The Mountain Package: state property for €1 and 10 years without tax, how it works and where the risks are

In September 2026, Prime Minister Edi Rama promoted the "Mountain Package" twice in one week: on 20 September on the podcast "Flasim", as the fastest way to expand an agritourism business, and on 26 September in front of the diaspora in Staten Island, New York, as a chance to invest in ancestral land. In the same month, Balkan Insight reported that environmentalists fear the law could give the mountains the same fate as the coast. If you have an old house in Theth, Dukagjin, Kukës or Dropull, or are thinking of partnering with a family there, this is our plain-language guide to what the law offers, where it is being applied and what to check.

Cover photo: Shpëtim Ujkani / Unsplash

What the Mountain Package is

The "Mountain Package" (Paketa e Maleve) is Law No. 20/2025, passed by parliament on 13 March 2025 and in force since 3 May 2025 (Shqiptarja; official site paketaemaleve.gov.al). Its aim is to attract investment to mountain areas, where ownership is often unregistered and land has been divided for generations by customary agreements rather than documents.

Symbolic price for transferring state property to approved projects

€1

Duration of the tax incentives

10 years

Number of first applicants who get the incentives

500

Required possession of the property, according to reports on the law

10+ years

According to the official site, the law allows state property to be transferred for a symbolic €1 to those who have a development plan and obtain the necessary permits, while the first 500 applicants get a 10-year exemption from VAT, income tax and the infrastructure tax. Media reports at the time (Shqiptarja, Panorama) also mention property tax and profit tax; for the exact list of incentives, refer to the text of the law.

Who can apply: according to Shqiptarja, individuals or businesses that have held state property in a mountain area for at least 10 years, and investors who partner with those holders. According to Panorama, which described the law in 2025, the property is transferred by sale contract for €1 on condition that the project is carried out within 3 years, work must start within one year, and the property cannot be sold for at least 10 years. If the conditions are not met, the contract is terminated and the property returns to the public fund.

In New York, Rama also explained the procedure: the municipality publishes the request for one month so that any competing claims can surface, and if there are no objections the owner can restore the house, build an agritourism guesthouse or set up a farm. According to him, no other investor can take these properties unless they are partners of the family and with its consent (Tirana Diplomat, 26 September 2026).

Where it applies: priority zones

The package applies in "priority zones for developing the mountain economy", approved by the Council of Ministers on the proposal of municipalities. So far, news reports of government decisions show these zones:

The table is not complete: it only includes decisions we found reported in the media. The strongest interest has been in the north. In January 2026, Shkodër municipality had 670 applications, mostly for Dukagjin and Theth, and Vau i Dejës more than 200 (Top Channel, 25 January 2026). Selenicë reported more than 150 applications (Shqiptarja, 24 April 2026).

Photo: Abstracts photo / Pexels

Why it is criticised

Balkan Insight writes that environmentalists see the law as a threat to the environment and that Besjana Guri, head of the environmental group Lumi, is collecting signatures to overturn it, with protests outside the Prime Minister's office (Balkan Insight, 9 September 2026). The concern is that incentives and fast-track procedures will bring to the mountains the same uncontrolled building seen on the coast. Theth was already the area with the most demolitions of illegal buildings in 2025: 130 structures, according to the building inspectorate IKMT's annual report (Bulevard, 27 March 2026).

When it was passed in 2025, the law was voted only by the governing majority, one month before the elections, and the opposition called it clientelist (Shqiptarja; Panorama).

Photo: Sabina Kallari / Pexels

What this means for you

For families with old houses in the mountains. The package can be the way to register a property that has been yours for generations but has no papers. Be careful: the property comes with conditions. If you do not carry out the project on time, you can lose it, and you cannot sell it for years.

For investors and the diaspora. The route is a partnership with the family that holds the property, not cheap land. A partnership agreement should be written, notarised and set out who takes ownership, who finances what and what happens if the project fails.

For buyers in Theth, Valbona or Dukagjin. Do not buy a property obtained through the package without checking whether the ban on selling is still in force. A contract that breaches it may be worthless.

If you are looking for property in mountain or rural areas, browse land for sale and, if you are buying from abroad, read our guide for buyers abroad.

Sources

• Mountain Package: official site (in Albanian)
• Shqiptarja: The Mountain Package is published in the Official Gazette (in Albanian), 2025
• Panorama: Mountain Package, ownership transferred by sale contract for €1 (in Albanian), 2025
• Tirana Diplomat: Rama, the Mountain Package is a golden moment for tourism (in Albanian), 26 September 2026
• Lexo: Rama, the Mountain Package is the best way to expand agritourism (in Albanian), 20 September 2026
• Balkan Insight: Under New Law, Albania's Mountains Risk Same Fate as Coast, Critics Say, 9 September 2026
• Shqiptarja: Priority zones in Kamëz, Kurbin, Selenicë and Dropull (in Albanian), 24 April 2026
• Shqiptarja: Priority zones in Krujë, Maliq and Vorë (in Albanian), 6 February 2026
• Shqiptarja: Priority zones in Kukës (in Albanian), 12 November 2025
• Top Channel: 670 applications for Dukagjin and Theth, 200 in Vau i Dejës (in Albanian), 25 January 2026
• Bulevard: IKMT's 2025 report (in Albanian), 27 March 2026