Friends of Albania group holds inaugural meeting
When
Where
The OSCE provided the overall framework for the Group, and chaired, together with the European Union, its plenary sessions. The Group acted as a forum for information sharing, consultation and co-ordination on political, financial, economic and security-related matters in Albania.
The Donor Technical Secretariat replaced the Group in December 2003. Besides the OSCE, it includes the World Bank, the European Commission and the UNDP, each co-ordinating donors in a specific sector. The OSCE Presence in Albania is responsible for co-ordination of issues related to democratization and human rights.
Earlier in the year, Albania's economy and stability had suffered greatly from the collapse of pyramid schemes, robbing many citizens of their life savings. Albania's future prospects, however, were brighter as a result of a Donors' Meeting in Brussels on 22 October, which supported investment and technical assistance requests by the government.