Joint Border Crossing Point Between Albania and Montenegro
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ISSUE No. 17, Monthly E-briefing - April 2008 A Joint Effort of the Donor Technical Secretariat and the Department of Strategy and Donor Coordination www.keshilliministrave.al www.aidharmonisation.org.al Photo: Kick-off ceremony of the Joint Border Crossing Point Muriqan/Sokobine - Prime Minister Sali Berisha, the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic, the Head of the EC Delega- tion to Albania, Ambassador Helmuth Lohan, laying the symbolic bricks (Photo: Delegation of European Commission) . Joint Border Crossing Point between In this issue • Joint Border Crossing Point Albania and Montenegro between Albania and Montenegro • Government and Donor response to Gërdec tragedy The European Commission Maurer; as well as the Ministers of Interior, • International Consortium finances 1.1 million Euros for Finance, Foreign Affairs, European Plenary Meeting in Tirana construction of the Joint Border Integration from both countries. The • Policy Forums in Burrel and construction of the Joint Border Crossing Crossing Point between Albania Elbasan Point Muriqan/Sokobine, the first one and Montenegro • Procurement goes online in in the Western Balkans, will facilitate Albania On 21 April 2008, the ‘kick-off’ ceremony co-operation between both countries, • TACTA Project kick-off was held in the presence of Prime will help to smooth the problems arising • New programme in support Minister Sali Berisha, the Prime Minister from their proximity, will contribute to of Albanian youth of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic, the the social and economic development in • Albania becomes part of Head of the EC Delegation to Albania, the border area and will help to safeguard MATRA Programme Ambassador Helmuth Lohan, and the environment, to prevent and fight • EBRD Donor Report 2008: the Head of the EC Delegation to against organized crime, ensuring efficient Real people & real change Montenegro, Ambassador Leopold and secure borders and promoting local • 2008 DAC Survey on Monitoring the Paris Declaration 2 Government Joint Border Crossing Point between and Donors Albania and Montenegro response to Gërdec tragedy On 11 April 2008, upon the request of the Minister of the Interior, Bujar Nishani, the Donor Technical Secretariat (DTS) held a donor co-ordination meeting that discussed the aid requirements with regard to the Gërdec incident. The meeting was addressed by the Emergency Co-ordinator in the Ministry of Interior, Alfred Olli, who outlined the events surrounding the incident, the short term responses and the Government’s medium and long term plans. The meeting was chaired by the European Commission Delegation, in their capacity as DTS Chair. On 21 April 2008, in response to this meeting, the Prime Minister, Sali Berisha, issued an order that established the Inter-institutional Working Photo: Kick-off ceremony of the Joint Border Crossing Point Muriqan/Sokobine - Prime Minister Sali Berisha, the Prime Minis- group for Donor Co-ordination ter of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic, the Head of the EC Delegation to Montenegro, Ambassador Leopold Maurer and EC Task in the Civil Emergency Cases. The Manager architect Giulia Agrosí laying the symbolic bricks (Photo: Delegation of European Commission). IWG is chaired by the Director of the Department of Strategy “people-to-people” type actions. This and Donor Co-ordination and is project is part of a major project financed composed of General Secretaries by the EC to assist in establishing an from all Line Ministries, the efficient and strengthened integrated General Director of Civil border management system. This includes Emergencies in the Ministry of some 12 Border Crossing Points with a Interior, the General Director total amount of 5.4 million Euros. The EC of KESH, the General Director has contracted 1.1 million Euros under of Water and Sanitation, the the CARDS programme to build the JBCP Director of ALUIZNI, the Muriqan/Sukobin. The EC Task Manager, Director of the Immovable architect Giulia Agrosì in charge of Property Registration Office, the integrated border management, prepared Public Internal Financial Control the event by designing symbolic items for and the Director of the Housing the ceremony. Enterprise. Government/Donor meetings are planned for May to discuss the priorities from line Co-Chairs to United UN Ambassadors from Ireland and ministries in order to receive Tanzania, currently serving as Co- financial commitments from Nations General Assembly consultations on System-wide Chairs to United Nations General donors. Assembly consultations on System- coherence visit Albania to wide coherence, visited Albania from review Delivering as One UN 30 April to 1 May 2008 to assess the work on UN