Author: Blerta Zilja

Open Data Albania has conducted a research on the cases of damage through exploitation to forest and pasture areas in the years 2005-2012. Estimated cases are referred by the authorities under the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Water Management. Such offences are foreseen in our Penal Code, specifically section 205, the Illegal Logging of Forests. Besides criminal offences, actions with consequences in forest and pasture…

Open Data Albania has conducted a research on the financial support provided from the State Budget to the “former politically persecuted” since 2005, in total value and as a percentage of GDP. For this reason the Fiscal Tables of the Consolidated Budget were examined, also known as Table 6 of the Budget Law, in which funds for this category occupy a special place in Total…

“The cost of debt per capita” is calculated as the ratio of total interest expense, paid from the budget for the outstanding debt, to the number of the population in a given year. It is a very important indicator, that helps in judging the solvency of the state debt, and furthermore, the repayment in time of interests. Open Data Albania has examined the performance of…

Open Data Albania has looked into the economic damage caused by the administration and use of public funds by the local government, to the State Budget, evidenced by the SSA in the 2012 report. In total, 36 municipalities and 18 communes were audited, which were found to have caused an approximately 401 million ALL damage. Much of the damage identified belongs to two main sectors:…

Starting in 2002, the higher education market in Albania is divided between HEIs public and private that offer different study programs in several cycles. Open Data Albania has examined this indicator, reported by the Accreditation Agency for Higher Education (AAHE). Until October 2013, according to the PAAHE there are 1318  study programs in all HEIs. The main burden of these study programs consists in Bachelor…

The high demand for knowledge and university degrees has made higher education market highly dynamic and constantly growing. While public higher education during the past 10-year-old is mainly characterized by a restructuring of the existing Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) more than the opening of entirely new universities, the private higher education institutions (PHEI) appear to have experienced constant growth since 2002, year that brought the…

Public Accreditation Agency for Higher Education (PAAHE) is part of the external evaluation of the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the country. Under the Rules of Accreditation, article 10, all HEIs are subject to institutional and program accreditation periodically, in order to ensure provision of quality study programs and comparable with the European standards. Open Data Albania has taken into…

The economic damage in the procurement area in 2012 was 444.5 million, marking the highest level in the four last years. For this reason, Open Data Albania has examined institutions that have caused most of it. The institution with the highest damage in procurements for 2012 is the Interior Ministry, with 225.6 million ALL or 50% of the total damage to the sector. It was…

In order to increase the transparency in the use of public funds, the responsibility in their management and the highlight of all abuses occurred, among others in providing incomes and carrying costs to the budget, the SSA (Supreme State Audit) exerts its activity through the financial control, where the legality and regularity of the use of funds is audited, evaluation and other specific controls. SSA…

At the conclusion of the review process and depending on its findings, the SSA has the right to recommend organizational, administrative / disciplinary measures and also measures for the economic damage compensation.  In addition, this institution may propose and recommend changes or improvements to laws and regulations in force. Open Data Albania has examined the performance of organizational and administrative disciplinary measures issued by SSA…

One of the most problematic sectors in the area of economic damage reported by the High State Audit (SSA) over the years is that of the sale and lease of state property. Open Data Albania has conducted a research on the performance of this indicator in the years 2080-2012. It should be mentioned that this type of damage can be manifested in various forms, but…

Public procurement has been consistently one of the most problematic sector causing economic damage to the State Budget. Damage comes as a result of the abuse in the calculation of the contract value, presentation and receipt of bids, ensuring the validity of the bids, the examination of the tenders submitted to the competition, archiving files for the developed tenders, implementation of the contracts by contractors…

One of the types of measures that SSA has the right to propose at the end of the audition process which, among other, aims the recovery of damages caused to the State Budget, is the economic compensation. Open Data Albania has taken into consideration the level of economic damage restitution, as determined by SSA for the years 2008-2012, by the entities found responsible during the…

Spurred by the high economic damage to the state budget identified during the auditions of SSA for the 2011-2012 period, Open Data Albania has conducted a research on the main companies and institutions that have caused most of it . Thus , in 2011 , the economic damage was around 7 billion, of which 55.7 % or 3.9 billion was caused only by Albpetrol JSC…