Albania signed the Stabilisation Association Agreement with the EU in 2006. In june 2014 it has been officially accepted as a EU candidate state. The SAA agreement fosters democratic principles and protection of human rights, rule of law, and the principles of the market economy as enshrined and proclaimed in some key international documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, European Convention of Human Rights and in the Helsinki Final Act. Title VIII of the SAA “Policies of cooperation”, includes important provisons with regard to the public administration. It regulates in technical terms the obligation of Albania to establish an effective and responsible public administration seeking to implement the rule of law principles. The transparent and impartial recruitment procedures, management of human resources, career develoment in the public services sector both at the cental and local administation levels are crucial in this process. The signing of the SAA is only the first step for the comprehensive reform of the Albanian public adminstration, aimining at attaining the standards set forth by the principles of the European administrative space. The establishment of a system of professional civil servants that would guarantee the independence, integrity, transparence and the implementation of the principles of an open and efficient administration toward the public, remains a challenge. A new civil service law was adopted in 2013, aiming at the establishment of a stable and professional civil service system, based on merits, moral integrity, political neutrality and accountability of its members. The new law also regulates the juridical relationship between the State and civil servants and determines the management rules of the civil service. The paper explores the new civil service regulation in force in Albania, from the perspective of the obligations provided in the SAA regarding the strengthening of public administration and the establishment of a civil service system responding effectively to the integration challenges ahead, as well as in a comparative overview to the abolished system of civil service
Keywords: Civil service, Public Administration, Stabilization-Association Agreement, civil servant
