With the signing of the agreement, it becomes possible for a grant of about 12 million Euros from the governments of Switzerland and Sweden to join the contribution of about 2 million Euros from the government of Albania to support further reforms and increase the capacities of local government.
‘This agreement marks a continuation of the fruitful cooperation that is contributing to the strengthening of local autonomy and the improvement of services for citizens. Our focus remains on helping municipalities to increase their income, decision-making based on data and the training of local staff', said the Minister of State for Local Government, Arbjan Mazniku.
"We are looking to create a governance model that is responsive to the needs of the people. The aim is more effective and more efficient services to citizens and concerted actions between administration and municipal councils', said Swiss Ambassador Ruth Huber.
While Swedish Ambassador Niklas Ström explained Sweden's involvement in this project: 'We joined the project because we believe in its approach, and that it’s trying to address real needs of municipalities in improving service delivery and strengthening local democracy. Local democracy and autonomy and of openness and accountability of public administration are the values that we would like to see materialized for Albanian citizens, through this Strong Municipalities project’.
The "Strong Municipalities" project has been supporting the decentralization strategy and strengthening the capacities of municipalities and municipal councils since 2019. In the first phase, the contribution includes increasing the transparency of municipalities and municipal councils through live broadcasts of municipal council meetings, as well as the introduction of request and complaint mechanisms. The project established for the first time an alliance of women in municipal councils that transcends political divisions and works for the advancement of gender equality in local government.
In this new phase, the project will work closely with the Minister of State for Local Government as well as with the 61 municipalities in the country, to increase capacity for services such as preschool education, waste management, municipal council functions, and measuring the performance of municipalities. The project will also strengthen the supervisory and advisory role of the municipality's administration, as well as communication with citizens.
'Strong Municipalities' started as a project of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC and now has the support of the Swedish Agency for Development and International Cooperation SIDA, and the Minister of State for Local Government.
