Study on Land Administration, Immovable Property Registration Office (IPRO) and Decentralization

Sweden has supported Land Administration since 2005 via the World Bank as well as in terms of a twinning arrangement with the Swedish “Lantmäteriverket”. Sida has funded a Land Administration Management Program (LAMP) with the World Bank to assist Albania’s Immovable Property Registration Office (IPRO) to develop a system for land registration 2005-2010. The system is installed at IPRO in Tirana Headquarters and test phase two is under way. To enable a proper testing there is a need to install satellite offices in the country before the final central distributed solution can be realized. In parallel, the first registration (first registration) of properties throughout the country (code Kartel), is performed by international consultants, who also create data maps, Indexmap. Deliveries are alphanumeric Kartel and index map in AutoCAD format (shape eventually). The LAMP project has funded most of the consultancy work and the Swedish LMV Land Survey has provided the capacity building and training, in terms of short-term efforts in terms of advice and guidance in the framework of Twinning project.

It is likely that the LAMP project has by and large failed, with a pilot implementation in two areas (Cadastre Zones) with the introduction of records and maps and new work processes (unclear which system was included in the pilot). It is estimated that 80% of the data from the first registration needs to be updated and quality increased. It is mainly the quality of the property boundaries that need improvement in relation to the actual boundary markers. The country's leadership, the Prime Minister at its head, has been involved and has now formed a task force, to reach the goal with functioning land registration. There has been concern that women’s property right’s are not adequately addressed in the LAMP. Discrimination against women, lack of effective implementation of safeguard in the implementation of the law may create economic insecurity for many women and result in lack of options for women economic empowerment.
This study examines the prerequisites for support to the property registration in Albania and examines the set up authorities and the role of IPRO locally and nationally in Albania. Immoveable property information forms the basis of market economy in the community. Towards self-financing IPRO have target groups in real estate and credit markets. The study is aimed to support urban planning, natural resources, public health and livelihood, and education.