World Bank: Albania, most corrupted

“The perception of corruption, in the sense of those who offer bribes, has reduced in the last three years, according to our studies, but it is still higher than the neighboring countries. There is still much to do for this”, declared Jane Armitage, the director of the World Bank for Southeastern Europe.

The Prime Minister Berisha declared that the government has made great efforts in the war against corruption, mentioning a series of reforms that according to him are fighting it.

“The achievements are undeniable. This is the only country in Europe that has doubled taxes revenues from 2004 to 2009. This is the first country in the world that established the system of 100% electronic procurements, based on the help received by USAID”, Berisha declared.

But Armitage declared that the procurement law is very good, but what’s important is its implementation:

“Businesses say that transparency in procurement has increased, but some of them raise the concern that it is not being fully implemented in some areas”, Armitage declared.

The Director of the World Bank for the Southeastern Europe visited Tirana for presenting a series of reports and studies related to the Albanian governing. One of the hottest points she raised after corruption, was that of the property issue.

“The security of the right to property is essential. This is a matter that affects all regional countries. There is a wide consensus between all factors saying that this is a sector where Albania should accelerate the reforms”, the director declared.

The Bank says that decreasing corruption and finding a solution for property issues is vital for not letting the economy plunge deeper in the vortex of crisis and insecurities that derive from the EU debt crisis.

“Everyone is concerned that the debt crises in the Eurozone and the low interest rates will hit the regional developing economies. Albania is very connected with the economic prosperity of Western Europe. The norms of economic increase are not as they used to be and it is important for the government to reduce the public debt. For this they must manage a budget with a higher deficit than 3%”, Armitage declared.

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