The Socialist Party, which won June’s parliamentary elections, promised to reverse a decision by the outgoing centre-right government to privatise the ferry terminal in the port of Durres.
“The privatisation of the port of Durres, announced on August 19, is another attempt to plunder public assets based on a process that lacks transparency,” Socialist MP Ermonela Felaj told a press conference on Sunday evening.
Felaj promised that the decision will be reversed by the new Socialist government at its first cabinet meeting next month.
“We call on the prosecutor’s office to launch an investigation over the plundering of public assets,” she added.
The port of Durres is Albania’s main trade and transportation centre, with nearly 850,000 passengers and 3.2 million tons of cargo passing through its docks every year.
The tender for awarding a concession for the port’s ferry terminal was held on June 20, but it was only recently revealed by the public procurement agency that it was awarded to a joint venture from Betailigunsgezelshaft MBH and Global Albania Networking, working together under the name Albanian Ferry Terminal Operator.
The company will pay 3.2 million euro to state coffers, with proposed investments of 4.15 million euro.
The ferry terminal was built with a 15 million euro loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. It includes 5,000 square metres of service and duty-free space, and a parking lot for 2,000 cars.(Besar Likmeta)