On July 29, 2025, the EU4GG project, in cooperation with ASPA and the Directorate for Local Finances at the Ministry of Finance, organized a technical seminar on strengthening the financial autonomy of municipalities.

Representatives from the EU Delegation, the Cabinet of the Minister of State for Local Government, the municipalities of Elbasan, Fushë-Arrëz, Pogradec, and Tirana, as well as staff from the Ministry of Finance, including the Property Tax Directorate, the Budget Directorate, and the Public Investment Directorate, along with the Swedish ProTax project, participated in moderated discussions led by representatives from ASPA and the Ministry of Finance.

The aim of the seminar was to present and discuss the preliminary findings of the EU4GG expert team regarding the following two priority areas:

1) Analysis of capital investment financing in municipalities, including current practices, governance limitations, and potential reforms within the broader public investment management framework to improve planning, financing, and project implementation.

2) Alternatives for performance incentives in property taxation, focusing on improving tax collection performance.

The seminar concluded with a discussion of practices from other EU countries that have different systems for managing public finances.