1. What is the title, rank and position of the Legal Adviser?

(March 2014)

The Legal Adviser in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Albania is the Director of Treaties and International Law Department (TILD). He holds the diplomatic rank of Minister Counselor.

2. What are the principal functions of the OLA?

The principal functions of the TILD are:

• Addressing legal opinions and expertise on the issues of international law, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Service, Government and other public institutions.
• Participating in the entire process of the conclusion of international treaties and agreements where Albania is a Contracting Party (negotiation, approval by the Government in principle before signature, preparing the full powers, signature and entry into force procedures).

3. Please give a brief description of staff employed by the OLA, including overseas staff. What is the distribution of posts between men and women within the OLA and what category of staff do they respectively belong to?

The staff of TILD consists of five desk officers (+ director) holding all diplomatic ranks. Four of them are women. Apart from the staff of TILD there are a number of lawyers serving as diplomats posted abroad at the Albanian permanent missions to UN (New York, Geneva, Council of Europe, OSCE) and some embassies.

4. Are there any specific recruitment and promotion policies, provisions and/or quotas to ensure non-discrimination and equal opportunities, e.g. for the underrepresented sex, for persons with disabilities or for persons belonging to ethnic or religious minorities or of immigrant origin?

The only specific precondition for the recruitment in TILD that is distinct from the other requirements for the recruitment in the Albanian Foreign Service is the academic degree in law.

5. Is OLA staff trained on gender equality issues and are these issues mainstreamed into the OLA’s work?

The TILD staff has a certain training on gender equality issues and these issues are basically mainstreamed into the TILD work.

6. Briefly describe the organisation and structure of the OLA.

TILD is composed of the Director and five Desk Officers. Each of them deals with specific issues (legal affairs concerning certain countries or international organisations)

7. What is the OLA’s place within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?

TILD has an important role in the activity of the MoFA of Albania. It is under the direct supervision of the Secretary General of the Ministry who is the highest ranking civil servant in this institution.

8. What are the main contacts of the OLA within Government?

TILD keeps close contacts with the Office of Legal Affairs in the Council of Ministers and the offices of Legal Affairs in the ministries.

9. Please describe the relations of the OLA with lawyers in private practice, academics and legal institutions.

TILD has made efforts to develop relations with private lawyers, academics and national and international legal institutions in order to better deal with the issues it is charged with and to improve its professional capabilities.

10. Please provide a brief bibliography on the OLA, if available.

There is no bibliography on TILD.