The Millennium Challenge Corporation’s Threshold Program has ended its activities in Albania after assisting in various sectors of the economy for the past five years.

It also allowed for reforms in the public procurement system, enabling a qualitative transformation from the old hard copy format and standards into a fully electronic procurement system. The successful outcome even led to the Public Procurement Agency winning the second prize for public services in Europe.
The program also helped implement a deep reform of the public administration, which has had its effects in reducing corruption and transitioning to electronic payments for taxes, which was another qualitative development in the country’s tax system.
Projects within the MCC Threshold Program have also affected territorial/urban planning, civil society development and have done the groundwork for the establishment of Administrative Courts.

The American Chamber of Commerce itself became an important component of that work. AmCham actively joined the coalition of 36 organizations that lobbied for the approval of the Administrative Courts draft law, playing an important role in the coordination of the group set up to get the bill passed.
AmCham also had a very serious commitment in implementing the project that monitors the use of the Electronic Procurement System, coming up with some important conclusions in a final report.

For its work, the American Chamber of Commerce was honored by the Millennium Challenge Corporation, USAID and the Albanian Government with a certificate for the contribution and partnership shown in implementing the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s Threshold Program from 2006 to 2011.
“The American Chamber of Commerce has contributed to strengthening the rule of law as well as increase transparency and accountability,” noted the certificate given to AmCham on the occasion.