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Albania

Single window (AL0037)

Overview

At-a-Glance

Action Plan: Albania Second Action Plan for 2014-2016

Action Plan Cycle: 2014

Status: Inactive

Institutions

Lead Institution: General Directorate of Customs

Support Institution(s): NA

Policy Areas

E-Government, Private Sector

IRM Review

IRM Report: Albania End-of-Term Report 2014-2016, Albania Mid-Term Report 2014-2016

Starred: No

Early Results: Did Not Change Did Not Change

Design i

Verifiable: Yes

Relevant to OGP Values: Not Relevant

Potential Impact:

Implementation i

Completion:

Description

In order to facilitate and accelerate the procedures for trade in the custom system, the General Directorate of Customs will centralize the administration of requests and procedures through a single window. The utilization of a single window will reduce the time of administrative practices, will reduce the cost and inevitably increase the transparency level. The interface between private sector and the General Directorate of Customs it will be a web portal interface. The institutional cooperation and coordination of actions will be in real time. The single window will raise the transparency level of transactions between the administration and the private sector.

IRM Midterm Status Summary

For Commitment details, see Albania Mid-Term Report 2014-2016.

IRM End of Term Status Summary

Commitment 2.3. Single Window

Cluster 4: Simplified Customs Services – 2.3 and 3.4

This cluster is composed of two commitments, as follows:

Commitment 2.3. Single Window

Commitment 2.3. Text: In order to facilitate and accelerate the procedures for trade in the custom system, the General Directorate of Customs will centralize the administration of requests and procedures through a single window. The utilization of a single window will reduce the time of administrative practices, will reduce the cost and inevitably increase the transparency level. The interface between private sector and the General Directorate of Customs it will be a web portal interface. The institutional cooperation and coordination of actions will be in real time. The single window will raise the transparency level of transactions between the administration and the private sector.

Responsible institution: General Directorate of Customs

Supporting institution(s): N/A

Start date: 2014 End date: 2016

Commitment 3.4. E-document

Commitment 3.4. Text: Forms and documents to be completed for different procedures in the customs system are not only complicated but also numerous. In the aim to facilitate the access to the customs system we shall introduce the e-document. Not only will we facilitate the use of different forms and documents, but we will also contribute in the establishment of a paperless environment. The provision of public services in electronic way through e-documents and e-forms will facilitate the procedures for citizens and business, by reducing the costs and time employed for this services, it will also improve the degree of access to information for citizens thus making the procedures more transparent. E-documents will:

1. Improve public access by making selected documents, transparency and valid information for citizens available online.

2. Streamline citizen services by allowing licensees to submit electronic documents with their online applications.

3. Increase efficiency by eliminating filing, retrieving and re-filing of paper documents, and reducing time spent searching for misplaced paperwork.

4. Reduce the cost and clutter associated with manual, paper-based processes, and the printing and archiving of paper records.

5. Allow the public to submit electronic documents with online complaint forms.

Responsible institution: General Directorate of Customs

Supporting institution(s): N/A

Start date: 2014 End date: 2016

Commitments Aim:

Customs procedures in Albania have been costly and time consuming both for private operators and for the customs administrators processing the customs applications.

The Single Window and e-document commitments aim at improving custom services for operators in Albania’s trade exchange system. The commitments accomplish this by reducing costs and facilitating procedures both for economic operators and for the customs administration. The Single Window was meant to provide an interconnected system (telematic network) that enables state institutions to exchange communications and files (e-document).

Status

Commitment 2.3

Midterm: Limited

Limited progress was made to implement the Single Window. The General Directorate of Customs has set up a working group for the project, which was still in an early phase of development at the action plan’s one-year mark. The government expected delays in the project because of technical issues. In order for the Single Window to work, additional investments were required in other state institutions’ ICT systems.

End of term: Limited

No additional progress was made on implementing the Single Window in 2015–2016. The government’s end-of-term self-assessment report (September 2016) does not mention any new developments except a training session on the Single Window project. The training session, which took place in June 2016, focused on developing the knowledge and capacities of a core team of Albanian experts for the planning, preparation, and implementation of the Single Window project. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), http://www.unece.org/tradewelcome/trademeetings/trade-workshops/workshops/2016/workshop-on-establishing-an-albanian-single-window/doc.html#/.

Commitment 3.4

Midterm: Limited

Interviewed representatives of the General Directorate of Customs reported that the terms of reference for the e-document tender have been detailed. The National Agency for Information Society was tasked with opening the tender procedure, which, by the time of drafting the IRM midterm report, was not published.

End of term: Limited

No additional progress was noted on the implementation of the e-document commitment during 2015–2016. The government’s end-of-term self-assessment report states that “development and implementation of a project based on paperless customs is completed.” However, the paperless project referred to in the self-assessment report is a different project, which pertains to internal operations within the General Directorate of Customs. The e-document commitment is about the electronic provision of public services through e-documents and e-forms. This was meant to replace the so-called “postman” system for business operators, simplifying and streamlining the process. Currently, business operators have to visit multiple institutions in order to obtain official documents for customs. But the new service is not in operation. The government’s end-of-term self-assessment report notes that this commitment will require an amendment to legislation.

Did it open government?

The IRM midterm report found that these commitments were irrelevant to OGP values of access to information, civic participation, and public accountability. The limited implementation progress has not demonstrated any early results that could contribute to opening government. IRM progress report, http://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/Albania_Second%20IRM%20Report_for%20public%20comment.

