The Council of Ministers approved on Thursday the joint proposal of the Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation and the Ministry of State for Local Government for the Draft Law of the "Package of Mountains," forwarding it to the Assembly.

This initiative is an invitation to the entire diaspora, but also to Albanian citizens, to invest in the lands of their grandparents, turning the mountains of Albania into the main destination of mountain tourism in the Balkans.

The Minister of Economy, Culture, and Innovation, Blendi Gonxhja, presenting the initiative after the government meeting, said that the approval of this package promotes the return of many Albanians from abroad.

"We approved today in the government the draft law that we call the " Package of Mountains", which I would like to call an initiative for the mountain economy, which is an initiative that brings an alternative approach to help the mountain economy that has been left behind the economy of urban areas and coastal areas, we can promote it and see it with priority by going deeper into rural areas that have development potential. We would also facilitate and encourage the diaspora and the return of many Albanians, to return to the lands of their ancestors even from abroad where they may be today, to develop projects that we would then do possible to help them to have a faster progress of approval and implementation of these investments in areas that we will declare priority areas and with a priority need for an economic development supported by these instruments that we propose with this draft law," said Gonxhja.

The purpose of the bill approved on Thursday is also to encourage and attract investments for the sustainable development of the economy in those mountainous areas, which due to the natural resources and cultural heritage they offer, are considered areas of special importance with priority development and need special support with the aim of economic recovery, promotion of employment, improvement of living conditions and efficient use of natural resources, protection of the ecosystem and territorial values ??and traditions, with emphasis the expansion of the tourist map and the use of the all-season potential of these areas in the function of tourism, as a main engine of economic development.

The draft law aims to provide legal solutions to the specifics of the current situation with state real estate in mountainous areas, as well as to simplify the procedures for ownership documents and building permits, and support with fiscal ease, for the revitalization of areas rural and mountain by building guesthouses, agrotourism, mountain farms, etc.

This draft law was initiated within the "Integrated Program for Rural Development—100 Villages Program" and, more specifically, within the "Invest in Your Land—Mountain Package" initiative.

For the proposal of this draft law, the strategies approved by the European Commission, such as the European Union Strategy for the Alps Region (EUSALP), were considered. This strategy addresses the main challenges and opportunities for the development of the Alps, which focus on promoting sustainable economic development and innovation, with attention to environmental impacts.

Also, the legal initiative "Package of Mountains" is in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations.