National Strategy for Socio-Economic Development - Medium-term Program of the Albanian Government “Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy” (GPRS).

The National Strategy for Socio-Economic Development - Medium-term Program of the Albanian Government “Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy” (GPRS) is a cross-sectoral strategy of Albania for the period 2002-2004. Its main goal is to have its objectives harmonized with the long-term objectives of the transition towards a market economy, development objectives, and Albania’s objectives for European integration.
The GPRS provides for multiple priority areas. Among others, they include the area of natural resources. According to the document, in this priority area measures to be taken will include restructuring and consolidation of environmental management structures at the level of local government, commune, and region; control over illegal cutting of forests; transfer of forests and pastures under the ownership or for use by the municipalities; completion of the legal framework regarding management and identification of ways for joint state and community management of forests and pastures, especially in regard to long-term renting of the pastures; and preparation of legal and institutional framework for monitoring and controlling fish resources.
In the area of rural poverty reduction, the GPRS provides for measures such as the restructuring of the water enterprises and the consolidation of the water user association and their federations; improvement of the management of water resources by transferring the water and drainage schemes to the associations; rehabilitation and strengthening of the agricultural research institutions and the establishment of a national center of agricultural scientific research and advice; supporting financial services available in the rural areas; as well as increased access and improved quality of the services of education, health, and social protection in rural areas.
The GPRS equally covers the issues of agricultural development. According to the document, the strategic objectives in this area for 2002-2004 include maintaining the growth rate of the agricultural and livestock production at the rate of about five percent; increase of the processing level of the agricultural, livestock, and fish products; improvement of the conditions and the level of the commercialization of the agricultural and livestock products in the domestic and foreign markets; increased access to production factors and agricultural services; development of land market and consolidation of property ownership; increased access and quality of agricultural mechanization and inputs; improved access and quality of services in agriculture and livestock; increase of the level of processing of agriculture, livestock and fishery products; establishment of product markets and collecting centers and improvement of their functioning; and improvement of legal framework and control on food quality.
In the area of disaster preparedness, the document provides for soil protection from erosion through sapling cultivation and water shed management; and rehabilitation of drainage to eliminate floods in the country’s northwestern areas.
The GPRS also notes about the institutional system for monitoring and evaluation of its objectives. Namely, the system includes main central and local government agencies and the civil society structures. The line ministries will be responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of the policies in their sectors. Monitoring units will be set up in each ministry and the monitoring and evaluation will become part of the decision-making process as well. The Technical Secretariat in the Ministry of Finances will play the coordinator role in the whole monitoring and evaluation system. It will supervise the monitoring and evaluation procedures in all ministries, give general guidelines for this process, take measures to ensure that ministries supply timely and adequate information, and will prepare reports for the government, the civil society and the donors.