Think Tanks to monitor Albania’s EU integration process

TIRANA, Feb. 26 – The Ministry of European Integration signed Monday a memorandum of understanding with four Albanian non-governmental organizations _ Open Society Soros Foundation, Helsinki Albanian Committee, Albanian Institute of International Studies and the European Center _ which are to monitor and urge the country’s efforts of integration into the bloc. European Integration Minister Arenca Trashani expressed her institution’s readiness to offer full access to the required information to the NGOs. The monitoring would increase the government’s performance, transparency and increase the active role of the public opinion into the process. The project aims at strengthening the representation of the civic society into the compilation and implementation of the integrating policies. It aims at increasing awareness of the government structures, participation of citizens, securing an open and transparent process and identifying problems and setting the proper solutions. The organization will follow the government’s integration steps and will make public the results of their monitoring. The monitoring process will concentrate in spheres of economic-social development of the country like free competition, fiscal policies, policies for SMEs and other sectors; or spheres dealing with the good governance and functioning of instruments and structures that go directly to the citizens and civic society.