The Council of Europe officially launched two new co-operation projects in Albania. Co-funded by Switzerland and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe, these projects will support Albania’s reform agenda in tackling financial crime.
The project “Enhancing Public Sector Resilience against Corruption”, co-funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Council of Europe, aims to strengthen public institutions’ resilience against corruption and improve asset recovery and management, thereby fostering greater public trust and promoting the social reuse of confiscated assets.
The project “Countering Money Laundering in Albania”, co-funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Council of Europe, aims to strengthen the prevention of and fight against money laundering and terrorist financing through a strategic, risk-based approach, targeting both public authorities and the private sector.
Bringing together high-level representatives of the Council of Europe, the Swiss Embassy, Albanian public institutions and civil society organisations, the event provided an opportunity to present the projects’ strategic objectives, key areas of intervention and to outline the anticipated support for the Albanian public institutions in the areas of anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and the enhancement of asset recovery and management.
In his opening remarks, Mr Gianluca Esposito, Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe, highlighted that the two projects support Albania’s reform efforts by strengthening the effective implementation of integrity and anti-money laundering frameworks, underlining that sustainable progress depends on institutions delivering results in practice, in line with European standards and Albania’s European path.
The Swiss Ambassador, H.E. Ruth Huber, highlighted that an effective anti-money laundering system protects the economy, supports fair competition and is essential for Albania’s European path. Switzerland remains a committed and reliable partner for Albania’s development. We believe that investing in integrity, transparency and the rule of law is investing in Albania’s future.
Panel discussions addressed key dimensions of Albania’s efforts to strengthen its anti-corruption and anti-money laundering frameworks. Exchanges focused on moving from individual integrity tools towards more coherent integrity systems, as well as on recent developments and lessons learned from EU member states in the recovery, management and social reuse of criminal assets. Discussions also highlighted evolving anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing standards and their implications for national frameworks, with particular attention to risk-based oversight of non-financial businesses and professions, and good practices in this area.
The launching event underlined the shared commitment of the Council of Europe, Swiss partners and Albanian counterparts to sustained collaboration in supporting Albania’s ongoing reforms.