The Municipality of Dimal held an emergency meeting of its Municipal Council on Monday to discuss a proposal to dissolve the municipality and merge it with the neighboring Municipality of Berat.

The meeting began with the reading of a report outlining the proposed merger. According to the report, the main arguments presented in favor of the merger were historical ties between the two areas, their geographic connection along the Osum River, and the presence of a hospital in Berat.

Members of the Dimal Municipal Council said, however, that these arguments do not correspond with the findings of the experts' report.

According to council members, Dimal has recorded an average of 38% of its investments financed through its own active budget over the past 10 years, placing the municipality fifth nationally on this indicator. By comparison, they said, Berat has recorded an average of approximately 7%.

Council members also rejected the argument that a merger would increase Dimal's investment capacity. They warned that joining Dimal with Berat could have a negative impact on the local economy, particularly on farmers who have for years exported agricultural and greenhouse products to international markets.

Following the discussion, council members unanimously argued that the proposal fails to provide sufficient evidence to justify the merger.

They said that, contrary to Article 89, the report does not demonstrate, through facts or feasibility studies, the alleged advantages of dissolving Dimal and merging it with Berat.

On that basis, the council concluded that the proposal was invalid. Eighteen of the 21 members of the Dimal Municipal Council voted in favor of declaring the proposal invalid and, in a separate vote, against the dissolution of the Municipality of Dimal.

The decision now represents the municipality's formal position against the proposed administrative merger with Berat.