Albania makes progress in extractive industries transparency – energy ministry

Albania has made meaningful progress in implementing the international extractive industries transparency initiative (EITI), the energy ministry on Friday. Albania has made progress in improving transparency and accountability in the extractive industries by using the process to address local concerns, both through active dissemination and outreach efforts and by expanding the scope of EITI reporting to the hydro-power sector, the ministry said in a statement quoting the EITI board. EITI reporting of delayed sub-national mining revenue transfers led to legal reform and gradual clearing of arrears in transfers to local governments, enabling greater benefits for the local communities, the statement added. “The board encourages improvements in the disclosures of transactions related to state-owned enterprises in order to address existing transparency gaps,” chair of the EITI board Fredrik Reinfeldt was quoted as saying. According to the statement, the board encouraged Albania to establish a transparency and accountability framework for the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) project. TAP will stretch from Greece's border with Turkey, via Albania and the Adriatic Sea, to reach Italy's coast. It is part of the Southern Gas Corridor concept which also comprises the South Caucasus Pipeline), which crosses Azerbaijan and Georgia, and the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP). TAP shareholders are BP, Azerbaijan’s state company Socar and Italy’s Snam with 20% each, Belgium’s Fluxys with 19%, Spain’s Enagas with 16% and Swiss-based Axpo with 5%. The EITI board also made a series of recommendations to strengthen transparency, notably by ensuring more public access to information on the state enterprises and their transactions, tax and distribution of revenues at local levels as well as increasing an active and effective civil society engagement in the EITI process.

Source: ATA