Millennium Challenge Account Threshold Program for Albania

TIRANA, Sept. 15 – The Albanian government held Friday a ceremony to launch the Millennium Challenge Account Threshold program funded by the United States with $13.4 million. The money will be used to fight corruption and also help business promotion. Albania applied for the funding two years ago together with seven other countries. Though the amount is not a big one it serves to attract considerable higher funding if the authorities apply it carefully and achieve the expected results.
The Threshold Program is designed to assist countries on the “threshold” of eligibility for the Millennium Challenge Account Compact – countries committed to reforms aimed at improving democratic governance and the eradication of corruption.”Corruption is one of the most pervasive problems in the world. It not only inhibits foreign investment and economic development; it also affects the daily lives of ordinary people: of students trying to get an education; the sick trying to see a doctor; the victim seeking justice; the property owner trying to build a home,” said U.S. Ambassador Marcie B. Ries. Fighting corruption is main topic which the tiny Balkan country should do along its integration efforts into NATO and the European Union.
The project will help Albania fight corruption in three areas important: government procurement; and combating corruption that hinders new businesses from entering the market, by establishing a national business center. It is expected that the project will help authorities fight corruption in taxation through changing the way that taxes are collected so that the system is completely predictable, transparent and fair. Individual and corporate taxpayers will know exactly what they owe and why, to whom they must pay and when. “Tax officials will have special training to assure they make assessments correctly and there will be strict rules about how the money is collected and accounted for,” said Ries. The second part of the program will make big changes in the way the government buys equipment and services. The rules will be published, the process of bidding open and competitive, and the payments handled according to strict rules. The third way is that businessmen will have access to a “one-stop shop” and before they go, people who want to start a business will know exactly what documents and payments will be required and to whom they must be given. “The United States Government is providing support for this program but it was designed by Albanians for Albanians. We think the program is an excellent one and I encourage all of those involved to seize this opportunity and to make the most of it. The stakes are very high indeed. So, too, are the rewards for success. Progress made on combating corruption will benefit ordinary people but it will also bring the country closer to its goals of joining NATO and the EU. And there is another possible benefit as well: if the plan is successful, Albania could become eligible for status as a Millennium Challenge Compact country and the much larger bilateral assistance that comes with it,” said Ries.
The ambassador said, however, that simply participating in this Threshold program did not guarantee that Albania would qualify for the greater benefits of the Compact program. “Whether Albania reaches a Compact depends on achieving real, measurable results, which in turn depends on Albania’s maintaining a strong and continuous commitment to the project aim of eradicating corruption.”