ALBANIA TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: REFLECTIONS ON GOAL 16 OF AGENDA 2030

88 Interdisiplinary Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 4, no. 2, 2017 Dr.Elda ZOTAJ1 1, DR. Viorela POLENA 2, DR. Belina BEDINI 3 ALBANIA TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: REFLECTIONS ON GOAL 16 OF AGENDA 2030 Abstract In December 2015, the Albanian government and the UN member states signed the Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development. As a matter of fact, this issue is hardly ever discussed in Albania today. This was also brought into attention by the Albanian vice-prime minister in the press conference organized to launch this event. However, the goals of the Agenda 2030 will be an important part of the government s agenda, along with the EU integration. 4 Based on these facts, as well as on the principle that the duty of universities and education institutions in general is the education of generations and their preparation for the future, we anticipated that the research paper as an output of a research project would bring the latest developments of these great initiatives closer to our attention. The article is a product of research on some important dimensions such as: teaching, critical thinking, scientific research, cooperation between social actors, and dissemination of information on sustainable development, especially on Agenda 2030. Methodologically, the research was based on a horizontal and vertical approach, whose main results are presented in this paper along with the main topics of focus within Goal 16 of Agenda 2030. Keywords: sustainable developement; Goal 16 of Agenda 2030; Albania 1 Lecturer, Aleksandër Moisiu University, Faculty of Political Sciences and Law, Department of Political Sciences Author of correspondence; Email: eldazotaj@yahoo.com 2 Lecturer, Aleksandër Moisiu University, Faculty of Political Sciences and Law, Department of Political Sciences 3 Lecturer, Aleksandër Moisiu University, Faculty of Political Sciences and Law, Department of Political Sciences 4 http://www.al.undp.org/content/albania/en/home/presscenter/articles/2015/09/28/thesustainable-development-goals-launched-in-albania.html

Interdisiplinary Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 4, no. 2, 2017 89 1. Introduction Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development is the finalization of a constant attempt among states and other actors to improve the life of everyone of us. Never before have world leaders pledged common action and endeavor across such a broad and universal policy agenda. Agenda will be a path towards sustainable development, devoting states collectively to the pursuit of global development and of win-win cooperation which can bring huge gains to all countries and all parts of the world 5. It represents an action plan for the people, planet, and prosperity 6. The Agenda aims at strengthening world peace through the promise that no one should be lagging behind. Its vision consists in respecting human rights, equality, and non-discrimination. In addition, it aims at fighting all forms of poverty, stimulating sustainable and inclusive economic development, social development and environmental protection. The EU has played an active role throughout the process and is committed to implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs within the EU and in development cooperation with partner countries. The agenda reflects many of the EU s priorities for sustainable development, as set out in our recent Communications and Council Conclusions 7. Agenda 2030 consists in a Declaration of 17 objectives of Sustainable Development, 169 targeted indicators, a rubric on the means of implementation, revived global partnership, and a framework for the treatment and monitoring of the implementation. It was approved by 193 UN member states, and officially became effective as of January 1 st 2016, to be continued until December 2030. 8 The above mentioned initiative is not a new initiative of the United Nations, it is the product of a continuous work following the results of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, the 2010 Summit on the Objectives of Millennium Development, the results of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 2012 (Rio+20), and the opinions of people worldwide. We should emphasize that the Objectives of Millennium Development, which have brought about the most successful movement in history in the fight against poverty, have provided a starting point for Agenda 2030. What is special about 5 see: United Nations, Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/21252030%20agenda%20for%20 Sustainable%20Development%20web.pdf 6 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld 7 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/sustainable-development/sdgs/implementation/index_en.htm 8 ibid

