PAMECA IV project was launched on 11 December 2013, in a ceremony honoured by the presence of H.E Ambassador Ettore Sequi, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Albania, H.E. Mr Saimir Tahiri, Minister of Internal Affairs of Albania and Prefetto Alessandro Pansa, Chief of Italian State Police, General Director of Public Security Department and many other stakeholders.

In his speech, Ambassador Sequi said that Albania needs to show convincing results in order to progress in the EU path and was trustful that PAMECA IV will help the country in the consolidation of the law enforcement capacities in Albania. Mr Sequi ended his address in this ceremony with an appeal to the Albanian law enforcement agencies for commitment to progress in the fight against corruption and organized crime, in order to guarantee the rule of law as a pre-requisite for EU membership and as a duty to the Albanian citizens.

In his address, Mr Tahiri recognised the invaluable support all the PAMECA missions have provided so far to the Albanian State Police in the fight against organized crime and corruption. Mr Tahiri admitted the achievements made so far by previous governments as an heritage for the Albanian State Police, acknowledging as well the many challenges lying ahead which are much more than the achievements. Mr Tahiri called for a continuous collaboration among the law enforcement organizations, convinced that such efforts will return peace and public order for the Albanian citizens.

The Chief of Italian State Police, Prefetto Pansa referred to PAMECA IV project as a very ambitious, yet realistic, project which will develop systems, processes and partnerships in order to achieve its main objective. This project, he said, will encourage practices that further build and sustain the trust of the public of Albania in their police, based on the key components of ethics and integrity, treating people with dignity and respect and by delivering high standards of professionalism in the work of all police officers based on European Standards and expectations. Mr Pansa concluded by expressing his confidence on the desire among the beneficiaries of the project for beneficial change supported by PAMECA IV.

Mr Adnan Xholi, Director of Investigation, Prosecution and Control of Other offences and Juvenile, in his address to the event representing the other main beneficiary of the project, the General Prosecution Office, expressed his highest consideration for the support of the PAMECA projects to the GPO over the years. This time, the GPO is a direct beneficiary of the project and Mr Xholi expressed his appreciation for the activities already planned in supporting the GPO and the full commitment of the institution he represents in the achievement of the project’s objectives.

Mr Giorgio Butini, the Team Leader of PAMECA IV gave an overview of the project, its five areas of intervention and the expected results. Mr Butini put an emphasis on the approach of the project to offer to the Albanian law enforcements agencies and more specifically to the ASP and GPO, the EU standards and best practices through close and continuous collaboration and consultation with the beneficiaries. According to Mr Butini the Italian-led consortium with Austria and France on board will bring wider and stronger capacity to build upon the achievements of the previous assistance delivered. The three EU Member States have a combined long history of cooperation with Albania in all the Justice and Home Affairs Sectors. The combined effort of these countries is expected to contribute significantly towards the creation of local ownership, and the capacity to deal effectively with crosscutting issues such as anti-corruption, transparency, thus ensuring a holistic approach with tailor-made solutions for Albania.

The Launching event of PAMECA IV was immediately followed by the First Stakeholders’ Committee Meeting of the project co-chaired by PAMECA IV Team Leader, General Prosecutor and Director General of the Albanian State Police. The SC is the steering body of the project in charge of verifying the achievement of the outputs and results and discussing actions to be undertaken, approving the semi-annual work plans as well as recommending and approving modifications to the progress of the project and the work plan.

The First Stakeholders’ Committee Meeting approved the Terms of Reference of the Steering Committee, the Inception Report and the Work Plan for the first semester September 2013 – February 2014.