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Current Issue
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Quarterly Newsletter No.4 November 2009 - January 2010
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 Click here to download the print version of the newsletter. |
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Dear readers,
The School of Magistrates is an institution that focuses on training judges and prosecutors. This process is implemented in collaboration with local and international institutional partners. The School has found in the Millennium Challenge Corporation Albania Threshold Program II (MCCA2) a valuable partner in completing its mission. This fruitful cooperation began during the first stage of this Program.
Given MCCA2’s emphasis on supporting the establishment of the administrative court system in Albania, the main thrust of our cooperation is the design of curricula and preparation of training courses for new and career judges in this area. The School’s twelve year experience, coupled with the international expertise and support offered by MCCA2, make up the necessary ingredients for ensuring quality results.
Some of the courses currently under development include: the draft law on the organization and functioning of administrative justice, administrative procedures and decision-making by government bodies, organization and functioning of court administration, the electronic case management system, tax procedures, rules of the National Registration Center and the National Licensing Center, as well as public procurement.
While the academic cooperation continues as planned, from January 2010, the students of the School of Magistrates have also begun to participate in the functional testing of the new electronic case management system MCCA2 is building. This process is part of the overall activities that lead to creating a well-functioning system. It also gives the future magistrates an opportunity to interact with the system beforehand, as well as provide feedback that will help shape its final make-up.
Wishing MCCA2 success in fulfilling its objectives, we express our thanks and belief that the ongoing cooperation with the School of Magistrates will make a significant contribution in promoting administrative justice reform in Albania.
Sincerely,
Prof. Dr. Mariana Semini
Director of the School of Magistrates
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The Petition in Support of Administrative Courts is drawing signatures from around the country and online at:
www.po-gjykatave-administrative.org.
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BUSINESS LICENSING
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NLC expands services to the regions
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The National Licensing Center (NLC) continued to deliver on the promise to make the licensing application process easier for businesses in Albania, by expanding its one-stop-shop services in the regions. The December 14 signing ceremony of the bilateral agreement between NLC and the National Registration Center (NRC) paved the way for the opening of the licensing service windows at NRC locations in Korçë, Shkodër, and Vlorë, thus providing added convenience to businesses. With continued support from MCCA2, NLC plans to open additional service windows in the regions using both NRC service window facilities and the regional chambers of commerce.
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Witnessed by the Minister of Economy, Trade & Energy, and USAID, on December 14, 2009, the NLC and NRC Directors signed a cooperation agreement for the expansion of NLC services outside Tirana.
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TERRITORIAL PLANNING REGISTER
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Drafting the secondary legislation on territorial planning
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In October and November 2009, MCCA2 drafted secondary legislation to establish the Territorial Planning Register in Albania, pursuant to the requirements of the Law on Territorial Planning, which was enacted in April 2009. Based on international best practices and the discussions at the donors-GoA IT Working Group, this draft legislation establishes standards for use of Geographic Information System (GIS) applications for urban planning and construction permitting in conformity with European Union norms. A wide consultation process regarding this draft legislation with all the relevant stakeholders is now underway.
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Close cooperation with local partners
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The municipalities of Tirana, Shkodra, Vlora, Fier, and Pogradec signed cooperation agreements with MCCA2 to pilot test development versions of the Territorial Planning Register, envisioned as an online public portal for uploading, retrieving, displaying, and downloading legal and regulatory information maintained by the municipalities. In the meantime, software applications accessed via a central web portal in the five pilot municipalities have been rolled out and beta-tested, as well as refined and extended based on the results of the tests. MCCA2 has also begun a series of consutative workshops with representatives from the pilot municipalities and local businesses focused on the concept and implementation of the Territorial Planning Register in accordance with the Territorial Planning law and based on the application of IT solutions.
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Consultative workshop on the Territorial Planning Register with representatives from the Shkodra municipality and business community, as well as MCCA2, and the Ministry of Public Works, November 23, 2009.
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UPCOMING EVENTS: FEBRUARY - APRIL '10
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 Advocacy capacity development training for civil society organizations
Issuance of the request for proposals for the second round of CSO monitoring subcontracts
Convening of the Tax Consultative Council
Completing the legal framework for creating a Taxpayers Advocate
Establishing an ongoing client satisfaction survey at the NLC
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"With the approval of the new law on Territorial Planning, the Territorial Planning Council officials will no longer make the decisions unilaterally; instead, all development plans will now undergo a wide-based consultative process. Transparency will be the key requirement for these procedures. The implementation of the MCCA2 program will provide exactly this, ensuring that all information related to development plans, approved permits and regulations, as well as urban planning will not only be available in hard copies at the municipality offices, but also in electronic versions accessible online."
