Interview with the Head of the State Supreme Audit Office in Albania

The crash of the credit union system in 1997 was a dreadful experience. But it helped us, the Albanian society, to learn that we have to respect public financial institutions and the regulations set by the Central Bank - says Bujar Leskaj, PhD, the Head of the State Supreme Audit Office in Albania.

Daniel Michalecki: Mr. Leskaj, please give us a brief description of the present situation in Albania.

Bujar Leskaj, PhD: We are doing quite well. We are processing on our road to the EU. This year the Albanian state celebrates the 100th anniversary of its independence.So, this is a special year for us. Recently the Albanian economy recorded a 3-percent growth. Maybe it’s not much but it’s better as compared with the neighbouring countries. At the same time we realise that our country needs the growth rate of over 6 percent to approach the standards of the EU member states.

Bujar Lesko about cooperation of SAI of Albania with the media

Albanian SAI & media

Albania would like to join the EU which requires that the candidate countries meet high standards. Just like Poland, you will have to implement some reforms, enhance the functioning of administration, start a war against organised violence and corruption. 

- At the moment the main political parties are cooperating in the Parliament to pass important bills on the function of judiciary, electoral reform and economy. We are aware that the EU accession depends on ourselves to a large extent. We are doing our best to strengthen our institutions, then. The great majority of Albanians - over 90 percent - have a strong desire to join the European Union. After all,we are a European country that has built its democracy for over last 20 years. In that time a new legislation was established that is supposed to reflect the regulations and standards applied by the EU.

Do you think the Albanian SAI has a special role in this process?

- In the present legal framework the Albanian SAI has a special role as the main institution for the economic and financial audit in the country. We can see that common Albanian people have high expectations on us. They want us to curb corruption and make the public administration more transparent and responsible. So we are trying to audit the use of public funds based on three ‘E’s: economy, effectiveness and efficiency. People are watching us. Some are criticising but the majority is approving. We hope our approach will contribute to better functioning of public administration in the whole country.

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