New businesses in Albania can now legally register within 24 hours, avoiding long bureaucratic procedures that used to take up to 47 days and fostered bribery and corruption. According to the economy ministry, which initiated the reform, the new process combines several steps into one. The changes were implemented with financial help from USAID, under the Millennium Challenge Albania Threshold Agreement. The 2006 accord aims to reduce corruption through reforms in tax administration, public procurement, and business registration.
"We want to provide easier, faster and a less costly process of registering a new business, simultaneous tax registration, social insurance, health insurance and labour directorate registration using a single application procedure," said the head of the National Registration Centre (NRC), Tom Kola. He says the reform is a significant phase in government efforts to improve the business climate in Albania. It provides several important benefits for Albanian businesses as well as foreign investors.
The NRC will greatly simplify and reduce the cost of business registration services by streamlining information requirements. Licenses needed for specific activities will be obtainable after registration, not as a precondition for business and tax registration. Companies may even be able register online in the near future. "A Windows application will be available throughout Albania, making it possible for a business to register locally.
Free public access to commercial registry information can be done via the internet," Kola said.
However, there may be a legal hurdle. Albania currently does not have a law on the books allowing electronic registration. The head of Albania´s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ilir Zhilla, welcomed the registration initiative. However, he said, "We have yet to see if the new registration process will work within the next year."
In early September, the NRC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the customs department for access to business and fiscal registration data. "The memorandum is an important step in minimising corruption, which Albania has been facing in the last few years and which made it impossible for businesses to function normally. By partnering with the NRC, we will offer our data and experience," said Gerta Picari, the general director of the customs department. (SETimes)
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