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European Integration Directorate

EUROPEAN INTEGRATION DIRECTORATE

Mission

1. Coordination and monitoring of European Integration process for the financial sector;
2. Implementation of Stabilisation - Association Agreement;
3. Development of International Agreements of Ministry of Finance and institutions under its authority;
4. Following up the bilateral cooperation relations and with the international financial institutions of the Ministry of Finance;

Main Responsibilities

1. Preparing in time the established practices with regard to the European integration, task force, work groups and transmission to MEI;
2. Preparing and negotiation of agreements, protocols of bilateral cooperation as well as with the international financial institutions;
3. Preparing periodic information reports on the developments of foreign relations of MF;
4. Drafting reports on monitoring and implementation the agreement with the International Monetary Fund and other structural agreements with the international financial institutions.
A new structure for IPA is added up to the Foreign Relations and Integration Department and supportive for SPO.

This department has in its structure a director and three specialists.

SPO is the head of the supporting structure of SPO. A general description of the responsibilities of SPO shall, in accordance with Article 75 of the Implementing Regulations of IPA, be laid out as follows:

• SPO is responsible for the technical aspect of the activities within the line ministries;
• It shall support PAO for the preparation and implementation in time and good quality of the activities at technical level;
• It ensures coordination within the respective line determined in the draft proposal.

Tasks of Director of External Relations and Integration Department

1. Organising, following up and reporting on the tasks of the Foreign Relations and Integration Department;
2. Informing by memo and internal letters the Minister, Deputy Ministers, General Secretary and Director General of services on issues pertaining to the obligations of the Ministry of Finance in the context of the National Plan of SAA Implementation and in the context of strengthening the international relations of Ministry of Finance and depending institutions;
3. Participating in meeting of heads of ministries with representatives of foreign states, institutions and international organisations and preparing files and information in these meetings;
4. Following up over time the issues pertaining to the European integration issues, task forces, work groups and transmission to MEI;
5. Conducting the coordination of meetings in Task Force Albania-EU, Work Group for the Economy and Finance and other activities connected to the European Integration;
6. Following up the preparation and negotiation of agreements, protocols of bilateral cooperation as well as with the international financial institutions;
7. Following up the drafting of periodic information on the development of foreign relations of MF;
8. Following up the drafting of reports on monitoring and implementing the agreement with the International Monetary Fund and other structural agreements with international financial institutions;
9. Participating and representing MF in the meetings of bilateral Joint Commissions for the economic cooperation.

Specifically, SPO has the following duties:

PROGRAMING:
1. Preparing the sector analysis / demand (need) analysis;
2. Participating in the process of consultation and cooperating in reviewing the multi-annual indicative and planning document (MIPD) through the NIPAC office;
3. Preparing the project fiches in compliance with the plan of NIPAC programming;
4. Including the comments on the project fiches and organising the work for completing the final draft by the line ministry;
5.  Sending the project fiches to NIPAC;
6.  Modifying, upon the request of NIPAC, every documentation in connection with the programming;
7.  Coordinating the other directorates within the ministry during the programming.