90 Interdisiplinary Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 4, no. 2, 2017 the Agenda 2030 is that in order for it to be implemented, action should be taken from all the countries, be them poor or rich. In this context, we can affirm that Agenda 2030 is of a universal nature. Objective 16 aims to Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. This objective includes 10 targeted indicators, the fulfillment of which brings about the fulfillment of the objective. In the Albanian context, the efforts to achieve the fulfillment of this objective is related not only to the Albanian government commitment to the Agenda 2030, but also to Albania s EU integration processes. The intertwining of these two international commitments of the Albanian government, which have a direct influence on the consolidation of democracy in Albania, has attracted our attention to focus on objective 16 in the research project and paper. As far as integration is concerned, the negotiations for the membership of the country into the European Union is based on 35 chapters of the negotiation of the EU legal framework. The most important chapters for Albania s membership process into the EU according to the Parliamentary Commission of Stabilization- Association (EU-Albania) are Chapter 23 The judicial system and basic rights and Chapter 24 Justice, freedom and security. These will be the first chapters to be opened and the last ones to be closed. In fulfilling the negotiations on these chapters, a special focus is placed on the reform of the justice system. 2. Albania and the Objectives of Sustainable Development under Agenda 2030 Albania is politically committed to making the Global agenda on sustainable development a part of our vision for the development of our country in the coming 15 years 9. In addition to the political commitment, financial sources are also needed in order to fulfill the Agenda 2030, which also implies the need for increasing expenditures, especially in some of the social sectors. This is important both for the health system and education system, sectors for which the Albanian government has allocated 3% of the GDP. Albania is on its way to European Union, and the OECD countries spend on average 6% of their GDP on the health system and education system. The objectives of Sustainable Development will not be a program in 9 http://icc-albania.org.al/prezantohen-ozhq-ne-shqiperi/?lang=sq statement Niko Peleshi Vice- Prime Minister.

Interdisiplinary Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 4, no. 2, 2017 91 itself, the Albanian government has a National Strategy for Development and Integration, but there will be the need for some adjustments in the framework of the agenda. The focus of the analysis is Objective no.16 on Sustainable Development which is related to the rule of law, transparent and accountable institutions. The essential issue in the Albanian society is the creation of trust in the institutions and the justice system. Of course, problems of corruption, the rule of law, transparence and accountability are key issues for Albania. An independent and efficient judicial system is a prerequisite for the functioning of the rule of law, and it constitutes an essential feature of democracy, enabling the sustainable development of Albania. The central issue for Albania is to revive the trust in its institutions which, according to reports from different international institutions, is at very low levels and needs to be strengthened. Albanian citizens are very skeptical. Based on the analysis of the judicial system in Albania, there is a widespread public perception that the system suffers from the phenomenon of corruption and intervention from outside in giving justice. Corruption, lack of transparent processes, prolonged procedures, or lacks of execution of court decisions have contributed to negative perceptions of the public on the transparence of the judicial system. 10 3. Methodology of the research One of the main objectives of the research project has been the gathering and analysis of information concerning sustainable development as an important vertical axis of the research. The latter developed parallel to the horizontal axis, which was theoretically based and consisted in a set of open lectures on the goal 16 of the Agenda 2030 on sustainable development. As such, the research conducted aimed at: 1. the assessment of the level of information shared by students and citizens on sustainable development; 2. research and analysis on the approach of the Albanian society on sustainable development; and 3. the creation of a sound database for addressing future initiatives from policymaking institutions. This vertical axis was achieved through the conduction of 300 questionnaires among the Albanian society starting from the students, and 24 questionnaires conducted with the Albanian experts active in the judicial sector in Albania, such as lawyers, prosecutors, specialists, etc. The first questionnaire with a sample of 300 individuals giving their 10 Analysis of the Judicial System in Albania, June, 2015, pg.10