Mayor Baftjar Zeqaj at the signing ceremony of the cooperation agreement on territorial planning between the Municipality of Fier and MCCA2, November 10, 2009 |
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CONTACT US
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For questions about the project or to subscribe to this newsletter, call us or write to:
MCC Albania Threshold Program II
Project office
Classic Construction Building
“Pjetër Budi” Street, 1st floor, nr. 10
Tirana 1000, Albania
Tel: +355-4-238-0400
Fax: +355-4-238-0424
E-mail: office@mcata.org.al
PROJECT DURATION: January 2009 – January 2011
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ADMINISTRATIVE COURTS
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Wide public support for the administrative courts
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M ore than 350 representatives of the business community and civil society came together in 12 regional roundtables organized by the 34-member Coalition in Support of Administrative Courts (koalicioni@po-gjykatave-administrative.org) in Kukës, Shkodër, Dibër, Gjirokastër, Lezhë, Korçë, Elbasan, Durrës, Berat, Vlorë, Fier, and Tiranë, during November-December 2009. These roundtables informed participants about the draft law on administrative courts, currently before Parliament, and built support for its quick approval. In November, the Coalition also began collecting signatures for a petition addressed to the Speaker of the Parliament, the heads of parliamentary parties, and all elected deputies, to approve the draft-law as soon as possible, as well as to provide for the necessary budget and facilities for the future administrative courts. This petition can also be signed online at: www.po-gjykatave-administrative.org.
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A strong partnership in reforming administrative justice
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In close partnership with the Ministry of Justice and the School of Magistrates, MCCA2 conducted two successful tests of the electronic case management system that it is developing for the future administrative courts. The program also moved ahead with the drafting of training courses for future administrative court judges and staff, as well as public and private attorneys. MCCA2 is using top international and Albanian experts, and taking advantage of the know-how provided by the School of Magistrates, to develop these training courses.
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CIVIL SOCIETY ENGAGEMENT
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Monitoring e-government systems
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November 2009 marked the beginning of three new monitoring initiatives by civil society organizations (CSOs), supported by MCCA2. The program provided funding and technical assistance to the Institute for Development Research & Alternatives (IDRA), Partners Albania, and the American Chamber of Commerce in Albania (AmCham) to monitor the efficiency, transparency, fairness, and user-friendliness of several systems and institutions developed during the first stage of the MCC Albania Threshold Program, namely the NRC, the e-procurement system, and tax e-services. Within the first three months of activities:
IDRA conducted all field interviews with users and non-users of tax e-services, which will be complemented with data from in-depth interviews.
Partners Albania, building on their experience with monitoring NRC client satisfaction carried out in Spring 2008, started interviewing businesses that have visited NRC headquarters in Tirana, as well as in the seventeen NRC service windows in Tirana and other regions.
AmCham completed the preparatory work for conducting a survey and in-depth interviews with procurement authorities and bidders.
These monitoring initiatives serve to assess the progress and benefits of the new systems, as well as to identify areas for improvement. Their results are anticipated to be made public in March – May 2010.
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TAX ADMINISTRATION REFORM
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Best practices training for collection managers
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With the goal of strengthening the capacity of the Albanian tax administration to collect outstanding tax debts, MCCA2 staff conducted a two-day training seminar for all tax collection managers in December 2009. Topics included an overview of principles and enforcement tools in collections, as well as the detailing of case building processes, with specific reference to the content and format of the newly designed “balance due” and “stop file” cases. In order to ensure further knowledge dissemination, the seminar also focused on the role of managers in the professional development of tax collection employees.
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E-filing: Simple and quick
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In support of Albanian government efforts to promote e-filing as a simple, quick, and transparent way to declare taxes, MCCA2 assisted the General Department of Taxation (GDT) to upgrade their IT infrastructure, including the purchase of additional servers, so that they can better serve the increasing number of e-filers throughout Albania. In addition, the program worked with GDT to provide taxpayers with an easy guide to e-filing, which offers step-by-step instructions on how to submit tax declarations online and get help when needed. In January 2010, a total of twenty thousand copies of the e-filing brochure were distributed to all fifteen tax offices in Albania.
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