IMPLEMENTING/MONITORING:
1.  Preparing Terms of Reference, Technical Specifications, Procedures about applicants (grants), document of tender for civil works;
2.  Sending Terms of Reference, Technical Specifications, Procedures about applicants (grants), document of tender for civil works to CFCU for approval;
3.  Asking PAO institution of tendering procedures;
4.  Making possible the publication of announcements for procurement, in an official newspaper, on behalf of CFCU;
5.  Modifying, upon the request of PAO, every documentation in connection with the tender;
6.  Making available the necessary information with regard to the technical aspects of the PAO/CFCU project, in the course of preparing the tender/ process of tendering;
7.  Confirming its technical capabilities, including the appropriate command of the English language and full time presence of the evaluation commission in the Short List Panel and Evaluation Commission;
8.  Confirming no dependency relationship exists between the proposed members of the evaluation commission and no conflict of interest exists in connection with the tender/applicant;
9.  Ensures information and data for PAO/CFCU in connection with the development of the implementation of the procurement plan for the National Program of the first Component of IPA, Transition Assistance and Setting up of Institutions;
10.  Proposing the members having the right to vote of the short list panel/commission of evaluation and experts, according to the PAO/CFCU request;
11.  Sending to PAO the answers to the clarification questions in time, prior to opening the bids, ensuring that the responses are professionally appropriate and coordinated with competent experts and not at variance with the original document of tender, thus not modifying it considerably; 
13.  Participating in short listing and evaluating of the tender as member of the Short List Panel and Evaluation Commission;
14.  Providing assistance to PAO on the negotiation of the contract, as long as this is requested by PAO;
15.  Monitoring the technical implementation of projects and contributing to the Final Report of Implementation;
16.  Ensuring the appointment of the project manager, which shall maintain the direct contact/cooperate directly with the contractors and provide logistic assistance, or any other assistance, as long as requested;
17.  Carrying out the technical management of the projects, ensuring that the contractor/grant beneficiary carries out its tasks in compliance with the determined deadlines and with the required quality standard;
18.  Monitoring the contracts of grant beneficiaries in cooperation with the relevant central and local authorities;
19.  Approving the reports of contractors/beneficiaries of grants (“read and approved”);
20.  Approving and signing the intermediary and final letters of acceptance (“accurately certified”);
21.  Approving the technical documents, list of presence of experts and verifying the payments/bills, prior to the financial control and the payment being made by CFCU (“accurately certified”) within the time periods determined by PAO, controlling:
22.  Accuracy of information of the bill/request for payment;
23.  Compliance of bills/request for payment with the contract clauses;
24.  Compliance of the bill/request for payment with the clauses of the Implementing regulation of IPA and Financial Agreement, specifically with the clauses bearing a connection with the acceptability of expenses;
25.  Ensuring the coordination, as appropriate, with the other departments within the beneficiary institution for the appropriate development and implementation of projects;
26.  Maintaining the documentation bearing a connection with the implementation of the project up to 7 years from the moment of the final payment based on the contract;
27.  Any other task in connection with the technical implementation of the projects under his/her responsibility;
28.  Participating in the Committee of Transition Assistance and Setting up of Institutions.

HORISONTAL:
1.  Managing the supporting structure of SPO in compliance with the rules and procedures of IPA and delegating his tasks to the staff supporting SPO, thus ensuring the appropriate assignment of the tasks in programming and implementation;
2.  Being responsible for ensuring that the SPO manual be distributed and implemented by all the members of the supporting staff of SPO;
3.  Being responsible for the evaluation of capacities and updating the work burden analysis of the structure supporting SPO;
4.  Identifying the needs for training of personnel and contributing to the training plan of the operational structure;
5.  Being the reporting official on the irregularities for the structure of SPO and responsible for the systematic reporting on irregularities;
6.  Being responsible for the Risk Management of SPO structure and participating in the meetings of the risk management panel;
- Confirming to PAO the effective functioning of the managerial and controlling functions;
- Confirming to PAO the legality and appropriateness of all the activities undertaken in connection with the EU financed projects;
- Participating in the implementing and monitoring monthly systematic meetings with CFCU to discuss on the status of projects, upcoming tenders and on every encountered problem and recommendations made;
- Ensuring the co-financing allocated to the annual budget of the line ministry;
- Being responsible for reporting to NIPAC and PAO – Ensuring making available systematically the entire necessary information on the physical progress of every project, in connection with asking for funds from the European Commission, as it has been provided for in the Financial Agreements; Being responsible for preparing and sending as follows:
a) Monthly progress reports on the progress of implementation of projects and input of preparing the financial and reporting documents required by PAO/CFCU;
b) Immediate reporting on every suspected irregularity to PAO, preparing and sending semester reports on the suspected/detected and resolved or non-resolved irregularities and “zero” reports on the irregularities with PAO;
c) Semester reporting for the Risk Management Coordinator of CFCU on the identified risk within the SPO structure;
d) Making available any additional information in the course of implementing the project, as long as required by PAO;
e) Annual Reports / Final Progressive Reports as an input in preparing a Sector Annual Report and Final Report in the Implementation by NIPAC/CFCU and sending to NIPAC one month prior to the date determined for sending the annual and final reports to the Committee of Transition Assistance and Setting up of Institutions for analysis;
f) Reporting to PAO on every information in connection with every change in the control system.

