Organized crime has emerged as one of the most important challenges to Albania since the beginning of the country’s political and economic transition. Largely unprepared to deal with this challenge during the 1990s, a more structured response begun to be outlined only during the next decade. In 2008 Albania adopted the Intersectoral Strategy for Combating Organized Crime, Illicit Trafficking and Terrorism 2008-2013 followed by the Intersectoral Strategy for Combating Organized Crime, Illicit Trafficking and Terrorism 2013-2020.

The European Union decided in April 2020 for the opening of accession negotiations with Albania, but in order for the first intergovernmental conference with the EU Member States to be organized, Albania should fulfil a number of conditions, including making tangible progress in the fight against organised crime.
2020 is the last year of the implementation of Intersectoral Strategy for Combating Organized Crime and the year in which the new document shall be developed and adopted. This moment provides a good opportunity for the Albanian government to engage in an open and thorough discussion with the relevant stakeholders about the future approach against the organised crime problem.

With the aim to supporting the process of the development and drafting of the new strategy, the Center for the Study of Democracy and Governance (CSDG) has prepared a Baseline Assessment of the Albanian Intersectoral Strategy on Countering Organised Crime 2013-2020.
In absence of publicly available monitoring reports, this report prepared by CSDG examines the implementation of the strategy over the 2013 – 2019 period, by analysing the achievement of indicators and objectives and provides recommendations that can be taken I consideration in the process of the development of the new strategy.

The report has been produced in the framework of the project supported by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Albania. The project includes also support to capacity building on monitoring and evaluation and to the development and consultation process of the new strategy.

In the framework of this project, this roundtable discussion focused on the achievements and results of the implementation process of the Intersectoral Strategy for the Fight against Organized Crime, Illegal Trafficking and Terrorism 2013-2020 and shall provide a platform for discussing on the approaches to tackle the ever challenging organised crime problem Albania is faced with.