Albania—Integrated Policy Management Groups (IPMGs) for Policy Dialogue and Coordination

Albania has been on the path to European Union (EU) accession since 2014, when the country was granted candidate status. The EU is supporting reforms in Albania through the Instrument for Pre-Accession, IPA II, which is based on a sector approach that aims to increase coherence between sector policy, government spending, and the achievement of results.

Integrated Policy Management Groups (IPMGs) and Sector Steering Committees (SSC) were established by the Government of Albania within priority areas and sectors to move the country closer to accession. IPMGs focus on cooperation at the steering level in good governance and public administration; competitiveness and investment; employment and skills; and integrated land management. SSCs focus on cooperation at the steering level within sectors of special importance for reforms and inter-institutional coordination, including justice reform; home affairs; public financial management; interconnectivity; and environment, climate, and waste management.

Each IMPG/SSC has a technical secretariat. The Department for Development and Good Governance (DDGG), within the Albania Prime Minister’s Office, acts as a central secretariat to support the overall IMPG mechanism, along with the Ministry of Finance and Economy and Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

DAI provided technical assistance to the Integrated Policy Management Groups (IPMGs) for policy dialogue and coordination in Albania to improve institutional mechanisms, capacities, and procedures for strategic and integrated planning at central and sector levels.

Sample Activities

• Establish a process to coordinate the full national sector reform implementation cycle.
• Increase the capacities of the IPMG/SSC secretariats in the line ministries and IPMGs Central Secretariat to improve the planning, implementation, and monitoring of national sectors reforms.
• Develop guidelines for the functioning of all the IPMGs/SSCs.
• Improve the quality of policy management and produce high-quality analytical reports.
• Strengthen the capacities of the Department for Development and Good Governance to mainstream crosscutting issues such as gender equality, climate change, environment as well as addressing of EU Acquis alignment priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Support the sectorial IPMG/SSC secretariats to establish tools to effectively coordinate, plan, and monitor the implementation of sector reforms and priorities by streamlining the IPMGs’ structure and processes.

Select Results

• Built the capacity of the IPMG structures and the DDGG in its role as coordinator of the IMPG Mechanism.
• Developed a proposal for the IPMG Rules of Procedure document to clarify roles, ensure a common understanding of the IPMG mechanism, and provide guidance to line ministries on fulfilling their important role in inter-ministerial policy coordination.
• Developed a methodological framework to support the IPMG Mechanism for Organization, Functioning, and Performance Appraisal, which set out the framework for the organization, monitoring and assessment of the IPMG mechanism—including a capacity building needs assessment tool that will allow IPMGs to identify and track gaps and a comprehensive system of performance indicators to follow progress achieved under each IPMG.
• Developed the Technical Note, “Annual Stocktaking of Governance Reforms and Potential Ways Forward,” as a strategic document in assessing the current state of play in several areas focused on good governance.
• Presented recommendations for a concrete reform agenda in the short- and medium-term.