Carried forward?

These commitments were not carried forward in the new action plan.

Albania's Commitments

  1. Transparency of government reporting

    AL0061, 2018, E-Government

  2. E-government

    AL0062, 2018, E-Government

  3. Improved business regulation

    AL0063, 2018, Capacity Building

  4. Safe communities

    AL0064, 2018, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  5. Improvement of database/portal with coordinators’ data of the right to information and transparency programs

    AL0044, 2016, E-Government

  6. Budget transparency

    AL0045, 2016, E-Government

  7. Integrated Registry of Citizens’ Housing

    AL0046, 2016, Citizenship and Immigration

  8. Establishment of electronic Registry for public notification and consultation

    AL0047, 2016, E-Government

  9. Digital archive

    AL0048, 2016, E-Government

  10. Creating a database for archiving and publication of research funds and programs in Albania

    AL0049, 2016, E-Government

  11. Commitment to publish online central and local government legislation in open systems and for free

    AL0050, 2016, Capacity Building

  12. Commitment to Open Standards for Contracting

    AL0051, 2016, E-Government

  13. Starred commitment Implementation of the Law "On protection of whistleblowers", capacity building, amendments and its bylaws

    AL0052, 2016, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  14. Provision of electronic services

    AL0053, 2016, Capacity Building

  15. Establishment of multifunctional centralized system for building permits

    AL0054, 2016, Capacity Building

  16. Establishment and distribution of digital counters

    AL0055, 2016, E-Government

  17. Service passport standardization

    AL0056, 2016, Capacity Building

  18. Citizen Card

    AL0057, 2016, Capacity Building

  19. Electronic system of registration of e-prescription in the Republic of Albania

    AL0058, 2016, E-Government

  20. Electronic Monitoring System of Forests

    AL0059, 2016, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  21. Integrated electronic system for professional licensing of individuals and legal entities that will operate in the field of study design and supervision of commissioning of construction works

    AL0060, 2016, E-Government

  22. Standardization of corruption complaints

    AL0031, 2014, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  23. Electronic registry of energy and industry permits

    AL0032, 2014, E-Government

  24. Implementation of public expenses module in "open data" format

    AL0033, 2014, E-Government

  25. Promoting OGP values among local authorities

    AL0034, 2014, OGP

  26. Database on Economic Assitance Beneficiaries

    AL0035, 2014, E-Government

  27. Electronic portal on water resources administration and management

    AL0036, 2014, E-Government

  28. Single window

    AL0037, 2014, E-Government

  29. Electronic access to protected areas

    AL0038, 2014, E-Government

  30. National geoportal

    AL0039, 2014, E-Government

  31. E-­Albania

    AL0040, 2014, E-Government

  32. E-­document

    AL0041, 2014, E-Government

  33. Starred commitment Law on whistleblowers protection

    AL0042, 2014, Legislation & Regulation

  34. Police Service Offices

    AL0043, 2014, E-Government

  35. Open data portal

    AL0001, 2012, Open Data

  36. e-Acts

    AL0002, 2012, E-Government

  37. e-Parliament

    AL0003, 2012, E-Government

  38. Extension of the governmental network, GOVNET

    AL0004, 2012, E-Government

  39. e-government interoperability framework, e-GIF

    AL0005, 2012, E-Government

  40. Government datacenter

    AL0006, 2012, E-Government

  41. Excise system

    AL0007, 2012, E-Government

  42. Starting of the e-Tax system

    AL0008, 2012, E-Government

  43. Starred commitment Online state matura

    AL0009, 2012, E-Government

  44. The regulation on ethics in research and publishing

    AL0010, 2012, Education

  45. Digitalization of higher education accreditation process

    AL0011, 2012, E-Government

  46. U-Gov system

    AL0012, 2012, E-Government

  47. Online inspections of courts and judicial hearings

    AL0013, 2012, E-Government

  48. Digitalization of the file transfer process

    AL0014, 2012, Judiciary

  49. e-Employment project

    AL0015, 2012, E-Government

  50. e-Concessions procedures

    AL0016, 2012, E-Government

  51. Amendment of the law “on the right to information for official documents”

    AL0017, 2012, Justice

  52. Drafting a new law on "notice and consultation"

    AL0018, 2012, Legislation & Regulation

  53. Tracking project

    AL0019, 2012, E-Government

  54. Digitalization of the notary register

    AL0020, 2012, E-Government

  55. Online citizens’ claims in the judiciary system

    AL0021, 2012, E-Government

  56. Work inspection, online complaint

    AL0022, 2012, E-Government

  57. Financial module of all educational institutions

    AL0023, 2012, Education

  58. Starred commitment Audio and video recording of judicial hearings

    AL0024, 2012, E-Government

  59. Starred commitment e-Albania portal

    AL0025, 2012, E-Government

  60. e-Inspection portal

    AL0026, 2012, E-Government

  61. Starred commitment Portal www.gjykata.gov.al

    AL0027, 2012, E-Government

  62. Disclosure of the list of payments made daily by the government units

    AL0028, 2012, Fiscal Transparency

  63. e-Procurement system for all small purchases of public procurement

    AL0029, 2012, E-Government

  64. Implementation of the EITI recommendations

    AL0030, 2012, Extractive Industries