OSCE organizes study visit to Austria for Albanian anti-corruption authorities

A dozen of high-level representatives of Albanian anti-corruption authorities concluded a four-day study visit to Austrian institutions on 24 March 2017. The activity was organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania as part of a project funded by the Central European Initiative (CEI) with the aim of supporting anti-corruption capacity building and the exchange of good practices.

The Albanian delegation was composed of a Member of the Parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee and senior officials from the main anti-corruption institutions, such as the National Co-ordinator against Corruption, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Interior/State Police, the Public Procurement Agency, the High Inspectorate for Declaration and Audit of Assets and Conflict of Interest, the General Prosecutor’s Office, the General Directorate for the Prevention of Money Laundering, the Department of Institutions Oversight at the Albanian Parliament, as well as Albanian School of Public Administration.

During the visit the Albanian delegation participated in a two-day custom-tailored training course at the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA) and attended a lecture at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). In addition, a bilateral working meeting was held with the Austrian anti-corruption authorities, in co-ordination with the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities.

The participants gained advanced knowledge of transnational co-operation in fighting corruption, anti-corruption policy co-ordination and monitoring mechanisms, as well as of effective proactive investigation of corruption cases. The Albanian authorities shared their experiences with the Austrian counterparts and vice versa. They were encouraged to enhance inter-institutional co-operation and to incorporate best practices of law implementation into the fight against corruption, thus improving the mechanisms to prevent and eradicate this phenomenon.

The study visit is a continuation of the Presence’s activities in support of the fight against corruption. It was designed in conjunction with the Albanian National Co-ordinator against Corruption and other public anti-corruption authorities, based on their needs to further increase inter-institutional co-ordination and co-operation.