92 Interdisiplinary Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 4, no. 2, 2017 feedback on sustainable development was conducted through the use of RDS method (Random Driven Sampling). We started with the distribution of the questionnaire to the students and then gave them 2-3 questionnaires to fill in with people they knew. Geographically, this first questionnaire covered the most part of the Albanian territory, because the students were asked to distribute them to the city they lived in. As such, the questionnaire, through the use of open and structured questions, aimed at receiving feedback on the age of the individuals answering it, the educational status, and several questions covering issues on sustainable development. 4. The rule of law and equal justice for all The opposite of poverty is not wealth. In too many places, the opposite of poverty is justice. 11 Bryan Stevenson This part of the research paper lays out a framework for discussions on the rule of law on the Goal 16 of Agenda 2030, first by defining and secondly by analyzing it. It summarizes the evidence base for the relationship between the rule of law and development, highlights lessons from rule of law development programming and the experience and necessity of implementing Agenda 2030, and points to options for how the rule of law might be incorporated into the developing countries as a path for a better future. Without peace, stability, human rights and effective governance, based on the rule of law - we cannot hope for sustainable development. We are living in a world that is increasingly divided. Some regions enjoy sustained levels of peace, security and prosperity, while others fall into seemingly endless cycles of conflict and violence 12. The rule of law affects all of us in our everyday lives. The rule of law is a concept that resonates across borders and boundaries while reflecting a diverse set of perspectives rooted in societies culture, history, politics, institutions and conceptions of justice 13. Although we may not be aware of it, the rule of law is profoundly important and not just to lawyers or judges. The rule of law is notoriously difficult to 11 http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/equal_justice_for_all_the_time_is_now_the_ rule_of_law_also_applies_to_the_p/ 12 http://www.al.undp.org/content/albania/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-16- peace-justice-and-strong-institutions.html 13 http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/democratic%20governance/access%20 to%20justice%20and%20rule%20of%20law/global%20dialogue%20background%20 Paper%20-%20Rule%20of%20Law%20and%20Sustainable%20Developme...pdf

Interdisiplinary Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 4, no. 2, 2017 93 define and measure. A simple way of approaching it is in terms of some of the outcomes that the rule of law brings to societies such as accountability, respect for fundamental rights, or access to justice each of which reflects one aspect of the complex concept of the rule of law. 14 Definition of the rule of law is based on four universal principles, derived from internationally accepted standards. The rule of law is a system where the following four universal principles are upheld: 1 The government and its officials and agents as well as individuals and private entities are accountable under the law. 2. The laws are clear, publicized, stable, and just; are applied evenly; and protect fundamental rights, including the security of persons and property. 3. The process by which the laws are enacted, administered, and enforced is accessible, fair, and efficient. 4. Justice is delivered timely by competent, ethical, and independent representatives and neutrals who are of sufficient number, have adequate resources, and reflect the makeup of the communities they serve 15. The Albanian Constitution envisages a system of governance based on the division and balance of powers (Article 7), but the implementation of a separation of powers and independent institutions has generally been a continuous challenge during the country s transition. So far, all political majorities have considered the state a piece of property that can be distributed to their followers for political and/or economic benefit. During the Conference Reform of the justice system, a challenge and a necessity for Albania s EU integration Minister of European Integration Ms. Gjosha emphasized that The Justice Reform remains the most important stone of the foundation not only for establishing the rule of law, but also as a major turning point in the integration process of Albania 16. According to World Justice Project, Rule of Law Index for the year 2015, based on the analysis of many factors, Albania is ranked in the 53 rd place out of 102 countries while in 2016, according the same index, it is ranked in the 72 nd place out of 113 countries. According to the Index, Albania s overall rule of law performance places it at 5 out of 13 countries in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region, 24 out of 37 among upper-middle income countries, and 72 out of 113 countries and jurisdictions worldwide. Albania s decline from its previous position in the 2015 WJP Rule of Law Index was primarily driven by a downturn 14 The WJP Rule of Law Index 2015 pg 8 15 Ibid pg 10 16 http://www.integrimi.gov.al/en/newsroom/speeches/speech-of-minister-of-europeanintegration-ms-klajda-gjosha-at-the-conference-reform-of-the-justice-system-a-challenge-anda-necessity-for-albania-s-eu-integration&page=1

