TIRANA, Oct. 11 – The meeting agenda of the Commision for Economy and Finances and the Supreme State Audit covered the discussion of the 2018 factual budget, pending to be voted on at the next parliamentary session. Data included in the factual budget draft law shows that the majority of reserve funds went to cases of property compensation ruled by the European Court of Human Rights. The rest went to expropriations undertaken by Tirana’s Municipality, followed by cases of international arbitration between the Albanian government and foreign companies.
Around 1.45 million euros or around 23 percent of the reserve fund was given to the Ministry of Finance and Economy as additional funds to the budget plan of 2018 to execute the decisions of the ECHR, to pay for legal services in international arbitration cases, to redistribute wage funds for the General Directorate of Taxation, for the subsidizing of the National Chamber of Crafts and for the authorization of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Ministry of Finance and Economy to sign a contract with the ‘Ernst & Young’ company.
According to data in the draft law, around 2.6 million euros or 22 percent of reserve funds was designated for two expropriation decisions taken by Tirana’s Municipality while 1.45 million euros or about 12 percent of reserve funds was given to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure on account of three verdicts. Through two of these, funds were allocated to the payment of legal services for the representation and defense in international arbitration cases, while the rest was allocated to the Audiovisual Media Authority through a Council of Ministers Decision.
Around 1.37 million euros were set aside for other governmental institutions, such as the Directorate of Governmental Services for carrying out activities on the occasion of the ‘Skanderbeg Year’ (600 thousand euros) and the National Agency for Information Society (766 thousand euros). The Ministry of Justice received 900 thousand euros or 8 percent of reserve funds for investments as well as reconstruction and adjustment of the environment wherein the appropriate appeal institutions, public commissioners and institutions for reassessment of judges and prosecutors will exercise their duties.
The Ministry of Tourism and Environment was designated an amount of 955 thousand euros or 8 percent of reserve funds via three decisions. An amount of 281 thousand euros was allocated to cover expenditures for contract employees through one of the decisions, while 651 thousand euros were allocated for the payment of legal services in international arbitration cases and 22 thousand euros were allocated for the payment of international organizations’ quotas through the other two. Around 780 thousand euros or 6 percent of reserve funds was given to the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs as well; about 647 thousand euros were allocated for ‘authorization of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs for the signing of a contract between the Albanian state and the ‘Apco WorldWide’ company.” Through another decision, an amount of 103 thousand euros was allocated for the financial help given to the government of Greece by the Council of Ministers to alleviate the repercussions of the damage caused by massive wildfires in July of 2018. Another 3.2 million was allocated to cover the expenditures of bringing back the remains of one of the most prominent figures in Albanian history and culture, Mid’hat Frashëri. At the end of 2018, remaining reserve funds amounted to 18 thousand euros.
