National Conference of Civil Society in Albania
On December 4, 2020, the National Resource Center for Civil Society in Albania organised the National Conference of Civil Society in Albania.
The conference brought together over 130 representatives of civil society organizations, networks and civil society activists, as well as representatives of state institutions, donors and international organizations, to discuss issues related to the development of the sector and its role in policy-making, strengthening of democracy and in social economic development of the country.
In her greeting speech Ms. Ariola Agolli, Program Director for Partners Albania and Resource Center Manager emphasized that: “In this second year of its activity, the Resource Center comes with an increased and more consolidated role in the sector as a civil society platform at the national level, supporting sector capacity building, strengthening political dialogue and advocacy efforts for an enabling environment and beyond. The support of the Center is an important strategic investment in support of the non-profit sector in the country, not simply and only in the context of strengthening the latter for its role in strengthening democracy, the rule of law, economic development, social inclusion and as service provider, but also as a supporter of political dialogue closely related to the agenda of European integration and its advancement.”
The conference was greeted by H.E. Mr. Luigi Soreca, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Albania who during his speech said: “Civil society involvement in policy-making is essential but currently unsatisfactory in Albania. Public authorities should ensure the participation of civil society in reform processes. Important efforts are still needed to have effective consultation processes with civil society before legislation is adopted. Consultation that are not done consistently and coherently, may compromise the quality of new laws and future steps in the accession process”.
Organised in two main sessions, in the introductory panel, the conference provided an overview of the sector development on three aspects:
(1) The shrinking space for civil society, enabling environment and the role of sector in the path toward EU Accession
(2) Rule of Law, democracy and participation in policy making and legislative processes
(3) Fundamental rights, freedom of expression and media
followed by 3 thematic discussions, further exploring the main problems, challenges and perspectives of the issues presented as part of the previous introductory panel.
During the second session of the Conference “Open Space Discussion” participants discussed in 8 thematic workshops, on issues proposed by the organizations themselves at the conference. The workshops were led by
the proposing organizations aiming to generate discussion in the sector and exploring together ways of collaborations to advance issues and dialogue with institutions and other actors.
At the end of the conference, a document was drafted with summaries of presentations and discussions in panels, as well as discussions and recommendations in groups and thematic workshops.
The document was widely shared with all stakeholders involved in the conference and other actors at the center of the discussions, as well as with other stakeholders and the general public.
In the following, based on it, will be discussed with other actors and institutions to follow up on issues raised and recommendations given.
Read the full Conference paper here with a summary of the discussions and recommendations
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National Conference of Civil Society in Albania 2020-Summary Document
Following the National Conference of Civil Society, held on December 4, 2020, the Conference Summary Document with the main discussions and recommendations.
The Conference brought together, in a virtual meeting, about 135 representatives from civil society organizations, networks and activists, as well as representatives from the donor community and international organizations in the country, to discuss sector developments in the last two years and beyond, concerning the political, social and economic developments in the country, the political dialogue and the current state of art with regard to the progress made and the challenges on the road to the country’s integration into the EU.
This document is widely shared with civil society organizations, donors and international institutions in the country and abroad, the National Council for Civil Society, the National Council for European Integration, the Albanian Parliament, the Prime Minister, Ministries, Municipalities, the Agency for Civil Society Support, The People’s Advocate, the Commissioner for the Right to Information and Personal Data Protection, the Commissioner for against Discrimination, other institutions, as well as the media and the general public.
In the following months, the document will be discussed with other actors and institutions, in view of following up on issues raised by the CSOs and on their respective recommendations.
Read the full Conference paper here with a summary of the discussions and recommendations
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Strengthening CSO networks and coalitions in Albania for more initiatives and greater impact
The Centre has continued even in this quarterly to provide support to further strengthening the capacity of networks, coalitions and formal and informal groupings of CSOs, through the technical assistance program. So far, as part of the program the networks have been assisted in:
National Climate Network – internal consolidation of the network through the drafting of a Strategic Plan and the drafting of an Advocacy Plan on the initiative for drafting the climate law in Albania.
