The Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. drew upon the Indicators when developing its own standards for transparency and citizen engagement. 

This case study was prepared by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) Albania, in cooperation with the Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. of Albania.

A standards-based approach to parliamentary development

As the nation’s primary legislative body, the Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. of Albania plays a pivotal role in advancing the country’s European Union aspirations and solidifying its democratic political system. In recent years, the Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. has taken proactive steps to implement structural reforms in the areas of representation, law-making and oversight. As part of this reform process, the Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. has embraced a standards-based approach, drawing upon the preliminary version of the Indicators for Democratic Parliaments, as well as the expertise and guidance of relevant international institutions and organizations.

In 2021, the Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. was involved in the first testing stage for the draft Indicators, which was facilitated by NDI. Specifically, it tested Indicator 1.7 (oversight), which included assessing its capacity and practice against all 7 dimensions and approximately 30 assessment criteria. The Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. then provided valuable feedback that helped the Inter-Parliamentary Union to refine this indicator.

The assessment process was an opportunity for the Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. to examine its oversight procedures and practices and to consider possible improvements. This testing exercise also inspired a discussion on how the Indicators could be used to support the Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. ’s future development.

“Our involvement in the testing of the Indicators proved to be a valuable exercise, prompting discussions about how we could use the Indicators as a whole as a self-assessment tool to establish a baseline. We aspire to gain broader support from the parliamentary leadership in the near future and to explore potential partnerships to bring this idea to fruition.”

Marsila Osmani, Project Officer, Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. of Albania

Political commitment to openness and transparency 

One of the parliamentary leadership’s strategic priorities is to enhance transparency, accessibility and meaningful citizen engagement in its activities. In her inaugural address in September 2021, the newly elected Speaker Speaker The highest authority and principal presiding officer of the parliament, or of the house or chamber in bicameral parliaments. The Speaker is usually an MP elected at the beginning of each convocation by fellow MPs to preside over the parliamentary chamber or, in a unicameral system, to preside over the parliament. , Ms. Lindita Nikolla, reaffirmed the Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. ’s commitment to “heightening transparency and facilitating effective citizen engagement”. To spearhead these initiatives, the Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. established a cross-party group of MPs and a dedicated working group consisting of parliamentary staff.

A 2020 survey commissioned by NDI revealed a notable divergence in perceptions of the extent to which the Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. is perceived as open, accessible and accountable by MPs and parliamentary staff on the one hand, and by journalists and civil society leaders on the other. In response to these concerning findings, the Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. embarked on an initiative to establish standards for transparency and citizen engagement in its work. These would then serve as the basis for the development of an Open Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. Action Plan, setting out the steps to attain these standards.

A co-creation process with civil society and the media

In order to promote collective ownership of both the process and its outcomes, the Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. adopted a structured approach to dialogue and collaboration with civil society and the media. This approach was inspired by the co-creation model pioneered under the Open Government Government See: Executive. Note: In this publication, the terms “government” and “executive” are used interchangeably, and the traditional definition of the three branches of government (executive, legislative and judicial) is not used. Partnership. 

“The aim of the co-creation process was to collectively define the concepts of parliamentary transparency and citizen engagement, and then to formulate a set of quantifiable standards and indicators rooted in the best global and regional practices.”
Vilma Bello, former MP, Head of Secretariat for Transparency, Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. of Albania

The Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. established a joint working group including 30 representatives from civil society and 14 from the media, which developed the framework of standards and indicators through a series of meetings and workshops.

Media and civil society representatives welcomed the Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. ’s initiative, and in particular its willingness to engage in a co-creation process.

“The co-creation process transcends the conventional formal consultation procedures that are typical in Albania, providing civil society activists with an equal seat at the table to collaboratively work with policymakers in advancing the transparency agenda. It is important that this approach and cooperation continue even during the implementation and monitoring of transparency standards and indicators, guaranteeing the real involvement of civil society and the media.”

Ariola Agolli, Manager of the National Resource Centre for Civil Society, Partners Albania for Change and Development

How the Indicators contributed to this process

The Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. of Albania used the Indicators for Democratic Parliaments as a key resource for the development of its own standards framework. In particular, the Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. drew on the indicators under Target 3 (transparent parliament) and Target 6 (participatory parliament) to understand the different aspects that make parliament transparent and participatory, and used the aspiring goals as a source of inspiration. The Indicators also proved useful in resolving differences in opinion between the Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. and other stakeholders. 

“The process was not easy, as we often had varying viewpoints on the meaning of specific transparency standards and how to establish measurable indicators.”

Julia Done, Director of the Parliamentary Service for Information and Documentation, Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. of Albania

Next steps

The Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. of Albania is expected to endorse the newly developed standards for transparency and citizen engagement by the end of 2023. The Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. will then commission an independent assessment of its current practice against these standards. The results of this assessment will inform the drafting of the Open Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. Action Plan, which will include concrete measures, responsibilities and time frames, as well as monitoring mechanisms. 

NDI’s efforts to facilitate a structured dialogue between the Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. of Albania and civil society organizations on issues of transparency and citizen engagement were initiated in 2020 under the Support to Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. and Civic Education Project, a project of the Swiss Agency for Development and Development. These efforts continue with the support of the National Endowment for Democracy Democracy The belief in freedom and equality between people, or a system of government based on this belief, in which power is held either by elected representatives or directly by the people themselves. Also, a basic right of citizenship to be exercised under conditions of freedom, equality, transparency and responsibility, with due respect for the plurality of views, and in the interest of the polity. .

Contact person at the NDI Office in Albania: Ms. Elena Gjergji, [email protected]