Taking into account the strong impact of corruption on the rule of law, citizens’ trust in democracy and a country’s social and economic development, the Council of Europe has promoted the effective application of standards for ethical behaviour of officeholders, including by encouraging the commitment at the highest political level within the public sector to these standards. 

In order to contribute to building a strong culture of integrity, the Action against Economic Crime held three consecutive training sessions in close cooperation with the Albanian Ministry of Justice, on 12-14 December 2022. The aim of these trainings was to raise awareness and knowledge of 38 political advisers of the Ministers’ Cabinet and the Prime Minister’s Office, on the practical application of the existing legal requirements in the area of ethics, prevention of conflict of interests and integrity.

During these capacity building activities, the experts explained through concrete examples the general principles and rules of national legislation and the international standards and practices, including Council of Europe recommendations and guidelines on ethics and integrity of public officials. 

Further to these trainings, the Action provided technical expertise to prepare two Explanatory Manuals on conflict of interests and gifts and preferential treatment which would enable the more effective implementation of the Albanian Ministerial Code of Ethics. Both these initiatives address one of the recommendations of the Fifth Evaluation Round of GRECO Report for Albania.  

The Action against Economic Crime in Albania is part of the “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey II”, a joint programme of the European Union and Council of Europe, which aims at assisting beneficiaries in the Western Balkans region and Turkey to comply with the Council of Europe standards and European Union acquis in the framework of the enlargement process.