Young Professionals Network – drafting a Strategic Plan for network development in the next three years.
Civil Forum Selenica – drafting a Fundraising Plan, in support of their advocacy initiatives and drafting human resources policies.
The grouping for the development of volunteering has continued with meetings and assistance on volunteering the legal framework.
In addition to mentoring and assistance sessions specifically designed based on the needs and priorities of the networks, as part of the training programs, the Centre has also conducted several trainings for member organizations of the networks in project proposals writing and fundraising. For more details on the results and beneficiaries of the assistance program read here.
The Centre continues to cooperate with networks and support them to facilitate communication processes with institutions in the country, other organizations and experts, to address issues in focus of network’s activity.
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Study Visits of the NPO Academy 2020 participants
This year of the NPO Academy 2020 brings us to virtual meetings and introductory visits to important public and private institutions. As part of Academy visits, participants had the opportunity to discuss with representatives of:
ONE Telecommunications , Mrs. Sibel Pipa and Mr. Verdi Norja, the support and contribution that provides to CSOs for their initiatives on opportunities for bilateral cooperation ;
Albanian Parliament , Mrs. Ejona Manjani, structures, procedures for the involvement of NPOs in the consultation processes, as well as the intersectoral cooperation;
National Council for Civil Society, Mr. Blendi Dibra, the undertaken work and initiatives by the Council during its mandate, focusing on the challenges encountered.
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The Graduation Ceremony of the NPO Academy 2020 participants
The closing of the NPO Academy program, culminates with the graduation ceremony that this year was held on December 20, 2020. Although under the anti-Covid-19 measures, participants now Alumni, got together to crown a year of efforts and investment in increasing their individual knowledge as well as further organizational consolidation of their organization. During the ceremony, the graduated participants expressed their appreciation for participating in this program, focusing on the opportunities offered by the program activities such as networking and exchange of experiences between participants not only for issues of development and organizational sustainability but also for further knowledge on developments within the sector.
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The Law “On the central register of bank accounts”
From January 2021 entered into force the Law “On the central register of bank accounts”. The main subject of the law is the financial institutions, but it has a direct effect on all legal entities, including NPOs.
In October 2020, after been informed about the draft law and getting acquainted with it, in cooperation with experts and a group of organizations, we analyzed the draft law and its impact on the non-profit sector and drafted a Legal Opinion which was sent to the Ministry of Finance and Economy to address the problematic issues raised. The Opinion was also widely shared with civil society organizations, donors and other institutions.
After the adoption of the Law, we found that a small part of the recommendations are reflected in the law, respectively:
(1) Article 8 point 2 of the Law does not explicitly provide that the accounts of NPOs and their respective data will be part of the Register. However, the term ‘legal entity’ also includes NPOs.
(2) Article 8 point 4 has an express provision which enables the Register not to keep data on the amounts of bank accounts.
(3) The term ‘multi-purpose’ in the article defining the Register as a database has been removed.
(4) Article 10 does not expressly provide for the right of the General Directorate of Taxation (GDT) to conduct on-site or remote inspections.
These are issues accepted and changed. Meanwhile, other suggestions regarding the body that administers the Register, the rights of the institutions interested in receiving info, etc., do not respect the constitutional guarantees related to them. The maintenance and administration of the Register by an executive body such as the General Directorate of Taxes (GDT) and the GDT’s right to provide information to interested institutions without court confirmation are the most vulnerable points of the law. Especially for these points, the law can be subject to review by the Constitutional Court, set in motion by the subjects that legitimize themselves to address this court.
The adopted law has many other points that are contrary to other laws and the basic principles of establishing structures of state institutions (identified in the legal analysis of NPOs in October 2020).
For more information find HERE the full Opinion
