Present at the event, Minister of Interior Ervin Hoxha focused on the efforts made in combating and preventing corruption within the State Police structures.

Hoxha stated that this round of GRECO’s assessment is the strongest evidence of the State Police’s deep commitment.

“This round of GRECO’s assessment – successfully concluded for our country with 24 recommendations, half of which focused on a thorough evaluation of the State Police’s performance – serves as the clearest evidence of the strong commitment of our security institutions, particularly the State Police. The implementation of these recommendations is the tangible outcome of the efforts to strengthen every aspect of integrity within the State Police, the country’s largest law enforcement agency,” said Hoxha.

Hoxha provided an overview of some of the actions taken by the Ministry of the Interior in the fight against and measures for preventing corruption.

“Firstly, in line with GRECO’s recommendations, the annual priorities of the Ministry of the Interior and its subordinate institutions include specific measures and activities, such as structural changes, the drafting of legal and sub-legal acts, the initiation of new work processes within the institution, as well as continuous training,” said Hoxha.

“Specifically, I would like to mention the law ‘On the State Police,’ adopted in July 2024, which is based on the best models of similar units, fully addressing every recommendation from GRECO. This entire process was carried out with the best assistance from the EU and the Council of Europe. I take this opportunity to thank them for their proactive support and the highly professional manner in which they assist us on our journey to strengthen security,” said Hoxha.

Minister Hoxha added that “the Ministry of Interior and its subordinate institutions have approved and implemented the Integrity Plans for the period 2022–2024. At the end of the three-year period, the Ministry of the Interior has started working on drafting the new Integrity Plan and the Action Plan for the period 2025–2028. The new document will serve as a guide for strengthening transparency, accountability, and ethical standards within the Ministry of the Interior, in the fight against corruption and the promotion of institutional integrity.”

“Thirdly, with the support of the EU4LEA project, a legal framework analysis has been drafted to minimize the risks of corruption and conflicts of interest related to donations and sponsorships for the State Police. The findings of this analysis have been incorporated in the new ‘Law on the State Police,’ which prohibits the acceptance of donations from various entities,” added the minister.

According to Hoxha, “The Ministry of the Interior and the State Police have closely collaborated with the Council of Europe to address GRECO’s recommendation for improving policies on providing additional services by the State Police, taking into account the risks of corruption and conflicts of interest.”

Hoxha stated that “the State Police have taken an important step in strengthening ethics and professional integrity with the approval of the Police Ethics Handbook, which contains clear guidelines on ethical principles, integrity, conflicts of interest, and ethical decision-making, including concrete examples for various situations.”

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