Tirana, 24 September 2025 | The establishment of the Monitoring Committee of Albania’s Reform and Growth Facility (MC RGF) marks another step forward in strengthening transparency and accountability in the country’s reform process. This new oversight mechanism brings together government, business, and civil society to ensure inclusive monitoring and effective implementation.
At the inaugural RGF MC meeting held on 24 September 2025, CDI Executive Director Krisela Hackaj emphasized the transformative role of the RGF. “RGF is not only about the money, but about good governance; how reforms are implemented, and how the country is prepared for membership obligations. Although the RGF is only a four-year instrument, we see it as an opportunity for Albania to develop and strengthen its institutional good governance – including capacities and skills – with regard to the implementation of future performance-based EU instruments.” said Ms. Hackaj (full contribution is available here).
CDI has actively supported the RGF from its inception through inclusive engagement, place-based knowledge and capacity-building, including organizing national dialogues with civil society and business; sharing EU best practices on governance; organizing and leading a study visit to EU institutions; and launching the region’s first Reform Tracker to monitor reform progress.
CDI advocates for leveraging the RGF to foster a lasting culture of performance-based planning. To this end, we recommend: i) strengthening inter-institutional coordination for cross-sectoral reforms; ii) establishing systematic consultations with business and civil society; iii) developing targeted communication strategies for each impacted sector; and, iv) introducing a mid-term assessment to inform the next EU financial framework. RGF-linked technical assistance should contribute to a culture of performance-based monitoring and evaluation methodology and standards. Inclusivity and partnership must be a main building block.
Supported by the Embassy of Switzerland and Embassy of the Netherlands, CDI contribution to Albania RGF is currently structured along three main lines: i) bringing best practices and standards from EU Member States Recovery and Resilience Facility to support and enrich Albania’s efforts on RGF; ii) monitoring the implementation of reforms; and iii) facilitating the Growth Plan country dialogue to ensure stakeholders are well-informed about the novelties of the performance-based instrument; are actively involved; and, have access to opportunities for constructive engagement.
