Project description

Title: Strengthening civil society and empowerment of local democratic structures
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Albania
Lead executing agency: General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers
Overall term: 2007 to 2010

Context

Under communist rule, Albania was completely isolated from the rest of Europe. Political opponents of the regime were persecuted ruthlessly. The nation’s process of democratisation began at the end of the 1980s. In recognition of the progress achieved since then, Albania and the European Union (EU) signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) in 2006, essentially opening the way to full EU membership. The SAA entered into force in April 2009. Albania submitted its application for EU membership in the same month.

the nation’s democratic structures to become fully established on a European model. The state and civil society still eye one another with distrust. Although Albania’s constitution of 1998 guaranties the rights of freedom of organisation to all citizens, and though several hundred civil society organisations have indeed emerged, only a few of these actually possess functioning structures. Even fewer cooperate regularly with the state, for example to help prepare new reform laws. At the local level too, where ever greater responsibility is being located due to recent decentralisation measures, voluntary citizen involvement and contact between civil society and state structures remain meagre.

Objective

The Albanian government promotes civil society. It is improving the legal framework for participation by civil society organisations in political processes. There is a growing spirit of trust between the state and civil society.

Approach

In close cooperation with the Albanian Office of the Prime Minister, the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, the Ministry for European Integration and the Ministry of the Interior, GTZ has organised information trips to new EU Member States where differing models of cooperation between the state and civil society are applied. This led to a series of roundtable events with representatives from state bodies and civil society, in which government ministers also took part. Regional events organised jointly by GTZ and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have also addressed the local level.

Participants sought ways to improve the cooperation between the state and civil society. Their chosen solutions were a fund to promote civil society and the drawing up a Civil Society Charter. Some questions remain to be addressed, however: How is it possible to ensure the fund will not be misused for election campaign purposes? Who will represent civil society?

The project team includes an Albanian long-term expert supported by a German consulting firm as well as national and international short-term specialists.

Results achieved so far

The Government of Albania has earmarked budget resources totalling more than EUR 2 million for a fund to promote civil society. A committee comprising state and civil society representatives is working to regulate how these funds are to be used and distributed. The Civil Society Charter has been adopted, and the legal basis for establishing the Civil Society Support Agency has been put in place. Premises have been found and are currently being equipped. A manager has been nominated and adequate positions have been established. Employees will be trained for their positions after recruitment.

Download

• Strengthening Civil Society and Democratic Structures in Albania – Lessons Learnt
  Lessons learned from the project ‘Strengthening civil society and empowerment of local democratic structures’ in Albania. GTZ 2010
  en-civil-society-democratic-structures-albania.pdf, 0.21 MB (English)