94 Interdisiplinary Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 4, no. 2, 2017 in performance in the area of Open Government. For the UNDP Albania has made progress towards meeting the international standards with regard to the stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and commitments to key political reforms 17. Below are some statistics for 2015 comparing Albania s results to those of other countries. Figure 4.1: The World Justice Project, Rule of Law Index 2015 The World Justice Project, Rule of Law Index 2015 1 Country Score Global Ranking Croatia 0.6 35 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.57 40 Macedonia, FYR 0.55 44 Albania 0.52 53 Serbia 0.5 60 Turkey 0.46 80 For 2015, by analyzing eight factors 18 that the WJP uses, we can notice that corruption in Albania remains a serious problem as compared to Albania s ranking in the other seven factors of the analysis. Trying to analyze the position of Albania related to factor 6, 7 and 8 it seems that the low level position of Albania is connected to the fact that although the independence of the judiciary is enshrined in the constitution, in practice, it is undermined by the high politicization of High Court and Constitutional Court appointments and the excessive margin of discretion enjoyed by the HCJ and the General Prosecutor in managing judges and prosecutors careers 19. The previous justice system reform strategy expired in 2013. A new strategy providing the framework to implement justice reform until 2020 has been adopted in November 2016. The 2015-2017 medium-term strategy for the Prosecution Office is in 17 http://www.al.undp.org/content/albania/en/home/ourwork/democraticgovernance/overview. html 18 The following are the factors that compose the WJP Rule of Law Index 2015: Factor 1. Constraints on Government Powers; Factor 2. Absence of corruption; Factor 3. Open Government; Factor 4. Fundamental Rights; Factor 5. Order and security; Factor 6. Regulatory enforcement; Factor 7. Civil Justice; Factor 8. Criminal Justice 19 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/pdf/key_ documents/2016/20161109_report_albania.pdf pg.15

Interdisiplinary Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 4, no. 2, 2017 95 place. The justice and law enforcement in Albania are beset by long-standing, structural problems that have led to an almost zero level of trust by the public and this is a problems that need solution. Comparing with others countries of the regions those countries that have high performance in meeting the requirements by EU integration process seems to have good performance. A positive example is Croatia that was successful in implementing the integration process and for more than 2 years is a member state of EU. 5. Transparency and accountability Transparency and accountability have long been regarded as a prerequisite for democracy. Despite the presence of multiple definitions, International Transparency defines transparency as a characteristic of governments, companies, organizations and individuals of being open in the clear disclosure of information rules, plans, processes and actions 20. On the other hand, by general consensus, accountability ideally involves both answerability the responsibility of duty-bearers to provide information and justification about their actions and enforceability the possibility of penalties or consequences for failing to answer accountability claims. (Goetz and Jenkins 2005). Furthermore, by linking both concepts with the wider concept of good governance, OECD 21 defines accountability in terms of holding public officials to account for their actions, and transparency in terms of the availability of timely information about government activities to the public. It is important to stress here that both transparency and accountability as indicators of good governance are enabled as such by the citizens, since it is them who provide evaluations, critics and feedback to the political system. Transparency and accountability is also one of the other dimensions that Agenda 2030 emphasizes on the role of the political system and good governance on sustainable development. The United Nations organization has explicitly emphasized the role of the governments in the framework of the 16 th goal of the agenda as a need to develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels 22. As such, careful consideration on the accountability and transparency of the institutions by the world governments is intended to 20 Transparency International, 2009, pp. 44 21 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Public sector transparency and accountability: Making it happen, OECD, Paris, 2002, pp. 3-10. 22 United Nations, 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, Goal 16, 2015, pp. 22

96 Interdisiplinary Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 4, no. 2, 2017 improve and help boost the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 23. The 16 th goal of the Agenda 102 countries is especially important to those countries which have experienced transitional processes and are currently working on the consolidation of their democracies. The Western Balkans has gone through changes of this kind, and are also working on the fulfillment of the requirements for a future EU membership. However, with regard to accountability and transparency Western Balkan governments, even in the countries that are most advanced in the accession process, fall short of providing a satisfactory level of political transparency in their work and accountability towards their citizens 24. What is more, both transparency and accountability can also be considered as important tools in bridging a twofold communication between the society and the political system. And especially, for the Western Balkan countries improved institutional transparency is key to build both trust and increased popular support, and it is essential to convince and manage to involve local constituencies 25. Thus, the World Bank Institute through the World Wide Governance Indicators indicates that there is still much to be done by the Western Balkan countries in the framework of certain indicators such as: government effectiveness and voice and accountability in defining governance by the traditions and institutions by which authority in a country is exercised 26. The graph below provides an overview of the Western Balkan countries status on government effectiveness from 2005 to 2015: 23 Ibid, pp.21 24 European Parliament, Directorate General for External Policies, The Western Balkans and EU Enlargement: lessons learned, ways forward and prospects ahead, November, 2015, pp.18 25 Olof Palm International Center, Context analysis and program objectives 2016-2019: Western Balkans, 2016, pp. 3-4. 26 World Bank (2017), World Wide Governance Indicator, http://info.worldbank.org/governance/ wgi/index.aspx#home

