The role of local self-governance in the policy and Acquis Communitaire implementation, as well as in the European integration agenda is very important. The European Commission highlights this role in the 2019 Communication on EU Enlargement Policy as follows: “The role of regional and local authorities should be taken into account in the process of EU harmonization and eventual application of EU rules. An appropriate balance must be found between central, regional and local government that best supports the implementation of reforms and the provision of services to citizens.
The "Municipalities for Europe" project has already published the Second Evaluation Report, which highlights the importance of the role of local government in Albania's EU integration process, based on compliance with the accession commitments and the 2018 criteria.
The report was drafted with the input of the Municipalities for Europe Project team and the expert, Mrs. Albana Dhimitri, who prepared the recommendations chapter. The European Integration Units in each municipality have coordinated the internal data collection process for their institution, while the Agency for Support to the Local Self-Governance, has coordinated the data collection from 61 municipalities.
EU integration is challenging and requires a lot of effort on the part of central and local administration. The Albanian government is moving towards an open government to improve national policies, transparency and quality of public services, through the development of Information and Communication Technology systems and one-stop-shops. Strengthening public administration, establishing dialogue with citizens through open and participatory policy-making processes, and increasing the capacity of the government to choose the most appropriate policies among the various options, are all essential in linking governments with their citizens and fostering more inclusive and sustainable growth.
This is the second annual report titled "Municipalities in Albania's EU Integration Process", 2018. The report aims to present the progress made by Albanian municipalities during 2018 in terms of fulfilling its responsibilities as defined by the existing strategic and legal framework and in alignment with the accession criteria and EU standards.
This report is based on the structure of the National Plan for European Integration 2017-2020 and the European Commission Report on Albania. A summary of the report's key findings is provided below.
NOTE: You can read the full report online or download it by clicking HERE