* Admissibility date reflects the date the case was officially registered. All other dates pertain to the date in which a stage was completed.
Case Description
Complaint
On 17 June 2014, the EIB Complaints Mechanism (EIB-CM) received a complaint concerning the Fier Bypass project which is co-financed by the EIB. The complainants alleged unfair compensation in relation to the project’s expropriated lands and breach of the valuation process. The complainants requested a transparent evaluation of the price for the square meter and fair compensation on the lands expropriated.
EIB-CM Action
The EIB-CM carried out a review of the complainants' allegations, examined relevant documentation that included project documentation and held internal consultation meetings with the relevant EIB services. In addition, the EIB-CM conducted a fact finding and stakeholder-engagement visit to Albania and held meetings with the complainants' representative as well as with the representative of the Albanian Road Authority (ARA). During the fact finding and inquiry process, the EIB-CM reviewed and followed up the legal and administrative proceedings initiated by the complainants that were subsequently communicated to the EIB-CM.
Conclusions and Recommendations
During the course of the handling of the complaint, the EIB-CM took note that as a result of court proceedings initiated by the complainants at the National Administrative court, a new evaluation of the price had been conducted by an independent evaluator assigned by the court. Consequently, in May 2015 the complainants informed the EIB-CM that a new increased price has been confirmed by the Court for the expropriated lands. In this context, the EIB-CM acknowledges that the matter has been remedied by the National Administrative Court and concludes that there is no need for further inquiries on this matter.