Interdisiplinary Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 4, no. 2, 2017 97 Figure 5.1 : Government effectiveness in the Western Balkans, WWGI (WB), 2017 On the other hand, concerning voice and accountability which captures perceptions of the extent to which a country s citizens are able to participate in selecting their government, as well as freedom of expression, freedom of association, and a free media 27, the other graph provides the positioning of the Western Balkan countries compared to the past and with one another. As we can see from both graphs, the majority of the countries have taken steps forward in fulfilling this element of governance. Since accountability and transparency are closely related with the citizen and with an active participant citizenship (as discussed above), the feedback they provide is essential to the evaluation and future improvement of governance in a country. 27 World Wide Governance Indicators, World Bank file:///c:/users/viorela/downloads/va.pdf

98 Interdisiplinary Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 4, no. 2, 2017 Figure 5.2: Voice and accountability in the Western Balkans, WWGI (WB), 2017 The two workshops organized during the earlier stages of implementation of the research project, among other topics, addressed the issue of transparency and accountability. Students and experts feedback on this element was focused on the urgent need for the Albanian government to further improve the mechanisms of transparency and accountability within its institutional framework. Despite the acknowledged progress made up to now by the post-communist Albanian governments after the 90 s, the country is still perceived as problematic in dealing with situations and issues of accountability and transparency. What is more, the main issues pointed as problematic by the participants were: the way of offering services by public institutions, the efficiency and quality of offering public services, the citizens access in institutions (the time element), the lack of trust in institutions, inability (or limited space) to affect the improvement of transparency and accountability, insufficient channels of communication for citizens to give feedback on institutions performance.

Interdisiplinary Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 4, no. 2, 2017 99 6. Corruption Corruption is one of the most challenging issues that Albania is facing over the years. All the Albanian governments from one legislature to another have a common program element: fighting corruption. Currently, it is a lifestyle and unfortunately it is part of the culture. One in two Albanians admits to be tolerant towards corruption, which indicates a lack of trust by the population to benefit from public services without giving bribes. 28 We have tried to treat this problem by going through the thoughts of different groups of the society, including simple citizens, students, academics and experts. Based on the feedback of such a variety of people, we attempt to draw some conclusions on what can be done, how, and what is more important, identify some sustainable solutions in order to fight and reduce corruption. In the framework of this study, we assume that corruption is the misuse of the public power for private gain. 29 One of the most well-known anti-corruption NGO s, Transparency International defines the corruption as abuse of entrusted power for private gain. 30 Corruption is a phenomenon that is present everywhere in Albania. In a 2016 survey conducted by ACER (Albanian Center for Economic Research) and SELDI (Southeast Europe Leadership for Development and Integrity), some 49.6% of the interviewed (over 1000 interviewed) admit that they have directly or indirectly been required to give money to public officials. According to the survey results, the groups that are perceived most corrupt are the judges, prosecutors, administration officials in the justice system, political parties and leaders on the ruling coalition. 31 Similar data are shown by another research conducted by IDRA (Institute for Development Research and Alternatives) in 2016. In accordance to this research, 44% of the population have had corruption experience in 2015, and their experience with corruption is spread from bribing a doctor and nurse (21%), bribing to receive the documents (20.4%), bribe asked by public official (8.7%) and bribe asked by the policeman (8.2). Nevertheless, this research emphasis the 28 http://seldi.net/fileadmin/public/events/2016.05.12_albania_national_event/seldi_leaflet_ Survey_Findings_2016.pdf 29 http://www.corruptie.org/en/corruption/what-is-corruption/ 30 http://www.transparency.org/what-is-corruption/#define 31 http://seldi.net/fileadmin/public/events/2016.05.12_albania_national_event/seldi_leaflet_ Survey_Findings_2016.pdf

