Editor’s take
Prime Minister Edi Rama has said that the government will communicate to the oil suppliers the decision to intervene through a national board on Friday morning. He indicated that everyone and the government will be mobilized, just as the administration to save.”We have called the oil suppliers and we will convey our decision that the government will enter directly into the national board with the supply of fuel to the Albanians,” Rama said in a conversation with citizens on social networks on Thursday. PM warned that the day might come when there is no oil and no energy and preparation is needed for everything. “Whether we like it or not, what is happening today is a consequence of that war. Our oil goes for export, bitumen,” Rama said.
He further revealed that Albania exports almost half a billion agricultural products. “We can not say to mobilize the people to plant wheat, it does not work as it did under communism. We will not tolerate as we are at war. There is no speculation of a mad nature. Price transparency will be done and we will not allow companie to win endlessly. They will win minimally,” said the government head.After a week of galloping growth, the price of oil has marked a slight decrease and from a survey conducted in Tirana on Thursday morning at retail gas stations, a liter of oil was traded starting from 243 Lek, from 249 which was a minimum of one day before.In almost all gas stations, the price of oil has decreased by 5-6 Lek. But even after a slight decline, the price of oil continues to remain nearly 27 percent higher than a week ago.
There is no clear explanation by the premier what will happen with the price of energy because what he says one day he denies the next one. However there is talk of price increase and compensation of segments of population in need. Analysts say that a growth of energy prices for households will complicate the situation in the poorest country in Western Balkans and Europe. But the spread of protests and the harsh reaction of the people across Albania seem to have worried Rama whose skill of playing with words and using jokes to divert the attention from the main issue is apparently not working. /Argumentum.al
