THIS WEEK IN ALBANIA, NOVEMBER 30 - DECEMBER 7, 2007

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SUBJECT: THIS WEEK IN ALBANIA, NOVEMBER 30 - DECEMBER 7, 2007

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1. (U) The following is a weekly report prepared by Embassy
Tirana's local staff to provide political and economic context and
insight into developments in Albania. These updates will supplement
post's DAR reports and reporting cables.

POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS
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2. (U) All Eyes Turn Toward Rome: Italian Prime Minister Romano
Prodi visited Tirana December 3 for meetings with government and
opposition officials. This was Mr. Prodi's fifth visit to Albania,
but the first of a founding EU prime minister. Discussion focused
on NATO and EU integration processes, bilateral cooperation, and the
future of Kosovo. Prodi and PM Berisha presided over the signing of
three bilateral agreements in the justice, education and energy
sectors.


3. (U) Following on the heels of Albanian President Topi's visit to
Greece last month (Tirana 1015),opinion makers suggest Prodi's
visit could balance growing Greek economic influence in Albania.
Italian electricity company ENEL and the Albanian Ministry of
Economy signed an agreement to construct a thermo power plant. Prodi
encouraged deeper cooperation in the energy sector including the
construction of gas pipelines and electricity transmission lines.
He also confirmed his government's commitment to the Corridor VIII
road construction project.


4. (U) Albanian Army Marches Toward NATO: The Albanian Armed Forces
showed their strength this week with a parade of 3000 officers and
soldiers through the main boulevard in Tirana, honoring 95 years of
defense. The parade closed with a helicopter air show and included
soldiers who have served in Iraq, Afghanistan and other peace
keeping missions. The display marked a break with the communist
past, showcasing Albanian soldiers trained to meet NATO standards
joined by small units of several Allies, including the United
States, France, Germany, Spain and Turkey. Thousands of Albanian
citizens gathered to witness the event, a convincingly updated image
of Albania's Armed Forces ahead of the 2008 NATO Bucharest Summit.


5. (U) Albanian Traffic Police Turn Up the Heat: First-time visitors
to Tirana can't help but notice the chaotic traffic that plagues the
capital city. However, traffic police have mobilized recently to
write 71,000 tickets for a total of $740,000 in fines in just one
month. The infractions covered a wide range of moving and parking
violations in the hope that the stronger enforcement will reduce a
high accident rate. While Albanian drivers are infamous for their
driving skills, the stepped-up effort to bring order has already
shown visible improvement.


6. (U) The Gold Medal in Europe, the Bronze Worldwide: Transparency
International's annual Global Corruption Barometer was released this
week, delivering unwelcome news to the Albanian government. The
report ranked Albania the most corrupt country in Europe and the
third most corrupt worldwide. Seventy-one percent of Albanian
respondents said that they had resorted to petty bribes for public
services, and 61 percent responded pessimistically that they do not
believe the situation will improve over the next three years.
Fifty-two percent surveyed said the government's efforts to fight
corruption were neither effective nor ineffective and 26 percent
described them as ineffective. Medical services were cited as the
most corrupt sector followed by the judiciary, police, registry and
permit services, public utilities and tax authorities.


7. (U) Despite an increase in arrests and prosecutions -- in the
t yeara's new Prosecutor
General. This 34-year-oldjudge from the Serious Crimes Court of
Appeals wAs appointed last month to replace her sacked predecessor
Theodor Sollaku. Rama has a strong professional reputation, is
reportedly well respected by her peers, and has had a distinguished
career in the judiciary. Rama's appointment has turned the page on
a long and rancorous quarrel between the Prosecutor's office and the
government, and many hope she will strengthen cooperation and
efficiency among law enforcement agencies. The daughter of a
well-known local artist (and no relation to opposition leader and
artist Edi Rama),Rama is married to a police officer and they have
two daughters. She speaks English and Italian.


10. (U) Quote of the Week: From Italian PM Prodi's remarks in
Tirana:


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"I said in Parliament five years ago in my capacity as EU Commission
Chairman that European integration will not be complete until the
countries of the western Balkans are members of the European Union.
I reemphasize this with even greater conviction today as Prime
Minister of Italy."


11. (U) The Week Ahead: Ambassador Withers will host a roundtable
highlighting the cooperation of civil society, government, and
Albania's future leaders to implement mechanisms for women's
empowerment and gender equality. The Ministry of Defense will hold
a ceremony to mark the completion of the destruction of 2,700 metric
tons of outdated naval munitions and aerial bombs, making Albania a
safer place to live, work and play.
WITHERS