Speaking at a public consultation on the proposed administrative-territorial reform in the south-eastern Albania city of Korçë, Rama said the changes were intended to strengthen local government capacity and improve the delivery of services.

He said a proposed merger of Maliq and Korçë into a larger municipality could create new opportunities for sustainable economic and social development, including access to additional categories of EU funding.

“Larger administrative units open the possibility of accessing another category of European Union funds and attracting more investment to the territory,” Rama said.

The reform, he added, was aimed at strengthening local administrative capacity, expanding financing opportunities and creating the conditions for longer-term development.

/m.q/j.p/r.e/u.sh/

Speaking at the seventh National Conference on the Right to Information, Rama said penalties should apply to the highest responsible authority when the time limits set by the access-to-information law are breached.

Rama referred to the government’s “Transparent Albania” initiative, which aims to centralise public information on a single digital platform to facilitate access for citizens and improve administrative efficiency.

He said the project would require institutions to automatically publish documentation related to their activities, stressing that it was intended to improve internal administrative processes rather than restrict access to information.

“The law is very clear. There are 10 days to respond, and on the 11th day, if there is no response, sanctions must apply,” Rama said.

He added that ministers had been asked to delegate responsibility for access to information to their general secretaries, noting that not all had yet done so.

Rama said sanctions should apply to both ministers and general secretaries, particularly in cases of repeated violations, arguing that penalties would help create a sense of urgency within the administration.

Drawing parallels with previous enforcement measures, he said sanctions had been effective in curbing illegal parking and traffic violations by officials, and could also improve compliance with transparency rules.

/j.p/u.sh/

During the discussion in today’s Parliamentary plenary session of the draft law “On ratification of the decision of the Joint Committee of the Regional Convention on Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Preferential Rules of Origin”, of December 12, 2024, which has started to be implemented as of January 1 of the current year, Gonxhja said that the aim is to reduce costs and further facilitate access for manufacturing enterprises into international markets.

“After the record of almost four billion euros in exports set in 2024, this act reduces costs and further facilitates access for our manufacturing enterprises to international markets”, said Gonxhja.

According to him, all farmers and agricultural enterprises, fashion enterprises, the textile and mining industries, as well as services benefit from this draft law.

“It supports production and the positive growth trend of the Albanian economy,” said Gonxhja.

Specifically, he noted, today’s draft law aims to create and further improve the legal framework regarding the transition to electronic documentation of the certification of origin of goods traded within the framework of the free trade agreements that Albania has in force.

The minister explained that the need to draft this act has its origins in the situation created after the COVID-19 pandemic, when economic operators in all countries encountered difficulties in obtaining preferential certificates of origin on paper. /r.e/p.s./

Albanian lawmakers, British Ambassador Nick Abbott, the Head of the OSCE Presence, Michel Tarran, the European Union Ambassador Silvio Gonzato, and civil society representatives attended the conference.

In her remarks, Parliament Speaker underlined that public finance, gender inclusion and gender-based violence in politics were synergistically linked. She noted that both gender inclusion and the fight against gender-based violence cannot be addressed in a substantial way unless complemented by equal access to financial resources for development.

According to her, only 13% of the female candidates in the parliamentary elections in 2021 had acknowledged that they were granted access to the finances of their political parties.

Spiropali welcomed a proposal to earmark 10% of the annual spending of political parties to the women forums as a way to eliminate gender inequality regarding access to financial resources.

/j.p/u.sh/

The workshop was hosted by the Authority for Information on Former State Security Documents and was chaired by Dagmar Hovestadt, spokeswoman for Germany’s Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records, also a senior expert in communication and management of secret police documents.

The Director of the Authority for Information on Former State Security Documents, Gentiana Sula, said in her remarks that opening secret documents is crucial to transparency and reflection in every democratic society.

“Opening the documents of a prolonged dictatorship like ours in particular provides one more chance to grasp the cost of democracy and honor the pain of the victims and their families and to ensure a democratic and European-like society,” she said.

Sula underlined that archival records are a treasure trove to shed light on the fifty years of the dictatorial regime in Albania, when the fundamental human rights were violated, families were persecuted and freedom of speech was denied.

She said that cooperation with the media and researchers is designed to provide the most accurate reflection of the historical reality, serving the future and new generations with high ethical responsibility.

Mauro Puzzo, the Head of the OSCE Presence’s Rule of Law and Human Rights Department, stated that transparency is the key to a healthy and informed society.

“When access to secret documents is fair, open and accountable, these documents become powerful tools for understanding the past and building a fairer future,” he added.

Dagmar Hovestadt, communication expert, journalist and spokeswoman for Germany’s Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records, underlined that the role of the media and researchers is vital to this process, bringing forgotten stories to light and helping the public to reflect on the past with a critical eye, but always based on facts.

The workshop collected the opinions of media and researchers about the Handbook for Researchers and Media, which will be finalized in cooperation with the expert commissioned by the OSCE Presence in Albania.

/m.m/r.e/a.f/u.sh/

The project focuses on assisting farmers in earthquake-affected areas and extension service specialists access the financial resources they need to improve their businesses.

The participants’ positive feedback shows their commitment to in-depth knowhow about financial resources, and the need to raise awareness of all key stakeholders in the process through collaborative efforts.

The training included maintaining farm records, agribusiness registration processes, farm efficiency indicators, business plans, and more.

Senior FAO economists delivered open lectures for University students on “The state of green finance in the agri-food sector” and “Climate risks and their importance for central banks.”

Agriculture experts believe that empowering farming communities with financial literacy is essential for the long-term success and sustainable development of the agriculture sector.

/r.e/u.sh/

This meeting was held in the framework of cooperation of the World Bank with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, for the preparation of the concept of a support project for the financing of agriculture. This process aims to develop sustainable solutions, supporting access to finance for this sector, not only from budget funds, but also from the collection of private funds.

During his speech, Governor Sejko stated that the banking sector in the country is well capitalized and liquid, as well as his support for the private sector has been increasing. However, he added that the financial sector can play a more important role for sustainable long-term economic growth in the country.

Regarding access to finance, the Governor stated that in a broader picture, it is important to explore cross-sectoral solutions – including digitization of financial services and innovative financial instruments – which would facilitate access to financial services.

Governor Sejko said that the specific credit problems of the agricultural sector have been identified in time and some of them are still relevant. However, some of them are on the way to being addressed, while other obstacles should be part of a critical assessment and their solution should be an integral part of our future work agendas.

“In this context, without compromising its health indicators, I am convinced that the banking sector will know how to position itself as a development support agent. This sector must increase its attention and financial, analytical and advisory capacities, fulfilling its mission in the sustainable development of the country”, said the Governor./p.s./

In presenting the new judicial map, Manja said that Justice Reform is actually in the consolidation phase.

“Today’s meeting marks an important step towards materialization of all our efforts to maximize the efficiency of our justice system.

Manja added that the Albanian government has provided support for Justice Reform over the last 5 years despite natural disaster situations.

“We have set up a salary system at dignified levels which allows judges and prosecutors to work diligently. Now, it is the right time that the investments we have made in the judicial system to render into benefits for the citizens. We must ensure that citizens receive justice as quickly as possible from an independent and impartial judiciary. One of the means we have in hand to increase the speed for citizens to get solution to their problems is the new map that we present today,” he said.

Manja added that the revision of the court map is not only a legal obligation, but a process dictated by the reality of the judicial system in Albania.

“The working group has done a commendable work for analyzing the situation of the judicial system, where the proximity of the individual to the court is guaranteed”. /j.p/p.s./