Swiss experience shared with local authorities in Albania

The National Conference on Local Government, organized by the State Minister for Local Issues in close cooperation with international donors who support the administrative-territorial reform in Albania, was held on October 30th in Tirana, and was attended by Albanian mayors, representatives from foreign embassies, international bodies, and state institutions, as well as from national and international experts. This conference served as a platform for the presentation of steps that have been undertaken toward strengthening local government in Albania by the Albanian Government in the framework of the consolidation of the Administrative Territorial Reform, as well as towards widening decentralization.

This conference also served as a debate forum on the need for cooperation between different actors in local and national level, aiming the institutionalization of this cooperation in accordance with the best European standards. Local and foreign experts brought their experience pertaining the territorial reform and decentralization, arguing for these two issues from the viewpoint of different countries and stressing the link between them and different aspects of economy, finances, services, etc.

UNDP/STAR and PLGP/USAID programs, Council of Europe, and DLDP, were the sponsors of this event, who have shown to have been and that will be the most active programs in issues of local governance. The DLDP (Decentralization and Local Development Program), implemented by Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation and financed by the Swiss Government, is from about 10 years engaged with local government in Albania, offering support in Public Finances Management, Waste Management, E-Governance and Funds Access. It is engaged, among other things, in transmitting the Swiss experience in Albania, to improve the position of local government and the delivery of services to citizens.

This September, DLDP organized a study tour in Switzerland for a group of 18 mayors from partner municipalities and representatives from some ministries of the central government. This tour aimed and being acknowledged with the experience of Swiss communes in the waste management field (for more please click http://www.24heures.ch/vaud-regions/lausanne-region/vaud-modele-gestion-dechets-albanie/story/18697253), but the focus was also the process of amalgamation of these communes. Both these issues are very much current in Albania. The study tour was of great interest for mayors, who were enthusiastic on the level of local government development in Switzerland and on the willingness to increase technical exchanges through DLDP.

In the framework of intensifying these exchanges, the Val de Travers mayor, Mr Frederic Mairy, was invited as a guest speaker in the National Conference on Local Government held in Tirana on October 30th, 2015. The guest from Switzerland presented the successful experience of the amalgamation of Val de Travers commune. The amalgamation of 9 communes into one unit brought tangible improvements as regards the economic situation of the inhabitants and an extension of services offered from the new bigger unit. The presentation of MrMairy was followed with a great deal of interest from all participants, including the Minister for Local Issues in the Albanian Government, and the Chairman of the Administrative and Territorial Reform of the Albanian Parliament. Special interest was dedicated to Mr Mairy also by local media. One of the most popular TV stations, Top-Channel, conducted a special interview with him on the presentation of local governance in Switzerland and the conducting of processes in a country with marked democratic approaches toward decision-making. 

(For more click http://bigbrother.top-channel.tv/lajme/artikull.php?id=312041)

Albania is currently in the consolidation phase of the Administrative and Territorial Reform, which started this year by sharply reducing the number of Local Government Units from 384 to 61 new municipalities. Soon it is expected the approval of a new law on the organization and functioning of local government, which will aim to extend the range of functions and responsibilities of local government. A challenge remains in the aspect of funds decentralization as regards responsibilities, which until now has hampered the regular conducting of responsibilitiesfrom local government. Decentralization remains a dynamic process and DLDP is engaged on continuing the support of local government in this transitory phase, striving to influence politics being compiled by the central government. The distribution of best practices established by the field work of DLDP, combined with the excellent experience of Swiss experts, remains the main strategy of this program for the years to come.