Most electricity and water is stolen, and the city has 30,000 illegally built houses. It is hard to believe this is Europe. Edi insists he is an artist, not a politician, but he likes the challenge that is Tirana. He felt a duty to his home city to stand for election last September on a ticket of trying to bring it back from the brink of disaster. In six months he has made a difference.
Lorries daily attack the backlog of uncollected rubbish.
Public buildings around the main square have been painted and potholes in the main streets have been filled. The mayor said they caused flooding because they blocked the main untreated sewage outfalls into the river. The illegal houses are a different matter. Bulldozing is one option, but the threat of doing so is more effective. The mayor will declare a property legal in exchange for a land tax and payment for electricity stolen from the national grid and for water.