EU awards Albania AUD$1.6 million in funding for public procurement

The European Union has awarded Albania AUD$1.6 million in funding to help improve the state of public procurement.

The project promises to employ expertise from EU member states to assist Albania in finalising its public procurement legislation and improving its practices in line with those applied by the Union.

The Albanian Public Procurement Agency will be twinned with equivalent authorities in Poland and Romania to help prepare an action plan for the implementation of purchasing system reform, among other objectives.

“Building on improvements achieved in the past, this twinning project will further support the Albanian Public Procurement Agency through activities and training that is tailor-made to its needs,” a statement from the European Union Delegation to Albania said.

The head of the European Union Delegation to Albania, ambassador Ettore Sequi said public procurement reform was important for EU integration. Albania is required to harmonise its purchasing standards to that of the EU, as part of a long-term plan for accession to the Union.

“The vast EU market that Albania seeks to join operates and relies upon rules that are known, rules that are non-discriminatory, respected, and business-friendly,” Sequi said.

He also pointed out the need to work for an efficient, transparent and accountable public procurement system as an important step in the fight against corruption, which is a key priority for the country.

“Spending public resources implies the mandatory use of public procurement rules enforced on the widest possible range of procurement processes. A proliferation of ad hoc procurement processes must be avoided as it undermines the consistency, general applicability, and credibility of the procurement system as a whole,” Sequi said.

The $1.6 million project is expected to continue until 2012.

Last year Albania was recognised by the United Nations Public Service Awards for becoming the first country in the world to conduct all its procurement (deals worth more than $4, 900) electronically.

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