Partners Albania for Change and Development, the National Resource Centre for the Development of Civil Society of PA, and the Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN) are pleased to present the eighth edition of the Monitoring Matrix on Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development covering developments in Albania for 2020. The report is part of a series of country reports covering the Western Balkans countries. A regional report is also available summarizing findings and recommendations for all countries.
According to the findings for 2020, the electronic registration of CSOs under the new draft law “On the Registration of NPOs” was prepared through a non-inclusive process, disregarding the recommendations on freedom of association and CSOs’ operations. CSOs were subject to the Anti-Money Laundering / Combating Terrorist Financing (AML/CFT) package. The existing legal framework still does not recognize philanthropic activity and individual donations as tax-deductible for personal income tax purposes. Public funding allocated to CSOs decreased and continued being delivered in a non-transparent manner. Most of the measures in the Action Plan of the Road Map for the Government Policy towards a More Enabling for Civil Society Development planned for 2020 were not implemented. The new Law On public procurement introduced a separate chapter for social services and other special services, allowing for greater and meaningful CSOs’ participation in public tender procedures, etc.
The report is part of the activities of the Project “Protecting Civic Space – Regional Civil Society Development Hub,” financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and implemented by BCSDN in cooperation with its member organizations in the countries of the Western Balkans.
Read more about the main findings and recommendations and download the report HERE.