In a recommendation adopted today at its 51st plenary session, the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities calls on Albania to strengthen local self-government, ensure meaningful public participation in decisions affecting local communities and provide municipalities with the resources and autonomy they need to fulfil their responsibilities.
The recommendation was adopted by the Congress based on a report by Anders Knape (Sweden, EPP/CCE) and Sören Schumacher (Germany, SOC/G/PD) on the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Albania. While noting the government’s positive stated objective of strengthening decentralisation and modernising the municipal system, the report expresses concern that the consultation process for the municipal mergers proposed under the administrative-territorial reform does not appear to have provided for the meaningful and timely participation of residents of the communities concerned in the decision-making process, as would be consistent with the spirit of Article 5 of the Charter. It also notes the continued centralisation of competences, limited municipal financial, administrative and human resources, and the lack of autonomy of counties.
The report underlines the need to implement the reform in accordance with the principles of subsidiarity and decentralisation, to ensure inclusive and effective consultation on local self-government matters, including local boundary changes, to strengthen municipalities’ financial and administrative capacities and decision-making autonomy, and to improve conditions of service for local government employees.
The Congress invited Albania to ensure that local governments have a significantly greater role in providing key local public services and that the financial resources allocated to local authorities are commensurate with the costs of their assigned responsibilities. It recommended granting local authorities greater decision-making autonomy, reviewing the allocation of non-earmarked grants, and making the financial equalisation system more transparent and effective.
Albania was also invited to organise the consultation process in a manner that ensures meaningful involvement of all associations; make sure that communities concerned by proposed boundary changes and their residents have a genuine opportunity to express their views and that consultation outcomes are given due consideration before any final decision is taken; and consider introducing direct election of county council members to strengthen their democratic legitimacy and role as a tier of local self-government.
Finally, the Congress invited Albania to reinforce the framework for citizens’ participation in local public affairs by ratifying the Additional Protocol to the European Charter of Local Self-Government on the right to participate in the affairs of a local authority (CETS No. 207), which the country signed in 2016.
This report constitutes the fourth review of the implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government since its ratification by Albania in 2000.
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