Projects to support the parliamentary administration
The Parliamentary Services (PS) have been providing support to the Parliament of the Republic of Albania since 2019, both in the sphere of civic education and awareness raising among the public and in the area of legislation and parliamentary control. This collaboration falls under the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) project called
Support to Parliament and Civic Education (PACEP) for the period 2018–24. This project is designed to strengthen the capacities of the parliamentary administration of the Albanian Parliament and to support it in its legislative, representative and oversight roles. Project goals also include empowering citizens and supporting their involvement in political life.
SUPPORT IN THE AREA OF CIVIC EDUCATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
At the end of the first PS mission, which took place in April 2019, the Albanian parliamentary administration expressed interest in collaborating with the PS on three projects, namely the development of a civic education campaign similar to the role-playing game 'Mon point de vue', developed by the PS, the creation of a new approach to the guided tours of the Albanian Parliament, and the development of a virtual 3D
tour based on the
virtual tour of the Swiss Parliament Building. In order to implement these projects, a working group was established in each parliamentary administration.
A series of online exchanges, a study trip in Switzerland and two additional missions in Albania led to the speedy completion of the three projects between June 2019 and October 2020. The 3D virtual tour of the Parliament of Albania (Plenary Building and
Headquarters) is now online in Albanian and English.
SUPPORT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF HANDBOOKS ON PARLIAMENTARY OVERSIGHT AND LEGISLATIVE WORK
Collaboration on parliamentary control began with a three-day seminar in Tirana in May 2019, during which the representatives of the secretariat of the Federal Assembly’s Control Committees (CCs) and their Albanian counterparts explained how oversight is exercised in their respective parliaments. Following this initial exchange of views, the Albanian parliamentary administration expressed an interest in developing a handbook for MPs on how to exercise parliamentary control, based on the
Vademecum of the
CCs. In October 2019, an Albanian working group participated in a workshop in Bern on the use of the
CCs' handbook and their working methods in the context of parliamentary oversight. Online exchanges continued during 2020, and the
Albanian handbook was published in 2021.
The PS also supported and supervised the development of a handbook on legislative work, based on the Swiss model, from 2021 to 2022. The PS legislative handbook is intended for committee secretariats and sets out the various tasks, responsibilities and procedural issues. A working group consisting of staff from the legislative committees of the Albanian Parliament was set up to draft a legislative handbook. The drafting of the handbook was completed after several online exchanges and a study visit to Bern in May 2022.
EXCHANGE OF EXPERTISE BETWEEN PARLIAMENTARY LIBRARIES
Since 2022, the Swiss Parliamentary Library and the Parliamentary Institute of Albania (PI Albania) have been exchanging information on the various services and facilities offered by a parliamentary library. PI Albania was set up in December 2020 as an autonomous department of the Albanian Parliament, with financial support from the SDC and others. Its aim is to help Albanian parliamentarians carry out their representative, legislative and oversight functions by providing them with evidence-based information, analyses and reports. It also includes a library and publications service for parliamentarians and staff.
During initial discussions, staff from the Swiss Parliamentary Library showed the Albanian delegation the digital services and products it provides. The PS are currently supporting PI Albania in developing an online
parliamentary lexicon, partly based on the Swiss one. PI Albania also expressed an interest in sharing its experience in digitisation with the Swiss Parliamentary Library, particularly in terms of work processes and products for parliamentarians.
Study visit to Bern on public relations and civic education, October 2019
Study visit to Bern on public relations and civic education, October 2019
Delegation from the Parliamentary Institute of Albania on a study visit in Bern (October 2022)
Study visit to the Parliamentary Institute of Albania in Tirana by a delegation from the Swiss Parliamentary Library (April 2023)