TIRANA, July 9 /ATA/ – Albania is at an advanced stage of public administration reform as part of its European Union accession process, Minister of State for Public Administration and Anti-Corruption Adea Pirdeni said on Thursday.
Speaking at a press conference marking the conclusion of Public Administration Week, Pirdeni said Albania is working to address the challenges facing the public administration system as the country moves forward with EU integration.
She described the accession process as both a challenge and a major opportunity to strengthen state institutions, improve resilience and prevent abuses of public office, adding that anti-corruption efforts had also been a key focus.
Pirdeni said the EU’s common negotiating position established milestones for Albania to complete negotiations on Chapters 23 and 24, as well as for public administration reform.
She called public administration reform “the mother of all reforms,” saying improvements in the way state institutions operate have a direct impact across all sectors of government and the economy.
According to Pirdeni, Albania now has a clear strategy for the future of public administration reform, along with a modernised system for recruitment and career development within the civil service.
She said further measures would aim to make the system more open to new talent, strengthen its foundations and ensure it has the capacity to meet not only the demands of the negotiation process but also the responsibilities of EU membership.
Pirdeni added that the European Commission had assessed Albania’s public administration as having “highly developed capacities,” allowing the country to successfully complete the screening phase of negotiations and continue advancing discussions across chapters.
She said Albania had successfully reached key milestones in areas including justice, security and fundamental rights, demonstrating its readiness to complete further stages of the EU accession negotiations.
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