   What is a CAS? - A new CAS for Albania The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors discussed on 10 January 2006 a new Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for Albania. The CAS is a document that details the Bank’s work plan to assist client countries achieve their development goals. It describes all of the Bank’s planned operations in the country—lending, analytical work, and technical assistance. The new CAS - the fourth CAS the World Bank Group has produced for Albania – covers the period 2006-2009 and envisages a lending program of up to US$ 86 million from IDA (International Development Association) and US$ 110 million from IBRD (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development) . New features of the CAS
The new CAS has several new features. First, it is a four-year strategy which makes it coincides with the political cycle. Second, it is a joint IFC-IDA-IBRD strategy, an integrated support strategy for the whole World Bank Group. Third, it is a result-based strategy that means that the new Strategy agreed on achieving very concrete monitorable and measurable results. Fourth, all projects will have a governance filter. Fifth, there is an explicit focus on private sector development. Sixth, another new feature of the new CAS is the flexibility. Seventh, Albania for the first time has become creditworthiness for the IBRD, which means that now Albania can have more resources from the Bank.
The Goals of the new CAS
The CAS is based on two pillars. - Promoting economic growth through support to private sector development. A more developed private sector will contribute to sustained and rapid economic growth. By the end of this four-year strategy the business environment in Albania will be more attractive for both domestic and foreign investors. - Improving public services delivery, particularly in the social sectors. The new CAS will help to increase access and quality of basic education. It will support a better quality of health care, fiscal sustainability of the social insurance system and improve access to clean water for thousands of Albanians. In all projects, programs, policy advice and dialogue and in every sector of the economy in which the Bank will be involved, a governance filter will be introduced. This filter is composed by four guiding principles: efficient and transparent use of public resources; increased autonomy and de - politicization of public administration; support to decentralization; strengthening mechanisms of advocacy and citizens' participation. There are 11 new IDA/IBRD projects proposed for the period 2006-2009. Three of them would be Development Policy Loans (DPL). These are basically direct support to the budget for supporting core policy reforms in the macro economy and at the sectoral level. CAS plans also eight investment projects in different sectors such as education, health, business environment, land urban development, transport, costal zone management and energy sector. CAS Consultations In preparing its CAS, from February 2005-till September 2005, the Bank conducted consultations to gather ideas and feedback on how to best assist Albania to implement the country priorities. These consultations included government officials, members of the parliament, NGOs, academics, media, interest groups, and other civil society representatives. The main purpose was to listen to the people of Albania and take their views. The basis for discussion during the consultations was an information package on the on-going programs and an outline of proposed Bank interventions in Albania. In order to supplement on-the-ground discussions, the Bank’s Albania Team designed an Internet site open to the public where interested parties provided comments on how the World Bank can better address Albania’s development challenges. The Electronic Forum (Albania CAS forum) served as a clearinghouse for the CAS consultation process, posting feedback received as well as minutes of the meetings held on the ground. It also served as a tool for debate and direct communication of Albanian public with members of the Bank’s Albania Team. A special annex in CAS document describes the consultation process for the preparation of this important Bank document. In this way, we are confident that our support strategy reflect national priorities. After the new Government was created in Septmber 2005 the Bank has consultation with the new team. There were changes made to the design of the Strategy to ensure that it reflects the priorities of the new Government. The foundations of the strategy, however, did not change. It is based on national priorities, the implementation of the NSSED, the IPS and more importantly European Integration agenda. Download: Strategjia e Asistencës për Shqipërinë (CAS) 2006 - 2009 (762 kb, PDF) | 
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