The government deletes the post to find the deputy of Ilir Beqaj, urgently makes the new VKM

Error 404 is a picture with which Albanians are already familiar. That is the view that appears when the various media delete the news. In some cases, the news is hidden because it is incorrect. But in some other cases, the reasons are less orthodox and are related to powerful interventions or cash bags that circulate.

But media outlets aren't the only ones deleting posts. Error 404 has also infected the Council of Ministers, the highest body of the executive power of the state.

The photo above is the government's official announcement, opening applications for the selection of the new head of the State Agency for Strategic Programming and Aid Coordination. After staying a few days on the official website of the prime minister, the official announcement was deleted. The reasons why have nothing to do with interventions or cash bags. The government deleted the post because it violated the law.

Tailor "Prime Ministry"

In October 2021, the Albanian government approved the decision to establish the State Agency for Strategic Programming and Aid Coordination, otherwise known as SASPAC. Part of the decision to establish the agency, which manages all foreign funds for Albania, were also the criteria that its leader had to fulfill.

In point 2 of the third chapter, the decision sanctioned that "The General Director of SASPAC must have at least 15 years of work experience, 7 of them in the field of expertise and/or public administration."

Based on these criteria at that time, the government appointed Ilir Beqaj to head the agency that manages foreign aid. But two years later the situation changed. Mr. Beqaj was investigated by SPAK for the sterilization concession and on November 18 he resigned from his post. Consequently, SASPAC was left without a leader.

Immediately after the resignation of Mr. Beqaj, the government announced on its official website the notice of application for the selection of the new head of SASPAC, asking the candidates to fulfill the criteria as defined in the decision of 2021. This is the link of the official announcement in the government website https://www.kryeministria.al/newsroom/47847-2/.

But a few days later, someone remembered that the person they have predetermined to be appointed in charge of SASPAC does not have 15 years of work experience. Consequently the post was deleted. But it doesn't end here.

On November 23, the government convened urgently to change the VKM, namely the criteria that the head of SASPAC had to meet. The point that forced the government to appoint at the head of this agency a person with 15 years of work experience, of which 7 years in the field of public administration, was changed.

Consequently, the article was worded textually: The applicant must have work experience of not less than 7 years.

The new decision, which changed the criteria, is dated November 23. The government met only a day before and all its decisions bear the date of November 22. For this, it was convened a day later or it was approved by the circular decision procedure.

Brussels is worried

What has happened with the election of the new head of SASPAC actually testifies to the philosophy that governs the entire public life of the country. The winner is not selected according to the criteria defined by the law, but the law is sewn according to the criteria of the predetermined winner. This usually happens with public tenders and in many other areas of governance.

But the ridiculous actions of the government for the election of the new head of SASPAC have not gone unnoticed by the partners. A source from the European Union office in Tirana told Kapitali.al that Brussels is very concerned with what is happening in the election of the new head of the Strategic Programming Agency.

According to him, this situation is being carefully monitored, while the partners were surprised by the fact that the Albanian government twisted the criteria for the most important position of the public administration, the man who will manage all foreign funds for Albania.

The concern in Brussels is aggravated by the negative experiences that the EU has experienced with its funds in Albania. The case of the IPARD funds is the most sensitive one, where the massive abuses by the Albanian government with the money that the EU gives for agriculture forced Brussels to take an unprecedented decision by blocking them.

This time the pears were not eaten behind the back, but they came out institutionally. It is certain that the new leader of SASPAC will have a little more than 7 years of work experience. Because it forced the government to delete the post and break the law.

Now the question is can SASPAC go to SPAK? If so, the Secretary General of the government and the Director of the Department of Public Administration would have to give some embarrassing explanations to the prosecutors./ Kapitali.al/

By Klodian Tomorri