Tirana, February 14, 2024 – Center for the Study of Democracy and Governance (CSDG), as part of the Civic Engagement Month for European Integration, supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Tirana, organized a roundtable discussion on statistical governance in Albania.
The Discussion Roundtable, held at the Hotel Rogner, was attended by a large number of participants from local institutions, academia, civil society, and representatives of the international community. Key topics discussed included the importance of statistical governance as a framework for producing quality statistics.
The event began with interventions from Arjan Dyrmishi, Executive Director of CSDG; the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Tirana, Mr. Reinout Vos; the Ambassador of Sweden in Tirana, Mr. Niklas Ström; Member of the Commission on Economy and Finance, Milva Ekonomi; Member of the Commission on Education and Media, Ina Zhupa, and the Director of the Statistics Production Directorate at INSTAT, Elona Sevrani.
Following the opening panel, the findings and recommendations of the study “Governed by Numbers: Statistics’ Governance in Albania” were presented. The study aims to provide a general overview of standards, methodology, and quality of official statistics in Albania, encouraging a necessary debate on statistical governance.
The subsequent session focused on the perspectives of actors involved in statistical governance, to share challenges and future recommendations. Kelment Greca, Director in the Department of Court Administration and Information Technology, High Council of Justice; Argita Frashëri, Director of Financial Statistics, Bank of Albania; Kozeta Sevrani, Chair of the Statistics Council, representatives from academia; and Prof. Dr. Besa Shahini, Professor of Statistics and Applied Informatics, University of Tirana, shared their perspectives on the quality of official statistics. Discussions emphasized the need for quality, transparency, and collaboration among stakeholders throughout the statistical cycle, from data collection to dissemination.
In conclusion, the discussion evolved into a platform for sharing best practices and fostering dialogue to improve statistical governance in Albania.