Final Evaluation of EU4FOCAL and EU4LEA – Fight against organised crime and corruption in Albania

Detailed description of project Back

The present assignment consists of final evaluations of EU4FOCAL and EU4LEA, two interventions implemented between 2021 and 2024 and funded through IPA II for Albania, under which support to rule of law and fundamental rights was prioritised. This was done through interventions to strengthen an independent, efficient judiciary and the police’s capacity to fight organised crime; a stronger capacity of Albanian institutions to tackle corruption; and a greater compliance of Albania with human rights standards. EU4FOCAL’s focus was on raising the capacities of institutions to conduct intelligence-led financial investigations; while EU4LEA had a broader focus on criminal investigations, both by increasing the law enforcement’s technical capacities as well as through support to institutional and organisationally strengthening of the Albanian State Police (ASP).

While separate interventions, their foci—on intelligence-led financial investigations in the case of EU4FOCAL, and on criminal investigations in the case of EU4LEA—are intrinsically linked: Albanian institutions need capacities on both to to tackle corruption and various forms organised crime, the proceeds of which are typically concealed through money laundering and illicit financial schemes, often across national borders. Conducting criminal and financial investigations in parallel means that proceeds from organised crime, and for which corruption is often the predicate offence, might be retained in Albania rather than being moved abroad.

As any evaluation, the assignment has the double purpose of accountability and learning. In terms of accountability, the evaluation is requested to provide an independent, external assessment as to what, at the end of both EU4FOCAL and EU4LEA, the results have been against the projects’ own intervention logics and results frameworks. In terms of learning, the evaluation seeks to take stock of and assess the factors that have contributed, or hindered, the projects’ achievements, with view to improving future programming. The specific objectives of the evaluation are:

• To provide and overall independent assessment of the performance of the EU4FOCAL and EU4LEA and
• To understand the impact and of the interventions; the enabling factors; and those hampering the proper delivery of results.

The primary users of the evaluation are the EU Delegation to Albania and DG NEAR, and other EC services interested in programming EU aid under IPA III; the Albanian law enforcement beneficiary institutions as well as the government of Albania; and the two lead implementers FIIAPP and the Italian Ministry of Interior.

Type of services provided

PROMAN teams at headquarters (HQ) provides backstopping and quality assurance (AQ).

Main staff provided :

• Team Leader: 40 wd
• Thematic Expert: 33 wd