Today, in a live interview, Tirana mayor Erion Veliaj dismissed the support of European Commissioner for Culture Mariya Gabriel for Tirana’s National Theater building, part of Europa Nostra’s 7 Most Endangered cultural sites in 2020.
Veliaj avoided directly antagonizing the European Commission, but insisted that the decision to demolish the National Theater building was a “fundamentally local” one. He claimed that it was not up to the EU to determine the fate of Tirana, stating that “decisions on Albania will be taken by those who live in Albania.” Internationals who oppose the demolition of the National Theater, Veliaj said, were misguided by the “hysterics” of a “noisy minority”.
The public land that the theater sits on has been earmarked for a large development that would see it being totally demolished and large tower blocks and a small theater erected in its place. Civil society has been protesting the proposals for over two years due to claims it is unconstitutional, illegal, corrupt, and that the public land would be sold to a private company and developed by a government favorite, Fusha Shpk.
In February, the government announced that the site would be developed with public funds and not by a private company. A statement released by the Municipality of Tirana said that they will “ask the government to provide financial support for the realization of the National Theatre.”
