Immediately after the November 26 earthquake, Prosecution Offices of Tirana and Durres started investigations in order to verify the quality of building constructions. Criminal investigation started on more than 50 individuals but today, more than a year since the start of these investigations, no one has been arrested or penalized and most cases were closed.

In most cases, low-quality construction was the main cause for damages and victims as protocols for building weren’t respected. The Albanian Code for building was passed more than 40 years ago and since then it there have been no updates.

According to the Polytechnic University of Tirana professor, Markel Baballeku, the Construction Code needs an urgent update, based on European standards especially after the lessons of the November 26 earthquake aftermath. 

“We need an immediate national strategy, because earthquakes are gigantic natural laboratories that need to be studied and understood in order to be better prepared for what tomorrow brings. Euro-codes aren’t applied in Albania, or at least they are partially applied. Time has passed, the old code is 32 years old and 50% of its provisions are more than 40 years old” says Baballeku.

Seismologist Shyqyri Aliaj says that our country has entered a new period of seismic activity and tremors could be repeated.