The European Union and the Council of Europe joint Action against Economic Crime in Albania is supporting the relevant authorities in establishing the Asset Recovery Office (ARO) in Albania. In view of this ongoing assistance, the Action initiated the review of the draft law on ARO to identify any gaps and inconsistencies with the view to bring the legal provisions closer to the international standards and European good practices.  

In this framework, two online consultative meetings were held on 21 and 22 November 2023 with domestic counterparts to discuss the initial findings of the review.

The establishment of ARO marks an important milestone for Albania, not only in terms of strengthening criminal justice and the fight against economic crime, but also as a priority in the EU integration process and harmonisation of the domestic legal framework with the EU acquis.

The ARO in close co-operation with national and international bodies will contribute to identifying and tracing the proceeds of crime and other unlawful assets, and exchange practices with other European similar structures. The Inter-Institutional Working Group spearheaded by the representatives of the Ministry of Interior and General State Police is steering this legislative process, which aims to be concluded by the end of 2023. Relevant public authorities such as the Ministry of Justice, General Prosecution Office, Special Prosecution Office against Organized Crime, Financial Intelligence Agency, Agency for Administration of Seized and Confiscated Assets are contributing in this process.

The Action against Economic Crime in Albania is part of the Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye III, a joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe, which aims at assisting Beneficiaries in the Western Balkans region and Türkiye to comply with the Council of Europe standards and the European Union acquis in the framework of the enlargement process, when relevant.