TIRANA, Nov. 14 – The head of European Union Delegation has called on Albania to provide more accountability and transparency in the use of public funds.
“Whoever is in the government is most responsible for the proper use, proper planning of public money, but also the stakeholders, the parliament or everyone who has an overseeing role has the responsibility to look into all elements how public money is spent,” EU Ambassador Romana Vlahutin said in her address at a panel discussion on the responsible use of public funds” held at Tirana University.
“However, I think the best oversight is done by citizens,” she added.
During her address, Ambassador Vlahutin underlined the importance of public awareness and real dialogue between citizens and political representatives.
“I personally believe that the right to information and transparency bring miracles. The more access people have to information, they will also be more empowered and able to ask questions, and this is crucial,” she added.
Ambassador Vlahutin declared that the European Union will provide 130 million euros to assist Albania in the public finances reform. The funds will be dispensed in the state budget on the basis of demonstrating progress and results in the implementation of public finance management, public administration reform, employment, anti-corruption and transports strategy.
She announced that the European Commission has disbursed the first installment of 14 million euros based on Albania’s performance and results achieved in the implementation of the public financial management reform implementation.
According to Ambassador Vlahutin, the European Commission will also provide support for the implementation of judicial reform.
“For this support, there are very clear benchmarks of improvement which need to be demonstrated for the management of public funds and our assistance is dispensed only after these benchmarks are fulfilled,” Vlahutin said.
She added this is very useful because it helps everybody stay focused.
“Better and more transparent management of the limited financial and human resources of the state can potentially have a much larger impact than the funds the EU provides to this reform through savings, more efficient spending, more competitive procurement, reduced waste and corruption,” she concluded.
The roundtable was organized in the framework of the closure of the EU-funded Twinning Project Implementation of a Modern Financial Management and Control System and Public Financial Inspection in Albania implemented by Austria and France.
