Albania Country Strategy paper : European Community CARDS Programme

As provided for in the CARDS regulation, the Country Strategy Paper (CSP) provides the strategic framework in which EC assistance will be provided in the period 2000-2006. It sets out EU co-operation objectives, policy response, and priority fields of co-operation based on a thorough assessment of the partner country’s policy agenda and political and socio-economic situation. The multi-annual indicative programme (MIP) and forming an integral part thereof attached to the strategy sets out the EU response in more detail, highlighting programme objectives, expected results and conditionality in the priority fields of co-operation for the period 2002-2004. Albania is a full participant in the Stabilisation and Association Process. Albania is a Parliamentary Republic which undertook the road of reform in late 1991. Initial steps were adversely affected by a severe socio-economic crisis in 1997, which led to the collapse of the institutional order and caused a serious setback to the reform process. The difficult regional situation, particularly the Kosovo crisis in 1999, which provoked a huge flow of refugees into Albania (almost 500,000), together with an extremely divisive political scene and rather weak state institutions, has prevented Albania achieving a greater degree of reform and development during the last decade. Notably after the 1999 Kosovo crisis, the reform process resumed. Albania experienced a period of strong economic growth from 1992 to the downturn caused by the 1997 pyramid scheme crisis, before reviving again in early 2000. The main challenges facing the country over the medium-term are: ensuring public order and efficiently combating organised crime, fraud and corruption, enhancing the implementation of the rule of law through an improved judiciary and state administration, improving the socio-economic situation and ensuring progressive approximation towards the EC acquis. ...