reform and Delivering 3 as One UN. They met with Prime with the impacts of the Stabilization and Minister, Sali Berisha, Ministers, Association Agreement. Participants Gërdec Tragedy: international partners, civil society included the Head of the EC Delegation, representatives and the in-country UN Ambassador Helmuth Lohan, the Support from donor team to get their views on Delivering Head of Presence, Ambassador Robert as One UN. Prior to visiting Albania, Bosch, the Chair and Deputy Chair of community the Ambassadors visited Vietnam, the Assembly Committee for European Tanzania, Mozambique and Cape Integration, Ilir Meta and Genc Juka Italy contributed to Gerdec Verde, who are also piloting UN respectively, the Chair of the Socialist emergency by providing transport, reform. The Co-chairs will report to Party Parliamentary Group, Valentina medical evacuation and treatment the UN General Assembly in June Leskaj, other members of the Assembly for 17 injured people. Italy has also on whether Delivering as One UN is European Integration Committee, provided two Explosive Ordnance providing greater effectiveness of UN local MPs as well as local government, Disposal (EOD) personnel to assess development assistance in line with business, civil society representatives. the situation with protection and the national priorities. detection equipment, and other relevant materials. The EOD experts also contributed to the surface Photo: Head of EC Delegation Ambassador Helmuth Lohan Parliamentarians and Elbasan and chair Socialist Movement for Integration Ilir Meta at clearing in Zones Two and Three of policy forum in Burrel on 15 April 2008. the affected areas. On March 19 2008, and Burrel communities (Photo: OSCE/Miranda Veliaj) following a Government request, the discuss challenges of European Italian Development Cooperation integration in an OSCE Office in Tirana confirmed that a Presence-organized forum group of Italian NGOs were available to offer accommodation as well as On 15 and 23 April 2008 respectively, the open space for tents, for about 40 OSCE Presence in Albania, within the persons affected by the incident. framework of its Parliamentary Support Italian NGOs also collected and Project, Phase II, in co-operation with the supplied food, clothes and other Albanian Assembly and the European equipment in the affected area. An Movement Albania, held in Burrel and Italian Cooperation expert was part Elbasan policy forums that aimed at of the UNDAC advisory team in getting the community more acquainted charge of assisting the Government in co-ordinating and supporting the assessment of short and medium term Photo: Chair of parliamentary group of Socialist Party Valentina Leskaj, Head of OSCE Presence Ambassador Robert Bosch, chair Socialist Movement for Integration Ilir Meta at policy forum in Elbasan on 23 April 2008 discussing on social needs. and economic developments that are expected to affect the region in the process of European integration. (Photo: OSCE) 4 Photo: International Consortium Plenary Meeting at Sheraton Hotel, 3 April 2008 (Photo: U.S Embassy) Public Procurement goes online in Albania Sector Related Activities On 17 April 2008, Albania carried out its second fully electronic procurement JUSTICE and HOME AFFAIRS law, the implementation of the new ASP through the new e-procurement system organizational structure, the current (EPS) developed under the Millenium obstacles facing the ASP, an update on Challenge Corporation (MCC) The International Consortium Steering Committee holds human resource management as well as Threshold Programme, administered the status of projects aimed at improving Annual Plenary by USAID, to improve transparency, efficiency. ICITAP Programme Manager, efficiency and accountability in On 3 April 2008, the International Darrel Hart, chaired the session that public procurement, while combating focused on brief reviews of the activities of corruption and promoting fair Consortium (IC) held its annual meeting in Tirana. The U.S Ambassador, John L. the working groups and outlining critical competition among businesses. The issues related to assistance and reform web-based system was built based Withers II, the Head of the EC Delegation, Ambassador Helmuth Lohan, the Head efforts. Presentations were followed on EU requirements and meets the by open discussions on how to address highest international standards in of the OSCE Presence, Ambassador Robert Bosch, the Minister of Interior, more efficiently rule of law challenges ease of use and security. The EPS now while strengthening capacities of the law includes all public tender notices in Bujar Nishani, the Deputy Chair of High Council of Justice, Kreshnik Spahiu, enforcement agencies. All Consortiums’ Albania. By eliminating paper files and activities are coordinated by ICITAP. The simplifying procedures, e-procurement