Final Report - European Commission - Europa

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Evaluation of EC Country Strategy: Albania
thanks to EU assistance to the police force (MAPE), security in most of the country has
improved. Pressure and support from the EU and the rest of the international community has
also helped to keep the democratic process more or less on track – although democracy is far
from entrenched in Albania.
However, Phare support to democracy, the rule of law and anti-corruption has remained very
limited:
• As described above, the judicial and police system in Albania remains essentially nonfunctional.
Phare assistance in this area – focused as it was on infrastructure, and lacking
links with civil society – was not adequate to improve matters. Moreover, recent complex
and large programmes in the Justice and Home affairs (including police but also
integrated border management and asylum and migration management) are unlikely to
have a positive impact on democracy and the rule of law.
• The government, with support from donors, has formulated an anti-corruption strategy,
but it is widely regarded as unfocused and lacking in prioritisation. Corruption remains
widespread and organised crime is expanding. The very poor implementation of Phare
programmes has not contributed to a greater accountability and transparency of
Government actions.
• Phare has not consulted with civil society on its programmes (e.g. police and justice) and
has not targeted civil society for support (except from some indirect support through the
LCD programme). The Tempus programme has provided some support to universities
but this has not been sufficient to compensate the weaknesses of the sector. Civil society
remains fragmented and incapable of playing a strategic role (e.g. in putting pressure on
government to deliver services, in promoting public debate, and in detecting and
publicising government incompetence and malfeasance)
• Phare has not provided support to political reconciliation between democratic parties, or
supported legislative capacity or the dialogue on national development between
government, other political parties and civil society.
Democracy and the rule of law are central to the Stability Pact and the Stability and
Association Process. It will therefore be important that future EC assistance targets these
areas effectively and promotes a deeper democratic culture and more effective civil society.
D. EU Integration
Impact of the Phare programme on EU integration has been limited by poor
implementation, which has affected the public image of the EU in Albania.
Infrastructure programmes have been poorly implemented, while institutional reform
programmes have suffered from insufficient realism and the overall weakness of
public administration. In the short term there is some risk of conflict between EU
integration and economic development objectives.
Physical infrastructure
In line with broader EU policy on transport, a number of projects were directed at improving
links with EU countries, particularly those funded under the CBC programme. The CBC
programme concentrated on the improvement of transport links with Italy and Greece through
upgrading the major transport infrastructure (East-West and North-South road corridors, and
ports of Durres and Vlora).
As set out above, implementation has been extremely slow. Since the roads have yet to be
rehabilitated all the way to the relevant borders (this reflects also action, or the lack of it, on