EU supports the General Prosecutor’s Office

TIRANA, Nov 23 – The European Union’s 800,000 euro project, “Support to the General Prosecutor’s Office to undertake Inspection and Evaluation of Prosecutors,” was launched in Tirana as a joint effort between the Albanian General Prosecution Office, the Spanish General Prosecutor’s Office and the Italian High Council of Judiciary.
The project will assist the GPO in improving its professional management systems and working practices in order to enhance the efficiency, transparency and fairness of prosecutorial functions in Albania. In particular, Spanish and Italian experts will work with the Albanian General Prosecutor’s Office on the development and implementation of modern professional systems for the inspection and evaluation of prosecutors; clarifying the responsibilities of the judicial police as compared to the responsibilities of the prosecutors; on human resource management; and on investigation techniques and procedures.
The experts will work on the establishment of a new directorate of inspection and evaluation within the GPO with professional methods of selection and training of inspectors and evaluators. Also, a reward system through promotion and salary increase for prosecutors will be introduced. Moreover, trainings on effective and efficient procedures for overseeing investigations will be delivered to increase the prosecution’s performances and improve case proceedings times.
“This project will address weaknesses in human resource management and in the investigative capacity of the Albanian prosecution system. It thereby provides direct assistance to overcome some of the shortcomings identified in the European Commission’s 2008 Annual Progress Report,” said Ambassador Helmuth Lohan, Head of the European Commission Delegation in Tirana at the launch conference.
The project started in October 2008 and will continue until the end of June 2010.