The Chairman of the Albanian Supreme Audit Institution, Mr. Arben Shehu, and representatives of the ALSAI hosted in a working meeting the team of the TAIEX Peer-Review Mission, held by the Delegation of the European Union to Albania, within the framework of the support that the EU is providing for the strengthening of the legal and institutional safeguards that ensure the independence of central banks in candidate countries.

International experts shared European experiences and practices on the optimal functioning of Supreme Audit Institutions in relation to central banks. The discussions focused on the role and scope of the ALSAI audits on the Bank of Albania, both in the current situation and in the framework of Albania’s future obligations after EU membership, as well as on the relationship between the accountability of the central bank and the respect for its institutional, functional and financial independence, evaluating the most successful models of EU countries.

During the meeting, Mr. Ger Bom, Senior Legal Counsel in the Bank of the Netherlands, and Mr. Hans Weenink, Senior Counsel for Central Banking, clearly appreciated the work, professionalism and role of the ALSAI as an institutional guarantor of transparency and good governance in Albania, emphasizing the important contribution of the ALSAI audits to strengthening integrity and public trust in state institutions. The Chairman of ALSAI, Mr. Shehu, expressed his willingness to continue cooperation with EU experts and counterpart institutions, with the aim of full integration with European public audit standards.