100 Interdisiplinary Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 4, no. 2, 2017 fact that compared to 2010 corruption is experienced less. 32 Corruption is very present in all the Western Balkan countries as well. As the Department of State highlights in its report of 2016, it is a huge phenomenon in Albania, but also in Bosnia Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo. 33 In accordance to UNCAC (United Nations Convention Against Corruption), such phenomenon is so deep in the society, state and economy that will be a serious problem for the democracy of these countries. Except Kosovo, which has a short statehood period, all the Western Balkans countries have historically had problems with it. Their progress into the EU membership is a story of success but, they are still compromised by corruption. 34 Even though it is a general problem, it results that Albania and Kosovo are the most corrupted countries in the Balkans. In Albania corruption is the second most important problem after unemployment, in Kosovo is the first problem, but in BH and Serbia corruption is perceived as the fourth and third most important problem in the country. The anticorruption actors in the Western Balkans are mainly the international actors such as EU, UN, OECD, Council of Europe alongside with other important NGO s such as Transparency International. 35 Indeed, Transparency International has declared that the fight against corruption is failing and this is putting the EU access at risk. The most important problem is the effectiveness and independence of the juridical system. The status quo it is being preserved by the political leaders who are delaying the reform in the justice system. All the countries have made progress in approving new anti- corruption laws but have failed in their implementation and effectiveness. 36 Therefore, in Albania, thanks to pressure from international partners and conditions set from the EU as a priority for opening negotiations for Albania s EU integration, in the last three years a set of institutional measures have been taken and there have been some initiatives to fight corruption. Based on publications from the Ministry of Justice, the following institutional initiatives have been taken in the last four years: 1) The creation of the International Anti-Corruption Coordinator, as a 32 http://idrainstiute.org/files/reports/corruption%202016/corruption%20english%final.pdf 33 https://europeanwesternbalkans.com/2017/03/05/state-department-widespread-corruptionprevents-progress-in-western-balkans/ 34 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=eprs_ BRI(2015)557025 35 ibid 36 http://www.transparency.org/news/pressrelease/fighting_corruption_is_failing_in_eu_ accession_countries_in_the_western_bal

Interdisiplinary Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 4, no. 2, 2017 101 ministerial- based body which coordinates the measures against corruption and policies at national level. This coordinator is in fact the minister of the interior; 2) The anti-corruption package has been created in the Criminal Law Procedure, by adding corruption from high level officials, judges, prosecutors, etc, as a criminal offence in the jurisdiction of the Court for Serious Crimes. Thus, corruption is considered as a serious crime, not in the level of punishment, but in the fact that these criminal offense will be fought against by the same means as organized crime and criminal groups; 3) Amendments to the Criminal Law Procedure in order to harmonize it to the legislation in compliance with constitutional amendments of the year 2012. These changes brought about the removal of immunity of high officials, as this reform was not accompanied by the necessary amendments to the Criminal Law Procedure; 4) Finally, in 2014 the law on Preventing and fighting organized crime and trafficking through preventive measures against property was amended aimed at expanding the preventive measures against the property of the individuals who are suspected of committing corruptive activity. The goal of this law is the boosting the attempts in order to discourage corruption by seizing property. 37 In February 2015, the Anti-Corruption portal was launched headed by the National Anti-Corruption Coordinator. This portal aims at offering an efficient and direct mechanism closer to the citizens for reporting corruption at any time and place. 38 In accordance to this portal, during the year 2017, some 16220 cases of corruption have been reported. Some 6911 cases have been resolved, 95 have been delegated to the Prosecutor Office, 7420 have been refused and 1178 cases are being examined. The average length in time for a case is 18 days. 39 The corruption problem has been treated by the Ombudsman. In the report of the institution s activity for 2015, the reform in the justice system is highlighted as one of the most concerning problems about which the citizens complain most in this institution. This report emphasizes that the actual justice system does not guarantee the protection and respect of human rights. The citizens want independent, efficient and uncorrupt justice. That is why this institution 37 Ministry of Justice: Statistical Yearbook of 2015 http://www.drejtesia.gov.al/files/userfiles/ statistika/vjetari-2015.pdf 38 http://www.ceshtjetvendore.gov.al/al/newsroom/deklarata-per-shtyp/prezantohet-portali-unikdhe-fushata-kunder-korrupsionit&page=4 39 http://stat.stopkorrupsionit.al/

