This study is one of eight country needs assessments of civil society capacities conducted as a preliminary activity within the EC-funded project Technical Assistance to Civil Society (TACSO) in IPA Countries (EuropeAid/127427/C/SER/Multi/5 – additional services)

The aim of the revised needs assessment is to provide a comprehensive assessment of civil society in Albania and the relevant working environment, including its strengths, weaknesses, and its impacts to date, as well as the challenges it faces to its further development.

The study is based upon a combination of desk research embracing all relevant documentation, including legal and financial legislation applicable to civil society, previous civil society mappings and evaluations, situation analyses, policy documents and country-specific academic literature, and a consultative stakeholder analysis carried out by means of focus groups, interviews and questionnaire surveys with civil society organisations (CSOs), government actors, donor organisations and other institutional players.