The Minister of State for Public Administration and Anti-Corruption, Adea Pirdeni, stated on Thursday at a press conference that the strengthening of public administration capacities is progressing in parallel with the increase in staff and their preparation for the European integration process.

In a conference with journalists, Pirdeni stated that the focus is not only on fulfilling the obligations stemming from the negotiation chapters, but also on preparing the administration to absorb European Union funds.

Minister Pirdeni appreciated the fact that this is a challenge that EU member states also face, while emphasizing the importance of creating structures capable of managing European funds.

Pirdeni underlined the role of the Albanian School of Public Administration (ASPA) in increasing the quality of training and the professional development of the administration.

According to her, ASPA has prepared capacities within the public administration, which can train their colleagues, creating a body of experts capable of transmitting knowledge and best practices.

Pirdeni announced that ASPA offers a package of services to third parties and businesses, through training in specialized areas such as public procurement, financial management, and application for EU funds.

Pinderi also focused on the increase in salaries in the public administration. In her speech, Pirdeni emphasized that “since 2023, Albania has launched a process of comprehensive salary reform with an expected result, in fact since last year with an increase from 35 to 65% of salaries, an increase that affected not only the entire public administration body at the central level, but also the public administration at the local level by unifying salary levels according to position levels”.

Minister Pirdeni also emphasized the differentiated treatment of employees in the field of information technology. “At this stage, the public administration has an approach that embraces modernization above all and embraces digital transformation at every step”, she said.

Pirdeni announced that the government is working to guarantee the same standards of transparency, meritocracy, and employment stability for public administration employees who are not part of the civil service.

She stated that so far, the focus has been on employees regulated by the Civil Service Law, which, according to her, offers strong guarantees for recruitment, career development, and termination of employment relationships.

Minister emphasized that the goal is to provide similar guarantees to employees of public institutions who are currently employed on the basis of the Labor Code. According to her, the proposed changes will increase stability in public institutions and limit arbitrary interventions in the administration, making it more difficult to dismiss employees solely due to changes in the management of the institutions.

Pirdeni said that in any decision-making on the termination of employment relationships, experience, seniority, professional contribution, and the consequences of the dismissal of an employee must be taken into account, so that the administration remains professional, stable, and protected from unjustified influences.