UN speech – Danish-Albanian Association meeting! – 2 architects.

Dear reader,

During his speech on September 23. 2022 at the General Assembly of the United Nations, Rama said that this initiative will facilitate the dialogue process between Kosovo and Serbia.
“The best message of the Open Balkans is that it is not necessary to agree on everything in order to leave behind the dark past and to find more and more good reasons to resolve disputes”, said Rama.
“By strengthening its relations with Serbia, Albania has not moved and will not move a centimeter from its steadfast position that every country recognizes the independence of Kosovo.
That being said, Kosovo and Serbia should move beyond the impasse and work towards an agreement supported by the EU and the US.
Dialogue is not only the best, but the only way to deal with these issues. I remain convinced that the Open Balkans will only facilitate this process”, said Rama.

Sept. 2022: Housing prices in Albania saw a record increase in the first half of the year. According to the Fischer House Price Index, calculated by the Bank of Albania, the average price of houses sold during the first six months of 2022 has increased by 28.4% compared to the previous six months and by 39% compared to a year ago. This is the highest 6-month increase of this index since 2013, when the Bank of Albania started its calculation.
Compared to the base period, the housing price index increased by approximately 110%. The growth of the first 6 months of the year was determined especially by the increase in the volume of sales made in the area of Tirana, which includes the center, suburbs and areas outside the city. The price index for sales in the capital registered an increase of 28.5% compared to the previous period and about 40% compared to the previous year.
According to real estate agents, the increase in prices has come from the increase in demand and construction costs. The average time of selling apartments in the country has decreased slightly to an average of 10.8 months. Bank loans continue to finance about half of the residential and commercial properties sold covering up to 60% of the total price.

Danish Honorary Consul in Albania,  Përparim Kalo in DAF – The Danish – Albanian Association.
The Danish Honorary Consul in Tirana, lawyer Përparim Kalo visited DAF on 29. September 2022.
Venue: The Parish Community Centre of Hellerup, Margrethevej 7B, 2900 Hellerup.

Përparim Kalo spoke about the juridical, business and political situation in Albania, EU membership negotiations and the Western Balkans.
Mr. Kalo´s speech was followed by a Q & A focussing mainly on how to enhance business between DK and Albania.

“Mount of Tirana” Another tower in Tirana – 2 Danish Architects.
01.10.2022: Another high-rise building will be built in the center of Tirana.
5 international architecture companies presented their projects. The project of the Danish CEBRA studio was declared the winner.
The project uses several elements related to the local tradition, such as the poem “Cattle and Farming” (1886) by Naim Frashëri and the panorama around the central square of Tirana. The building is similar to a cathedral culminating in a spire-shaped upper floor.
In the international competition “Tirana Multifunctional Center”, 4 other Portuguese, Italian, Franco-Japanese and Dutch studios presented their projects. The proposed new tower will rise above the flower garden behind the Opera and Ballet Theatre. Cllick here to see more.
Mayor Erion Veliaj also announced that the competition for the New National Theater will be opened next week. “Next week we will open the competition for the New National Theatre, a project by Bjarke Ingels Group”.

Joint Albanian – Dutch plan:
Prime Minister Edi Rama said October 3. that he and the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, have drafted a proposal on how they see the new European political community, according to the model initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron. Speaking at the 22^nd edition of the Trends in Nanotechnology International Conference in Tirana, Rama said that an editorial on the topic that will be published on Politico would precede the presentation of the proposal to the European leaders in the Prague Summit on 5-6 October.

That´s all for now,
sincerely,

Hans-Georg Nielsen
Albanian Honorary Consul