TIRANA, Nov 5 /ATA/ The European Commission has called for strengthening the capacities of the Agency for the Administration of Seized and Confiscated Assets (AAPSK), with a particular focus on improving operating procedures, increasing transparency in the use of assets and ensuring their timely management in order to preserve their economic value.
Another key recommendation concerns expanding the social reuse of confiscated assets, putting them to use for the benefit of local communities and the public interest.
In its 2026 Albania Progress Report, published yesterday, the European Commission acknowledges the country’s progress in the fight against organised crime and in strengthening mechanisms for the recovery of criminal assets, but stresses the need for further improvements to the asset management system.
Chapter 24, which covers Justice, Freedom and Security, focuses specifically on the Agency for the Administration of Seized and Confiscated Assets (AAPSK), calling for its capacities to be strengthened, particularly in relation to operational procedures.
According to the European Commission, these improvements should focus on ensuring the transparent use and timely management of assets, preventing any loss of economic value while they remain under state administration.
The recommendation highlights the importance of the sound economic management of seized and confiscated assets, identifying the preservation of their value as a key element in the effectiveness of the system.
Another key area highlighted in the European Commission’s recommendations is the need to improve the management of frozen and confiscated assets, including their use for social purposes.
In its recommendations on tackling serious and organised crime, the Commission calls for greater efficiency in the asset recovery and management system through stronger international cooperation, better use of legal instruments to confiscate the proceeds of crime, and improved asset management, including for social reuse.
This approach aims to ensure that assets derived from criminal activities, following their final confiscation and in accordance with the legal framework, can be put to use to deliver tangible benefits to society.
Social reuse may involve making properties available to organisations and institutions providing community services, supporting vulnerable groups or facilitating activities that serve the public interest.
As such, the management of confiscated assets is not limited to preserving their value and ensuring their economic use, but also involves the potential to channel the proceeds of illegal activities back into society for the public good.
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