Europe continues aid to Albania’s reforms

TIRANA, Feb. 1 – This year Albania is hoping to get a positive response to its request for the candidate status of the European Union.
That would be a relief after two previous negative answers mainly due to the political deadlock in the tiny western Balkan country.
Meanwhile European assistance continues in all spheres of life in the country.
The EU has funded a 2 million euro project that has assisted the modernization of Albanian customs, leaving behind a draft Customs Code to help raise customs services in Albania to EU levels. The project advances Albania’s integration process by bringing Albania closer to the same club of customs procedures that facilitate trade in the EU and that have made the Internal Market a success. The twinning between the Albanian authorities, Austrian Customs Administration and the support of the Polish Customs Service brought to Albania experts from EU Member States to complete Albania’s legislation in this area in line with the EU one; to implement the National Strategy on Integrated Border Management; and to prepare Albania for adherence to the Common Transit Convention.
With the support of the European Union, the Institute of Statistics INSTAT presented the results of the Economic Census carried out during November-December 2010. As part of the 10 million euro EU-funded assistance project, INSTAT has been enabled to carry out the Economic Census, the Population and Housing Census and is expected to carry out the Agricultural Census next.
A 1 million euro project funded by the EU has paved the ground for concrete improvements of Albania’s public procurement, concession and auction system. The project brought EU expertise and know-how from Member States to assist Albania in completing its public procurement legislation and improving its practices in line with those applied by EU Member States.
The road toward the EU is not an easy one. If Tirana gets the candidate status this year, it is to launch another long period of hard work that cannot be achieved without the sincere commitment of the authorities and politics.