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
The Regional Conference “Green Economy and Sustainable Development”
On May 27-28, 2021, the EDEN Center held the regional online conference “Green Economy and Sustainable Development”, organized with a series of panels and discussions by participants from all Western Balkan countries.
About 30 panelists in the two-day conference sessions shared their insights and experience and discussed the involvement of CSOs in the transition to a green economy; fostering networking of actors, CSOs and youth to improve the environment and mechanisms for state-civil dialogue at all levels; building bridges of future initiatives for green relocation of the region; raising public awareness of the importance of environmental protection, green economy, green entrepreneurship and sustainable development. For more follow the live activity here
Ms. Ariola Agolli, Manager of Resource Centre, moderator of the panel on environmental CSO networking for a sustainable region, facilitated discussions between panelists and participants. Supporting and assisting CSO networks has been one of the important components of the Resource Centre activities for two years now, aiming at their empowerment and effective
advocacy in the areas the Network’s operate.
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Training program “Fiscal framework for NPOs – VAT refund procedure”
Based on the large number of the requests and the high interest from civil society organizations for information and assistance related to some aspects of the fiscal framework and in particular on the VAT refund procedure, on September 28, 2021 we developed a training program on this topic.
About 30 representatives of civil society organizations from all across the country were informed, discussed and increased their practical knowledge on the implementation of the VAT refund procedure by focusing on legal changes in Instruction no. 34 dated 05.12.2019 “On a change in the Instruction no. 6, dated 30.01.2015 “On value added tax in the Republic of Albania”, as amended, which clarifies the procedure of VAT refund for grants that NPOs receive from foreign donors. The
Application procedure for VAT reimbursement Certificate, application procedure for VAT reimbursement, accompanying documentation and main deadlines were some of the issues addressed throughout the training program.
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University to Society Cooperation in Albania
On November 25, 2021, the Center Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV) presented in a roundtable with representatives from the government, academic institutions, civil society, media and business, the findings of the study “University to society cooperation in Albania”.
The study shows that in Albania there are few cases of well-institutionalized, promoted and sustainable cooperation between universities and other actors in society. Key factors hindering university-society collaboration include the lack or low level of funding for research and the lack of a strategy (by all actors) for pursuing collaborative projects on a sustainable basis.
Mrs. Ariola Agolli, Manager of National Resource Centre at Partners Albania, as part of the panel stressed the importance of cooperation between universities and civil society in joint research projects and the development of strategic and sustainable partnerships, to increase the efficiency of interventions and maximize resources and contribution of academic institutions and civil society organizations. Read more
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The EU Delegation is preparing a Call for Proposals to be launched at the beginning of 2020, with the aim to support two priorities:
- Active Citizenship for Transparency and Accountability
- EU Agenda for Children’s Rights
The EU Delegation is interested in collecting ideas and suggestions to improve this call for proposals.
Consultation period: 10 December 2019 (launch) – 17 January 2020 (deadline)
Topics: 1) Active Citizenship for Transparency and Accountability and 2) Children’s Rights Agenda.
Organised by: EU Delegation to Albania
VOLUNTEERING IN THE WESTERN BALKANS AND TURKIYE
The event was held in Tirana on March 28-29 and welcomed 34 CSO representatives from 6 Western Balkan countries and Turkey. As part of it, representatives of CSOs shared their experiences in working with volunteers, discussed organisational challenges and the legal and regulatory environment in their countries, as well as addressing challenges related to the recognition, support, and sustainability of volunteering in the region.
As part of the event panel, Ariola Agolli, Manager of the National Resource Centre, Partners Albania presented an overview of the legal framework for volunteering in the countries of the Western Balkans, the issues and challenges in implementation, following specifically in the case of Albania and the advocacy initiative already facilitated for two years by the Resource centre, in cooperation with a group of organisations for the change and improvement of the legal framework in Albania.
“Agenda for Action” was the summary prepared at the end of the event, which includes recommendations on improving policies, strategies, and the legal framework; support from the donor community, the EU, governments in the region, and other agencies; as well as the support that CSOs themselves can provide in the development of volunteerism.
Workshop on Transparency Standards
The National Democratic Institute (NDI) organized a meeting on “Open Parliament” on November 23. As part of it, representatives of civil society organizations and experts discussed issues related to transparency, civic engagement and parliamentary decision-making. The creation of a space for a well-structured dialogue between the Assembly and civil society was emphasized during the discussions as a solution to increase citizens’ trust in institutions. Other meetings and activities are expected in order to establish cooperation between the Assembly and civil society and the media.
Read more about the meeting
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