Press release 13th PAR Special Group, 21 October 2025
The 13th meeting of the Public Administration Reform Special Group between the European Union and Albania took place on 21 October 2025. The meeting was co-chaired by Ms Sigrid Brettel, Head of Unit for Albania and North Macedonia in the Directorate General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighborhood of the European Commission, and Ms. Adea Pirdeni, Minister of State for Public Administration and Anticorruption.
Participants discussed the main developments and challenges related to the implementation of the public administration reform, including the strategic framework, public service and human resources management, public finance management, policy development and coordination, accountability, and service delivery.
The Commission welcomed the progress made by Albania on its EU accession path, through the opening of five out of six negotiating clusters since the previous meeting. The Commission highlighted the need to maintain steady progress in advancing EU reforms. It underlined that progress on the fundamentals cluster, including in the area of public administration reform (PAR), will determine the overall pace of accession negotiations, and emphasised the benefits of the reform for citizens and businesses. This includes the ongoing implementation of the PAR Roadmap adopted by the authorities in 2023. The Commission stressed that capacity of public administration to design, monitor and implement EU related policies will play a crucial role in the current and next phases of accession negotiations.
When it comes to the strategic framework, the Commission welcomed the recent adoption of the Intersectoral Strategy Against Corruption 2024-2030 and the Cross-Cutting PAR Strategy 2025-2030. It took positive note that clear political steer for the PAR agenda from the Minister of State for Public Administration and Anti-Corruption continued. It encouraged the authorities to advance work on their effective implementation. It also stressed the need for additional steps to improve the monitoring and reporting processes.
Regarding public service and human resources management, the Commission stressed the importance to ensure that public administration is provided with the right capacity and structures to sustain the EU accession process and be ready to implement and enforce the EU acquis as of accession. The Commission welcomed the steps taken on the upcoming finalisation of the amendments to the Civil Service Law and reiterated the importance of ensuring that all recruitments, promotions and dismissals are merit-based and transparent. The Commission noted the finalisation of the comprehensive national salary strategy, including its extension to local administrators and encouraged the authorities to improve efforts for the professionalisation of the civil service.
In the area of public finance management, the Commission welcomed the adoption of the Medium-Term Revenue Strategy 2024-2027. It raised the issue of budget revisions done predominantly through normative acts. The Commission welcomed Albania’s efforts to further strengthen fiscal transparency and fiscal governance, and recalled the need to establish an independent fiscal oversight body.
Concerning policy development and coordination, the Commission reiterated the need to strengthen administrative capacity for evidence-based policy-making and legislative development, also in view of the preparation, adoption and review of EU accession related legal acts. It stressed the importance of increasing the use and improving the quality of regulatory impact assessments and public consultations and extending the application of these two processes to secondary legislation.
In the area of accountability, the Commission welcomed the steps taken on regulating the criteria for the establishment of subordinated bodies and to clarify accountability lines through the proposed amendments to the Law on the Organisation and Functioning of State Administration. It encouraged authorities to move forward with their adoption and subsequent consistent implementation. The Commission welcomed Albania’s adoption of the new Law on the Protection of Personal Data, in line with the EU General Data Protection Regulation. It further called for additional measures to increase transparency and improve access to information.
Finally, with respect to service delivery, the Commission welcomed the adoption of the National Interoperability Framework in line with the latest European Interoperability Framework and the continued implementation of the 2022-2026 digital agenda. It acknowledged progress made in digitalisation of public services. It emphasised that ensuring equal access for all citizens and businesses remains as a key priority. The Commission welcomed efforts to reduce administrative burden, while referring to the special laws that still need to be harmonised with the Code of Administrative Procedures.
The Government of Albania reiterated its continuous commitment to follow the progress in all these key areas by continuously implementing and monitoring the PAR agenda and ensuring the necessary degree of political steering, as a very important milestone towards meeting the EU obligations of full membership.