Albania launches new electronic National Register of Citizens

TIRANA, 27 November 2008 - The Albanian Interior Ministry, the OSCE Presence and the Delegation of the European Commission, presented the new National Register of Citizens today. Starting in December, all civil status offices in the country will start using the new electronic Register.

The Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Ambassador Robert Bosch, said the true test for the new system would be the accurate day-to-day implementation by the civil status offices.

"We acknowledge and commend the great amount of work carried out by the staff of the Ministry and the General Directorate of the Civil Status in introducing the new Register," he said.

Luigi Brusa, Chargé d'Affaires of the European Commission Delegation to Albania, added: "A sound civil registry and address system is the cornerstone of reliable voters' lists and of reliable documents. Sufficient human and financial resources must still be allocated to ensure coordination and sustainability of this key European Partnership priority."

He also emphasised that data protection requirements should be finalised as soon as possible and that the work on the address system should progress.

During the presentation, the OSCE Presence's Technical Assistance Project launched a public awareness campaign, which aims to inform citizens about the new system and stress their responsibilities to register civil status acts in time.

The introduction of the National Register of Citizens is the final step in establishing a modern civil registration system in Albania. Software that forms part of the system was developed jointly by the Albanian and Austrian Interior Ministries.

Assistance in modernizing the Albanian civil registration system was made possible through an EU-financed project (2.5 million Euro), with additional funding from the OSCE and the United States' government. Statistic Norway also contributed to the development of the new system.