Krujë Fires, Koçeku Accuses Government: The Land Is Encouraged to Be Burned and Exploited, Not Protected

Independent MP Marjana Koçeku, who recently left the Socialist Party, has again reacted to the fires across the country, raising suspicions and accusations over the management of the areas affected by the flames.

In a social media post, she drew attention to the area behind the cement factory in Krujë, where four or five large quarries are located. According to Koçeku, in recent days this area was among the main fire hotspots, while three of them remain active.

The MP says the situation is no coincidence and suspects that interests seeking to expand the exploitation of the land may be behind the fires. She claims that fires in Albania have often had political motives and have been used to seize new areas.

According to her, burning these areas could pave the way for subsequent “developments,” legal concessions and interventions that would be difficult to carry out under normal circumstances. As an example, Koçeku cited Pishë-Poro, where two years ago a fire burned for 10 days without intervention and reduced everything to ashes.

She believes there are stronger incentives to burn and exploit the land than to protect it. According to the MP, the focus on speculative and unregulated construction encourages people to seek every possible means of making money. Koçeku also claims that most quarries are controlled by mafia and criminal groups.

Another issue she raised concerns the lack of a clearly defined policy for managing land and forests. According to Koçeku, when these areas are treated as no man’s land, the sense of responsibility and belonging is lost, leaving only the aim of plundering them for profit.

The MP also links this situation to the territorial reforms undertaken over the years, as well as the current plan to merge several small municipalities. She argues that removing powers from the local level weakens communities’ relationship with their land and undermines the administrative and institutional connection with local residents.

According to Koçeku, this is precisely the most destructive consequence, because stripping away responsibility and a sense of belonging to a place reduces the relationship between the community and its land to bureaucratic ties that exist only on paper and remain sterile and hollow.