1 million euro EC-funded project on Information Society

TIRANA, Nov 23 – Within the framework of the 1 million euro EC-funded project to support the National Agency for Information Society (NAIS), the National Conference on Information Society was held last week in order to bring together those involved among the government, business and consumers to enable a comprehensive evaluation of the work done so far.
The European Commission’s assistance to the NAIS is divided into two components. The first one (almost 200,000) is dedicated to the improvement of the legal basis for the proper functioning of the developing online services in Albania. As the country moves towards computerization of its services, such as business and tax registration, it is essential that the data provided by the citizen is protected by law so as to avoid potential misuse.
The second component of EC funding (800,000 Euros) concretely provides the NAIS and line ministries with the necessary technology to take a lead in modernizing services in the country. This will come in the form of IT hardware, software, and office equipment. More specifically, 15 copy machines, 25 multifunctional network copy machines, 40 scanners, 25 projectors, 880 desktop computers, 95 laptops, and 780 uninterrupted power supplies will be provided.
The EC has been funding support to the area of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Albania for several years now. Joint efforts by the EC Delegation and UNDP office in Albania were made in developing a National ICT Strategy, piloting various projects such as Inter governmental fiber-optic Network (GovNet) which, for the first time, enabled the establishment of an efficient network of communication between government ministries and agencies. The second stage of this project (GovNet2) has also been jointly funded, and implementation of the project to introduce Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to government institutions is underway. This will enable a much more cost and time efficient communication service for public administration than the current one based on unreliable and costly telephone lines.
The overall objective of the continued and sustained EC support in this area is the improvement of transparency and efficiency of public administrative procedures. The spread of Information Communication Technology and online services makes institutions become more efficient and accountable to the public. In his remarks during the National Conference on Information Society, the Head of the EC Delegation to Albania, Ambassador Helmuth Lohan, noted that “it is fundamental that the legislative framework be effectively implemented otherwise legislation remains an expression of goodwill without a real impact and benefit for the citizens.”