Reform to cut inspectorates to 11 ready

TIRANA, Feb. 21 – Government has concluded 18-month long discussions of a reform to reduce the number of inspectorates to 11, from 36 currently, in an effort to prevent arbitrariness against businesses and reorganize the inspection system to make it more efficient.
Speaking last weekend in the concluding meeting of the task force on inspections, Prime Minister Sali Berisha said a series of decisions would follow the law which has not been approved yet, to set up the new inspection system under the new legal framework.
Their reduction from 36 to 11 or 12 inspectorates is one of the major novelties of the new system which will create greater skillfulness in their operation,” said Berisha, adding that it was unacceptable that arbitrariness takes businesses 45 days in a year.
The central inspectorate will be a body under the government authority with the task to supervise the inspectorates’ work and guarantee the transparency of their activity without carrying out controls on businesses. One of its main duties will be setting up an e-inspectorate system.
Meanwhile, new inspectors will have the status of a tax inspector.
“We want to have a lower number of inspections and fewer inspectors but at the same time inspect those sectors which are more necessary. We will inspect where the situation is more problematic through the launch of the risk assessment methodology using IT systems,” said deputy Economy Minister Eno Bozdo, adding that the current inspection system based on Eastern standards has turned into a burden and source of corruption for businesses.
“This inspection system has started turning into a grave burden for businesses not only for costs, but also the time it takes to businesses,” said the deputy minister, admitting that bribes remained problematic.