Open Society Foundation for Albania

	18 June 2009 George Soros gives $100m gift to Europe 8 June 2009 Coalition of local observers initiated: 2500 election reporters ready 26 May 2009 Party expenses monitoring crucial during electoral campaign 7 May 2009 Projects on facing consequences from Gerdec disaster submitted 4 May 2009 “I vote” report on the Albanian legislative activity published 21 March 2009 International Conference on challenges of the constitutional system 22 December 2008 Civil Society Law “On Legal Aid” passed by Parliament 1 November 2008 Report on Albania’s progress monitoring in the European integration process 24 October 2008 Third state budget monitoring report issued 4 September 2008 Encouragement of cooperation between local government and central institutions onwards 10 july 2008 Interim SAA monitoring report issued 4 july 2008 Transformation of “Besa” Foundation underway 27 june 2008 National conference organized on community organization issues and models 26-27 june 2008 Training seminar held with local government bodies on profits from EU funds 17 june 2008 First report on government efforts to re-build Gërdec issued 13 june 2008 Second 2008 state budget monitorin report published 10 june 2008 Regional project on visa facilitation for Western Balkans introduced 6 may 2008 Round table on transparency in education and promotion of teacher code of ethics 22 april 2008 Round table on state budget monitoring 14 april 2008 Cooperation practices between business and civil society promoted 29 march 2008 Free legal aid for the inhabitants of Gërdec 20 march 2008 Aid to individuals displaced due to Gërdec tragedy 13 march 2008 Lobbying on the law on the right to information under way 15 february 2008 Public presentation of the recommending document on the electoral reform 26 january 2008 Lobbing and advocacy on encouragement of social inclusion November 2007 Training courses on participatory governance 5 November 2007 Third report on monitoring the Assembly activity presented 2 November 2007 American University in Bulgaria evening with high school students 1 November 2007 Monitoring of commitments deriving from the SAA 18 October 2007 Survey on European Integration issues 15-19 October 2007 Team training and supplement production on European Integration 15 October 2007 International Conference on public urban spaces in Albania 12 October 2007 National conference on strategic privatizations 5 October 2007 New draft-law against discrimination proposed 15 September 2007 Dialogue required on government-proposed amendment to law on non-profit organizations 14 September 2007 Activities on the draft-law on electoral reform 3 August 2007 Students and public life 20 July 2007 Debating the law regarding publishing and the copyright 11 July 2007 Debating some amendments of the law on the right for information 10 July 2007 Presentation of the project for a sharing budget 29 June 2007 Increasing the management capacity of the municipality and involvement of citizens in the decision-taking process 25 June 2007 Amendment proposal for the law 8503 regarding the right for information 21 June 2007 The employment of students graduated abroad in the public administration 30 May 2007 Dialog civil society - government aiming at the reduction of informality 11 May 2007 Second report on the activity of Albanian Parliament is published 4 April 2007 Memorandum of the farmers for exports complying European standards 29 March 2007 Monitoring of the parliamentary process of drafts law debating 28 March 2007 The civil society is in favor of the creation of a state committee against blood feud 16 March 2007 Monitoring of the migration strategy 26 February 2007 Signature of the Memorandum of Understanding 18-20 February 2007 Parallel counting of votes 13 February 2007 The Civil Society demands the relaxation of conflictuality of the election campaign 3 February 2007 Local elections 2007 online by the MJAFT Movement 30 January 2007 Seminar on “Improving public transportation in the region of Tirana” 23 Janauary 2007 Memorandum of civil society to protect its own constitutional rights 18 January 2007 Call of the civil society for a civilized election campaign 22 December 2007 Winners announced for the “Public-private partnership” contest 19 December 2006 Workshop "Albania's Interim Agreement with the EU and its effects on the Albanian Business" 1 December 2006 Debate of the civil society about the new draft law concerning the State Police 21 November 2006 Presenting the findings of the survey “Albania and the EU – Perceptions and Realities” 18 November 2006 The Conference “Albania and Greece – Mutual perceptions” 6-10 November 2006 Seminar on the challenges of European Integration 3 November 2006 Debate about book policies in the countries of Western Balkans 3 November 2006 AUBG closes recruitment ceremony with fourth-grade students of high schools in Tirana 1 November 2006 Organization that builds school wins case against Albanian government 14 October 2006 Standards in pre-university education 10 October 2006 Presentation of the monitoring report ivote.com - January-July 2006 16 September 2006 Historical turns and the return of memory

Financial Times
By Stefan Wagstyl in Warsaw

June 18 2009

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5e340c12-5c27-11de-aea3-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1

George Soros, the billionaire investor and philanthropist, is giving $100m to central and eastern Europe to counter the impact of the economic crisis on the poor, voluntary groups and non-government organsations.
Mr Soros disclosed the planned gift in an interview with the FT in which he urged the European Union to boost its aid for the region to finance increased welfare spending and tackle rising political extremism.
“The political risk is very severe and the rise of the chauvinistic, xenophobic far right is a disturbing development,” said Mr Soros, in a reference to the advances made by extremist parties in the recent European parliament elections, including Jobbik in Hungary, the Slovak National Party and the Greater Romania Party.
“The EU must do more in terms of providing support, including financial support. The International Monetary Fund programmes [launched in Hungary, Ukraine, Latvia and about five other countries] are very severe in terms of cutting budgets. The EU must solidify support for EU values,” said Mr Soros.
The Hungarian-born businessman, who has given over $3bn to the region since the fall of Communism, urged Brussels not to limit its assistance to EU members, such as Poland, but to support countries further afield, especially Ukraine.
“The region has suffered a setback through no fault of its own as this is a crisis that fundamentally originated in the west, and central and eastern Europe turns out to be hardest hit”.

Mr Soros’s gift will be concentrated on countries facing the severest recessions, including Ukraine, the Baltic states, the Balkans, and parts of central Asia and the Caucasus. The funds will target charities working with children and the young, and NGOs, some of which may have suffered declines in local donations.
Mr Soros has for over a decade concentrated his philanthropic work in the region on support for think tanks and similar organizations. But he said it was time to return, for a while, to the humanitarian aid he gave in the early 1990s. The gift follows a $50m donation he made recently to a New York charity.