countries have shown great similarities over the last 20 years. The aim of the paper is to compare the evolution of territorial governance and spatial planning
Annual Review of Territorial Governance in the Western Balkans, I, 2019, 27-41 Fiona Imami, Kejt Dhrami Summary The Albanian context still faces challenges on promoting participatory democracy in decision-making in all governmental levels. The increased activity in territorial planning over the last years, evidenced from the changes in legislation and preparation of plans at national and local level, has brought to discussion the challenges of establishing and reinforcing cooperation and
Annual Review of Territorial Governance in the Western Balkans, I, 2019, 16-26 Giancarlo Cotella, Erblin Berisha Summary The Western Balkan Region (WBR) is currently undergoing a complex process of integration into the European Union (EU) that is supported by a number of programmes and actions. In the last decade, however, a new and cumbersome set of actors entered the game. The launch of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has
Annual Review of Territorial Governance in the Western Balkans, I, 2019, 08-15 Kai Böhme Summary In Europe (not just the EU), societal and territorial fragmentation, along with spatial inequalities are a growing challenge to the development of our places and societies. They are further fuelled by exogenous and endogenous development trends that affect future spatial developments. This article provides a quick glance at major development trends shaping Europe’s future development