102 Interdisiplinary Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 4, no. 2, 2017 recommends the finalization of this reform and calls on political parties to demonstrate their political will for carrying out this reform. In his report, the Ombudsman emphasizes that without an independent, efficient and fair justice system, Albania will never be able to build a competitive economy, a clean politics, and a safe life for the citizens, foreign and internal investments, and the rule of law. In 2015, there were six complaints from citizens against the justice system, but only in two cases disciplinary measures were taken. However, the Ombudsman in his report mentions cases of complaints against corruption in education, health system, and the local government. 40 Despite the above institutional measures, corruption still continues to be one of the most concerning problems of the Albanian government. The evaluation report of International Monetary Fund in March 2016 emphasizes that there are handicaps in institutions which seem weak and corrupted, which hinders the development of business. 41 The same issue is emphasized in the Report of the World Bank of June 2016. In accordance to this country report, Albania is still facing issues of corruption, and this fact is compromising the general economic growth of Albania, along with the accession to the EU. 42 If we refer to the statistics of the Ministry of justice for the year 2015 (as there were no statistics published for 2016, there is an increase in the number of convictions for corruption in the last years. Overall, in the first instance court and the appeal court for the years 2013, 2014, 2015 there is an increase to 164 convicted for 2013 (out of 347 court cases), 289 for 2014 (out of 413 court cases), and 253 convicted for 2015. 43 7. Results and Discussion Based on the data gathered, most of the participants in the questionnaire belonged to the age group between 18 and 25 years old. The graph below shows the distribution of the respondents based on the age and education variables. 40 Annual report on the activity of the Ombudsman, January 1 st December 31 st 2015 http:// avokatipopullit.gov.al/sites/defalut/files/ctools/raporti%20shqip%202%pdf 41 http://www.imf.org/external/np/ms/2016/032316a.htm 42 http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/albania/overview 43 Ministry of Justice: Statistical Yearbook of 2015 http://www.drejtesia.gov.al/files/userfiles/ statistika/vjetari-2015.pdf

Interdisiplinary Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 4, no. 2, 2017 103 Figure 7.1: Age groups of the respondents [18-25 (76%); 26-35 (3%); 36-45 (13%); over 45(6.7%)], and The educational status of the respondents On the other hand, most of the respondents had a university degree (68,7%), 3% had a master s degree, while the rest of them had finished high school 28.3%. What is more important, when asked about the concept of sustainable development, the majority of the respondents answered correctly to how they perceived sustainable development. About 76% answered that sustainable development is linked to all the fields of development in a country. Figure 7.2: Association with the concept of sustainable development [what sustainable development means to the respondents] One other important question that the questionnaire included was Albania and sustainable development: where does Albania fit. When asked if Albania is on the right track for fulfilling the obligations deriving from its commitment to sustainable development 37.5% of the surveyed answered yes, 40% answered no; 20% answered don t know, and 2.5% other.

