EU funds strengthening of local licensing administration capacities

TIRANA, March 14 – The project on Technical Assistance and Training on Public Services Delivery in Local Government funded by the European Union was the main topic of a conference.
The 1 million Euro project has created measurable improvements in the quality of the public service at hand, a remarkable improvement in citizens’ ease of accessibility to services and necessary information, with 70 percent of the respondents to the survey stating that access to information at all levels was good.
In another sign 75 percent of the respondents who were asked about composite factors related to the quality of the services, including staff behavior and working hours, gave a positive evaluation.
Such results are directly derived from the work carried out in the framework of this project. The activities that aimed at strengthening the relevant local institutions and enhancing transparency in public-private partnership towards better delivery of services to local communities, included workshops and trainings. On-the-job training was, for instance, provided for 66 local units with a focus on licensing procedures, application methods, documentation circulation etc. Such assistance has been clearly reflected in the tangible improvements in the delivery of licensing services to citizens throughout the country.
Luigi Brusa of the EC office in Tirana said that “A fruitful public-private partnership, contributing to the economic development of Albania, can only be built on transparency and standardization of procedures for receiving business licenses. Heavy, obscure and complex procedures can only be detrimental for the business environment and create opportunities for corruption.” He also emphasized that improvements in the quality and transparency of public services are crucial to restore citizens’ trust in institutions.