Central Public Administration Authority at the Regional Level in Albania

Nevila Xhindi, Noémia Bessa Vilela

Abstract


The Albanian regional governance system is based on both decentralization and deconcentration, each of them aiming at bringing services close to the public. To make the multilevel governance system work, the prefect is a keystone of public administration at the regional level. The paper is an analytical study case on the prefect’s institution in Albania, focusing on the challenges that prefects face, particularly related to their functions in supervising local government units. We decided to adopt a problem-oriented approach. Instead of a comprehensive picture of prefects, we focus on identifying concrete challenges as they are perceived by different stakeholders, analyzing their causes and proposing concrete measures that can address both. More concretely, the analysis looked at various dimensions of the prefect system, from a systemic perspective, based on the assumption that the prefects’ performance depends not only on the legal framework and norms, but even more on adequate institutional set-up, procedures and relations, and behaviour and capacities of stakeholders. The prefects are acting in a political and administrative system which is subject to change. If policy decisions are taken to change the overall system (for example, by giving the central state or the municipalities more power and responsibilities), the prefects’ legal roles and responsibilities, procedures and capacity requirements will have to be adapted accordingly. However, we leave it to the competent political bodies to reflect and decide on changes to the overall system.


Keywords


central public administration authority; governance; prefect; public administration; roles; responsibilities

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References


LITERATURE

European Committee of the Regions, Gadjanova E., The State of Local Democracy in the Western Balkans: A Study of Local Democratic Processes and Institutions in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Serbia and Montenegro, Publications Office, 2007.

Jurado L., León S., Economic Globalization and Decentralization: A Centrifugal or Centripetal Relationship?, “Governance: An International Journal of Policy, Administration and Institutions” 2020, vol. 34(3), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12496.

Kalemaj I., Territorial Reform and Lack of Real Decentralization in Albania, “Jus-Justicia” 2021, vol. 15.

Pál E., Models of Legal Supervision over Local Self-Governments in Continental Europe (Excluding France), “Pécs Journal of International and European Law” 2018, vol. 2.

Xhindi N., Synthesis Report on Interviews with the Prefects of the Regions, 2021.

MISCELLANEOUS

Council of Europe, For the Achievements and Challenges around Regional Development, EU Commission Staff Working Document, (2019)260 final, chapter 22.

Council of Europe, Report on European Practice and Legal Framework on Prefect Institution, Local Government in Emergency Situations, Strasbourg, 17.9.2015, CELGR/LEX 2.

Ministry of Interior, Crosscutting Strategy for Decentralization and Local Governance, Tirana, Albania, 2015–2020.

ONLINE SOURCES

European Union, Ministry of Interior, Matrix of Competencies of Local Self-Government, February 2019, https://portavendore.al/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Matrix-of-Competencies.pdf (access: 21.11.2022).

Ministry of Local Government, Administrative and Territorial Reform. Analyses of the Local Government Situation in Albania (Executive Summary): General Report to the Committee on Administrative and Territorial Reform, April 2014, https://www.undp.org/albania/publications/analysis-local-government-situation-albania# (access: 21.11.2022).

SIGMA, OECD, Monitoring Report: The Principles of Public Administration in Albania, November 2021, https://www.sigmaweb.org/publications/Monitoring-Report-2021-Albania.pdf (access: 21.11.2022).

LEGAL ACTS

Law no. 90/2012 “On the Organization and Functioning of the State Administration”.

Law no. 139/2015 “On Local Self-Government”.

Law no. 107/2016 “On the Prefect of the Region”.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17951/sil.2022.31.4.59-74
Date of publication: 2022-12-28 17:32:58
Date of submission: 2022-11-09 08:23:49


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