TIRANA, April 2 – At the discussion held today at the “Liria” [Freedom] hall on the Tirana State University campus, Prime Minister Edi Rama spoke with students about Albania’s EU accession progress. A student asked him about the fight against corruption. Rama said corruption today exists more in perception than in reality. He added that it remains a problem.
Rama explained that corruption thrives where institutions fail to guarantee services. “Corruption becomes active when individuals seek alternatives for services or rights that institutions do not provide. This is the essence of corruption,” he said. He noted that punishing bad individuals is necessary but not enough to end corruption.
He highlighted digitalization as a key solution. “Until a decade ago, it was almost impossible to get a service without a bribe, even for a birth certificate. Today, Albanians can access over 1,000 services via phone or computer through the e-Albania platform. Most petty corruption that created tension between citizens and the state no longer exists,” Rama said.
Some services remain partly offline, he admitted. Cadastral applications, for example, mix online submissions with postal replies. High-level corruption mainly affects public procurement. Digitalization has increased competition and improved fund use. Rama said final reforms will use artificial intelligence. Ninety-five percent of procurement will run automatically. Only five percent will require human verification. The aim is to remove opportunities for corruption completely.
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