1. Tasks of specialist ( 1) of External Relations and Integration Department

1. Work coordination with the Directorates of the Ministry of Finance DPD, DPPPP, ISSH and DPT for preparing the various products in the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, such as negotiations, task force, meetings of the work group for the finance economy, etc;
2. Participation in the activities being organised in the context of the stabilisation and association process;
3. Monitoring and preparing the periodic progress report on the meeting of sector related obligations stemming from the SA process;
4. Preparing monitoring reports of reforms in the SAA context, its implementation and approximation of legislation and highlighting the shortfalls;
5. In cooperation with the Legal Directorate, coordination of the work for approximating the legislation with acquis communautaire;
6. Preparing information reports for the heads of directorates and directorates involved in the developments, recommendations and EU requirements in the field of competence of MF;
7. Coordinating the preparation of the application and implementing the community assistance (CARDS, IPA and TAIEX) for MF;
8. Preparing the international visits for heads of directorates;
9. Preparing monitoring reports and implementing the agreement with IMF and other agreements with structural conditions of international financial institutions and highlighting the arrangements to be made;
10. Following up the correspondence of period information reports of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in connection with the international relations of Ministry of Finance and the dependant institutions;
11. The specialist shall be assigned other tasks in addition to the above ones.

• PROGRAMING OFFICIAL/EXPERT

Reporting to SPO in connection with the programming and other delegated tasks and more specifically carrying out the following tasks on behalf of SPO:
- Preparing the sectoral analysis / need analysis;
- Participating in the consultation process and cooperating in the review of the multi-annual indicative planning document (MIPD) through NIPAC office;
- Preparing the project fiches in compliance with the programming plan of NIPAC;
- Including the comments on the project fiches and organising the work for completing the final draft by the line ministry;
- Sending the project fiches to NIPAC;
- Modifying, upon the request of NIPAC, every documentation in connection with the programming;
- Coordinating the other directorates within the ministry in the course of programming;
- Carrying out every other task delegated b SPO 
2. Tasks of Specialist (2) of External Relations and Integration Department

1. Work coordination with the Directorates of the Ministry of Finance DPD, DPPPP, ISSH and DPT for preparing the various products in the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, such as negotiations, task force, meetings of the work group for the finance, economy, etc;
2. Participation in the activities being organised in the context of the stabilisation and association process; 
3. Monitoring and preparing the periodic progress report on the meeting of sector related obligations stemming from the SA process;
4. Preparing monitoring reports of reforms in the SAA context, its implementation and approximation of legislation and highlighting the shortfalls;
5. In cooperation with the Legal Directorate, coordination of the work for approximating the legislation with acquis communautaire;
6. Preparing information reports for the heads of directorates and directorates involved in the developments, recommendations and EU requirements in the field of competence of MF;
7. Coordinating work with the respective departments for the preparation of the application and implementing of the community assistance (CARDS, IPA and TAIEX) for MF; 
8. Preparing the international visits for heads of directorates;
9. Preparing monitoring reports and implementing the agreement with IMF and other agreements with structural conditions of international financial institutions and highlighting the arrangements to be made;
10. Following up the correspondence of period information reports of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in connection with the international relations of Ministry of Finance and the dependant institutions;
11. Preparing all the necessarry procedures for the assignmnet of the taxation agreements with different countries.
12. Coordinating the work with  the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on different Convetions, suc as: Convetion for the emmigrats, Convention for the children, etc. by defining the sectors connected with our Ministry, and elaborating the information necessary fo the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
13. Partecipating on the preliminary meetings organised for the above mentioned Conventions;
14. Preparing the information necessary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Resolution of the United Nations, by defining the respective departments to obtain and send the information neccessary to the above mentioned Ministry ;
15. Getting information from the relative embassies on the documents needed to get visas; preparing the verbal notes to provide visas for the employees of the Ministry of Finance travelling abroad for official purposes; 
16. Preparing the agenda and the information necessary on the meetings to be organized within the Ministry of Finance with different  financial institutions as well as with our counterparts
17. Taking part on the meetings organised within the Ministry of Finance with our counterparts, study tours, etc. aiming at exchanging experience with them and also organizing different activities with our homologues  (10 dite ne vit -80 ore);
18. Informing the Ministry of Finance on the meetings of our Minister of Finance
19. Preparing the documents necessary  for the finance Department of Finance on the costs of the travelling;
20. Preparing the documentation necessary on the payment of the official translators of the Ministry of Finance on translations made for official documents requested by law. The specialist shall be assigned other tasks in addition to the above ones.

