Action against Economic Crime in Albania in close collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, is contributing to the improvement of the draft-law on the establishment of the Asset Recovery Office (ARO) in Albania in compliance with international and European standards.
The establishment of ARO in Albania marks an important milestone for the country, not only in terms of institutional priorities of the Ministry of Interior to contribute to strengthening the process of criminal justice and fight against economic crime, but also as a priority in the EU integration process and harmonization of the national legal framework with the EU acquis.
The Inter-Institutional Working Group on this draft-law, spearheaded by the representatives of the Ministry of Interior and General State Police and with the contribution of other relevant public authorities such as the Ministry of Justice, General Prosecution Office, Special Prosecution Office against Organized Crime, National Bureau of Investigation, Financial Intelligence Agency, Agency for Administration of Seized and Confiscated Assets, is steering this legislative process, which aims to be concluded by the end of 2023.
In this context, the Action has initiated the review of the draft-law on ARO to identify any gaps, inconsistencies and needs to bring the legal provisions closer to the international standards and good practices. In this regards, two online consultative meetings were held on 21 and 22 November 2023 with national counterparts to discuss the initial findings of the review and to gauge their feedback on the legislative proposal for the establishment and efficient functioning of the new Asset Recovery Office in Albania.
The Action against Economic Crime in Albania is part of the Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye III, a joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe, which aims at assisting Beneficiaries in the Western Balkans region and Türkiye to comply with the Council of Europe standards and the European Union acquis in the framework of the enlargement process, when relevant.
