Government, civic organizations discuss fight against informality

The Network of Open Society for Albania (NOSA), along with its partners, including the Institute for Contemporary Studies, The institute for Urban Research, “Mjaft” movement, and the Albanian Institute for International Studies, joined with the government in a round table to discuss informality and the need to address and reduce this dangerous phenomenon. Other participants included NGO’s such as the European University of Tirana and the AGENDA Institute. The discussion reviewed how informality has spread in multiple fields such as economics, politics, civil society, and more. The reduction of informality remains one of the most difficult challenges during the transitional period and pertains to the implementation of the rule of law as well as regulatory practices throughout the economic and social system. An important point of the discussion was the need to coordinate measures fighting informality with the necessary steps to encourage business and investment and avoid tensions between the two issues. Recent controversies about the fines law and the digital transmissions law is evidence that the good will to fight informality can clash with the respect for free enterprise.
Executive director of the Soros Foundation, Capajev Gjokutaj, in his speech focused on the necessity to avoid spontaneous measures and have a consolidated, clear and comprehensive strategy to fight informality. He also stressed the need for very wide political and social support in order for the measures to have real success. Gjokutaj said that expectations should be realistic, given the endemic situation of informality in Albania, which indicates that recovery from it can only be gradual. He also focused on the fact that, despite the government focus on economic informality, attention should also be paid to the symptoms in other fields, given the recent debate about informality in political party finances and the health sector.
NOSA members said the organization appreciates the government efforts and that it will support them with all its available expertise and advocacy. It also committed to serious monitoring of the measures taken to tackle informality at all levels.