•  IMPLEMENTING/MONITORING OFFICIAL
Reporting to SPO in connection with the programming and other delegated tasks and more specifically carrying out the following tasks on behalf of SPO:
- Preparing Terms of Reference, Technical Specifications, Procedures about applicants (grants), document of tender for civil works;
- Sending Terms of Reference, Technical Specifications, Procedures about applicants (grants), document of tender for civil works to CFCU for approval;
- Asking PAO institution of tendering procedures;
- Making possible the publication of announcements for procurement, in an official newspaper, on behalf of CFCU;
- Modifying, upon the request of PAO, every documentation in connection with the tender;
- Making available the necessary information with regard to the technical aspects of the PAO/CFCU project, in the course of preparing the tender/ process of tendering;
- Confirming its technical capabilities, including the appropriate command of the English language and full time presence of the evaluation commission in the Short List Panel and Evaluation Commission;
- Confirming no dependency relationship exists between the proposed members of the evaluation commission and no conflict of interest exists in connection with the tender/applicant;
- Ensures information and data for PAO/CFCU in connection with the development of the implementation of the procurement plan for the National Program of the first Component of IPA, Transition Assistance and Setting up of Institutions;
- Proposing the members having the right to vote of the short list panel/commission of evaluation and experts, according to the PAO/CFCU request;
- Sending to PAO the answers to the clarification questions in time, prior to opening the bids, ensuring that the responses are professionally appropriate and coordinated with competent experts and not at variance with the original document of tender, thus not modifying it considerably;
- Participating in short listing and evaluating of the tender as member of the Short List Panel and Evaluation Commission;
- Providing assistance to PAO on the negotiation of the contract, as long as this is requested by PAO;
- Monitoring the technical implementation of projects and contributing to the Final Report of Implementation;
- Ensuring the appointment of the project manager, which shall maintain the direct contact/cooperate directly with the contractors and provide logistic assistance, or any other assistance, as long as requested;
- Carrying out the technical management of the projects, ensuring that the contractor/grant beneficiary carries out its tasks in compliance with the determined deadlines and with the required quality standard;
- Monitoring the contracts of grant beneficiaries in cooperation with the relevant central and local authorities;
- Approving the reports of contractors/beneficiaries of grants (“read and approved”);
- Approving and signing the intermediary and final letters of acceptance (“accurately certified”);
- Approving the technical documents, list of presence of experts and verifying the payments/bills, prior to the financial control and the payment being made by CFCU (“accurately certified”) within the time periods determined by PAO, controlling:
- Accuracy of information of the bill/request for payment;
- Compliance of bills/request for payment with the contract clauses;
- Compliance of the bill/request for payment with the clauses of the Implementing regulation of IPA and Financial Agreement, specifically with the clauses bearing a connection with the acceptability of expenses;
- Ensuring the coordination, as appropriate, with the other departments within the beneficiary institution for the appropriate development and implementation of projects;
- Maintaining the documentation bearing a connection with the implementation of the project up to 7 years from the moment of the final payment based on the contract;
- Any other task in connection with the technical implementation of the projects under his/her responsibility;