Albania

The research mission of the international team of experts took place in February 2002.

The Albanian Government adopted a Housing Strategy Action Plan and a national housing policy in 2001, and a draft act on housing for low-income families was prepared in early 2002.

There is continuing migration from rural areas to major cities, such as the capital Tirana.

On the other hand, an estimated half a million people left the country during the 1990s, and remittances from abroad are an important component of the national economy.

The current Government housing policy is lacking in long-term perspective and there is little development control.

Citizens need to be encouraged to invest in housing rather than spending on consumer goods. An important aspect of the Albanian housing situation is the number and the definition of homeless families, and the Government has failed to address social housing (i.e. subsidized rented housing) policy, so far.