"Minister Kumbaro in conflict of interest"/ Boçi: The law violates EU principles

2026-04-23 20:03:00, Aktualitet CNA

"Minister Kumbaro in conflict of interest"/ Boçi: The law

In the plenary session of the Parliament, during the debate on the draft law "On the establishment of the National Agency for Educational Services (AKSHA)", the chairman of the Committee on Education, Science and Sports, Luciano Boçi, raised strong accusations against Minister Mirela Kumbaro, describing the initiative as contrary to European Union standards and captured by political interests.

In his speech, Boçi stated that there is an open conflict of interest, highlighting the minister's institutional ties to a foundation that, according to him, is included in the decision-making structures of the new agency.

"Albanian law clearly foresees conflict of interest even at the institutional level. It cannot happen that a foundation with such connections has a key role on a board where key decisions are made," he said.

According to Boçi, the draft law seriously violates the principle of institutional independence, as it gives the minister full control over the management of the agency, from the appointment of directors and the board, to the approval of key decisions. He stressed that this contradicts EU standards, which require that agencies that administer exams, assessments and diploma recognition be run by independent structures, elected by the academic community.

Boçi also raised concerns about transparency and accountability, arguing that the draft law provides for reports and audits to be controlled by the ministry itself, contrary to European practices where these processes are independent and public.

Another criticism related to the management of educational data. According to him, the draft law gives the ministry control over sensitive data, violating the separation of functions and EU standards for their management by specialized and independent agencies.

He also opposed the involvement of donors in decision-making and the concept of self-financing the agency, emphasizing that institutions of this type should not function as profit-making structures.

At the end of his speech, Boçi asked the minister a direct question: which European Union country has such a centralized "mega-agency" model? According to him, from his research, there is no such precedent in the EU.

"Either bring us a concrete example from the EU, or this draft law remains an experiment that goes in the opposite direction to European integration," he concluded./ CNA