Albania
News and blog
Supporting the Health For All Programme in Albania
An expert from the Basel Institute's Public Governance Division has provided technical support to the "Health For All Programme HAP Albania", led by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute. The aim of the programme is to assist Albania with the development of an anti-corruption strategy in association with their efforts at strengthening primary health care in the country.
Basel Institute to provide technical support to health reform project in Albania
The Basel Institute has been requested to provide technical expertise and support on a public governance project aimed at supporting Albania’s efforts to reform its health system “Support to Health Reform for Inclusive Access and Better Quality of Service Program in Albania” . The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute STPH is spearheading the project with funding support from the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation SDC . The Institute’s role will include support in setting up and implementing a citizens/patients complaint and transparency system and relating the systems to broader institutional roles and responsibilities of local NGOs, the Ministry of Health and its affiliates, prefectures and districts, as well as civil society.
Publications
Basel AML Index briefing: Albania's delisting from the FATF grey list
A Basel AML Index briefing following the decision of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to remove Albania from its list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring (“grey list”) in October 2023.
The briefing covers the main issues that led to Albania being grey-listed in February 2020, the action plan developed to address them, and publicly available data on how it was implemented.
About jurisdiction briefings
As part of the FATF assessment process, a jurisdiction may be placed on a “grey list” (subject to increased monitoring) or “black list” (a high-risk jurisdiction subject to a call for action). This follows identified failings in how the jurisdiction addresses its money laundering and terrorist financing risks. Being placed on the FATF’s grey or black lists has a negative impact on a jurisdiction’s investment climate, trade and capital flows.
The Basel AML Index Expert Edition dashboard highlights a jurisdiction’s placement on the FATF grey or black lists for informational purposes, but these lists are not used when calculating its overall risk score.
As an additional service, from June 2022 the Basel AML Index started to publish special briefings on jurisdictions delisted from the grey or black lists.
Learn more about the Basel AML Index at: index.baselgovernance.org
(Forthcoming) Working Paper 49: Dirty deals – Case studies on corruption in waste management and trade
Waste management is an essential public service and a huge industry at the local, national and international levels. Getting it right is essential if we are to achieve a circular economy and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Complex legal frameworks and their weak implementation open up spaces for criminals to profit from illegally managing or trading in waste. The consequences on the environment and human health can be severe. The role of corruption in crimes involving waste is unexplored.
An initial analysis shows the potential for corruption to play a role in:
- influencing policy decisions involving waste management;
- corrupt deals involving the selection of waste management companies linked to powerful elites;
- schemes to gain lucrative waste management contracts through systematic bribery;
- illegal imports of hazardous substances for profit, avoiding or suppressing formal controls.
The report explores five case studies (Albania, Lebanon, North Macedonia, Canada–Philippines, US–South America) and proposes a typology of corruption patterns in crimes involving waste management and trade.
About the report
This report is part of the Environmental Corruption Deep Dive Series, a multidisciplinary research project of the Green Corruption programme at the Basel Institute on Governance. The series is made possible by the generous support of the Principality of Liechtenstein.
It is also part of the Basel Institute on Governance Working Paper Series, ISSN: 2624-9650. You may share or republish the report under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence.
Fighting Corruption in the Western Balkans and Turkey: Priorities for Reform
Since the early 1990s, with the ever-increasing prospect of integration into the European Union, the countries of the Western Balkans and Turkey have taken important steps to develop and strengthen their anti-corruption systems. Progress has been slow, however, and the implementation of laws and policies lags far behind what is envisaged on paper.
This report is based on the findings of in-depth research into anti-corruption efforts conducted by Transparency International chapters and partners in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey between 2014 and 2015. Focusing in particular on the justice and law enforcement system, political system and non-state sectors, it highlights common trends and challenges across the region and provides the governments of these countries with a set of priorities for reform.
Working Paper 14: Using money laundering investigations to fight corruption in developing countries
Anti-money laundering systems have the potential to curb the use of proceeds of corruption and other crimes by the perpetrators. An effectively implemented anti-money laundering framework limits the channels through which illicit funds can be laundered, making crime riskier and reducing the incentives for corrupt activities.
However, those who stand to benefit from corruption have strong incentives to block anti-money laundering programmes. In addition, these programmes face significant obstacles to effectiveness in most developing countries. Relevant institutions do not trust each other sufficiently to share information necessary for investigations. Counties lack qualified staff and necessary resources, and slow bureaucratic procedures are unable to keep up with the speed of financial transactions.
This paper explores these and other domestic obstacles and suggests strategies to overcome them, based on an analysis of the situations in Albania and Tanzania.
About this Working Paper
This paper is part of the Basel Institute on Governance Working Paper Series, ISSN: 2624-9650.