Cooperation and Development Institute launched a project titled “Monitoring and Supporting Albania’s reforms on its path to EU”.
During the Launching Event of ALBE: a Dutch-supported initiative of Albanian CSOs to increase the monitoring and communication on engaged reforms EU Ambassador Luigi Soreca declared that Albanian civil society ought to create a network of CSO to monitor the progress towards the opening of negotiations”.
“Accession negotiations will create the conditions for more monitoring and control” stated the Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Mr. Sokol Dedja.
“CSO need to be listened to, not only to be heard” underlined MEP Knut Fleckenstein, the EP Rapporteur for Albania.
The event continued with the first ever joint presentation on monitoring outcomes of key priorities. Albanian Helsinki Committee, Institute of Political Studies, Albania Institute of Science and Centre for the Study of Democracy and Governance outlined in a unified methodology their main findings on Justice Reform, Electoral Reform, Fight against Corruption and Organized Crime.
Representatives from many CSOs welcomed the initiative and contributed with their own observations on the innovative monitoring model and on the findings.
Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Guusje Korthals Altes highlighted that: “EU integration is not only a political or administrative process. It goes to every corner of the society, to every door and every person. So it is up to all Albanian stakeholders to contribute to achieve this goal. The event today is offering a cooperation platform on which all stakeholders can build.”
ALBE platform is coordinated by Cooperation and Development Institute in the framework of CSO support to Albanian progress towards EU. The Enlargement component will be complemented with the regular reporting of the Berlin process engagements as well.