Counties of Albania
A Qark ( [ caɾk ] albanian qark respectively Qarku, plural qarqe [ caɾce ]; . Referred to in official English translations as a region ) is one of the municipalities ( komuna ) and cities ( bashkia ) overriding administrative unit in Albania. The twelve Qarqe are divided into two to four groups, of which there are 36.
The Qark councils are made up of the mayors of all the municipalities and cities of the respective Qarks and other local councils. They constitute themselves and elect one member as chairman.
Decentralization in Albania is an ongoing and not yet completed the process. The twelve Qarqe were created in 2000 through legislative reform based on the 1998 Constitution. They replaced the previously existing twelve prefectures.
The Qarqe are transferred by law certain tasks of local government in the areas of public utilities (water supply, waste disposal, local traffic, cemeteries, urban planning), culture ( cultural events, cultural institutions ), social institutions ( orphanages, day care centers, nursing homes ), Economic Development, Spatial Planning or local police. Some, so-called split tasks in the areas of education, health, social support and environmental protection can Qarqe perceive supplement or together with the central government. In part, they exert regional tasks that delegate the communities and towns on them. The regional authorities support the municipalities and coordinate between them. The Qarqe that are separate legal entities, are funded by local income taxes, minority national taxes and funds they receive from the government. The influence and financial independence of Qarqe between the powerful central government and the traditional communities and cities that provide the representatives of the Qarqe, is still weak.
The central government appoints a prefect ( Prefekti i Qarkut ), which exercises supervision over the Qark councils and the local business of the government perceives that were not transferred to the local authorities for each Qark. The prefects are thus an extension of the government in the regions. A Qark is therefore often referred to as a prefecture.