Transparency (Open Budget Index) 38/100
The Government of Albania provides the public with minimal budget information.
Public Participation 15/100
The Government of Albania is weak in providing the public with opportunities to engage in the budget process.
Budget Oversight
By legislature 49/100
Budget oversight by the legislature in Albania is limited.
By auditor 92/100
Budget oversight by the supreme audit institution in Albania is adequate.
Recommendations
Improving Transparency
Albania should prioritize the following actions to improve budget transparency:
- Publish a Year-End Report.
- Produce and publish a Citizens Budget and Mid-Year Review.
- Increase the comprehensiveness of the Executive’s Budget Proposal by presenting more information on the classification of expenditures for future years and the classification of expenditures for prior years.
Improving Participation
Albania should prioritize the following actions to improve budget participation:
- Establish credible and effective mechanisms (i.e., public hearings, surveys, focus groups) for capturing a range of public perspectives on budget matters.
- Hold legislative hearings on the state of the economy that are attended by the executive and open to the public.
- Establish formal mechanisms for the public to assist the supreme audit institution to formulate its audit program and participate in audit investigations.
Improving Oversight
Albania should prioritize the following actions to strengthen budget oversight:
- Establish a specialized budget research office for the legislature.
- In both law and practice, ensure the legislature is consulted prior to the virement of funds in the Enacted Budget and the spending of contingency funds that were not identified in the Enacted Budget.