Albania’s Parliament signs memorandum of understanding with OSCE and the Swiss Embassy

An agrement between the OSCE, the Embassy of Switzerland and Kuvendi i Shqipërise opens the way for a new project in support of the Parliament due to start in September. ‘Support to Parliament and Civic Education in Albania’ – PACEP – will seek to improve the functioning of Albania’s main legislative institution.
The Speaker of Parliament Gramoz Ruçi together with the Secretary General of the OSCE Thomas Gremminger and the Swiss Ambassador Christoph Graf, signed today a memorandum of understanding that pledges a close collaboration and support to the Parliament.
“The purpose of this memorandum is to support the Parliament of Albania to improve its law-making and supervising functions, and to support the Parliament’s administration in accordance with its functions”, said the Speaker of Parliament Gramoz Ruçi.
“The importance of this project is that it is based on the best international practices to strengthen the accountability of the Parlament towards the Albanian citizens. After its adoption the challenge is now to implement it. Together with the Albanian Parliament and the Swiss Embassy we have identified the further necessary steps to strengthen the Parliament and its relations with the citizens”, said the Secretary General of the OSCE, Thomas Gremminger who is in Albania for his first official visit.
“I am hopeful that at the end of this project – PACEP – the Parliament will represent better the citizens’ will and concerns, it will supervise better the executive part of the government, and it will make better and broader consulted laws”, stated the Swiss Ambassador Christoph Graf after the signing.
The memorandum lays the foundation for cooperation between the OSCE and the Parliament backed with Swiss funding and expertise, to support the Parliament during the next four years. This support will go towards improving the Parliament’s three-fold role: representing the voters; making laws based on broader consensus, and overseeing the work of the government. In addition to working directly with the Parliament, the new project will also aim at educating the public for a more active civic role that means more space and opportunities for citizens to hold elected MPs accountable.
OSCE Presence in Albania has worked to increase the capacities of Albania’s Parliament since 2002 by improving its administration and decision-making structures, upgrading its procedures and practices, and enabling exchanges with other parliaments.
The new project is part of the Swiss Cooperation Strategy for the years 2018-2021 and it is the first time Swiss support extends to the highest legislative body in the country. The funding comes from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, SDC.