104 Interdisiplinary Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 4, no. 2, 2017 Figure 7.4: Albania and sustainable development: is Albania on the right track for fulfilling the obligations deriving from its commitment to sustainable development The descriptive analysis of the quantitative data shows: 1. a considerable level of knowledge on the concept of sustainable development, which is proved by the relation between the education level and knowledge on this issue; 2. difficulties in the identification of Albania s status and current position in this process, as regards to the notion of sustainable development and Agenda 2030. On the other hand, the experts questionnaire aimed at providing feedback by those who are active actors in the judicial system in Albania and who have the expertise and knowledge on this issue. This will enable a clear panorama on certain elements of goal 16 of the Agenda 2030, as well as tackle problems which are identified as the most urgent in the framework of goal 16 of Agenda 2030. Thus, the short questionnaire was focused on four main issues. First, it aimed at identifying the approach of experts of the issue of the rule of law, and more precisely on the reform in the justice system as one of the most important reforms which is taking place in Albania. Second, the questionnaire addressed issues of corruption and reduction of various forms of corruption. It also contained issues of the fight against organized crime and government s reaction to it. Finally, the questionnaire addressed the issues of effective development of institutions, accountability and transparency in all levels. Based on the analysis of the data collected for this target group in the period April 2017, the following graph shows the opinion of the respondents on the issue of the rule of law:

Interdisiplinary Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 4, no. 2, 2017 105 Figure 7.5: Promotion of the rule of law [question: do you think that the reform in the judicial system will be successful in establishing the rule of law in Albania?] Asked about the issue of the rule of law, 20% of the respondents believed that the reform in the justice system would be successful. The other part thought that it would not be successful (33%), or were skeptical about it (47%). Regarding the efficiency of the reforms carried out so far on the fight against corruption, the major part of experts (54%) were of the opinion that Albania had not carried out the right reforms, 38% were skeptical about them, and only 8% considered the initiatives taken so far as successful. Figure 7.6 : Promotion of the rule of Law [question: do you think the reforms on the reduction of corruption are carried out effectively?] and Fight against organized crime and development of effective, transparent and accountable institutions [question: do you think effective reforms are being carried out in order to reduce organized crime? Do you think Albania is on the right track regarding effective, transparent and accountable institutions?]

106 Interdisiplinary Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 4, no. 2, 2017 On the other hand, the two other issues related to the fight against organized crime and transparency and accountability, the situation as perceived by the experts is illustrated below: As far as the issue of organized crime is concerned, 37% answered that the initiatives in the fight against corruption have been effective, 50% thought they haven t been effective, and 13% were skeptical on the progress being made in this area. 55% of the respondents thought that Albania is not on the right track regarding the issue of transparency and accountability, 41% were skeptical about it, and only 4% considered the progress of the Albanian government to this issue as positive. What we notice from the data collected from experts is that on all the issues these are an indicator of the progress of the country regarding goal 16 of Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development, Albania has still a lot to do in order to progress with its commitments, not only in building effective governance that promotes peace, and produces access mechanisms to justice, as well as interaction of the citizens with the transparent and accountable institutions. In fact, this last element has been one of the most problematic to be evaluated by the experts. In their perception, Albania should pay great attention to the development of effective, transparent and accountable institutions. 8. Conclusions In conclusion, we can confirm that Albania, like other Western Balkan countries, has made progress in adapting the goals of Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development into its internal policies. Being a global commitment recently undertaken (2016), based on the problems and the emergency of the goals of Agenda 2030, Albania has also started to contribute to the development of sustainable development policies. What is more, we noticed that the Albanian society shares knowledge on the concept of sustainable development. The delivery of open lectures aimed at addressing different issues presented in the goal 16 of Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development enabled offering detailed information to Albanian youth on this concept. This was also confirmed by the short questionnaire filled in by them and by other groups of the Albanian society. Despite sharing knowledge on sustainable development and related issues, the respondents share different views on the political commitment undertaken so far related to sustainable development. A considerable part of the respondents believe that Albania has a lot to do

Interdisiplinary Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 4, no. 2, 2017 107 in order to fulfill the obligations deriving from the implementation of the indicators under goal 16 of Agenda 2030. What should be emphasized is the fact that there are still no signs indicating a potential increase in the trust of the citizens to the institutions. However, based on the workshops organized in the framework of the project, a set of recommendations were drawn, which can help achieve the required standards regarding the rule of law, transparent and accountable institutions, as well as the reduction of corruption. 9. Acknowledgements This research paper has been produced with the financial assistance of the SllovakAid and Pontis Foundation in the frame of Teaching, Motivating, Disseminating and Research on Sustainable Development: 2030 Agenda research project.

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