Morpho (Safran) announced that it has been selected to continue providing identity document management services to Albania. The company signed an agreement with the Government of the Republic of Albania, represented by the Ministry of Interior, to extend the identity document production and distribution concession set up by Aleat (a joint company of Morpho and the Albanian-American Enterprise Fund (AAEF)) for an additional period of ten years. The agreement also includes the provision of a platform giving access to e-Services. This new step is part of the Government's Digital Albania initiative aimed at improving delivery of public and private online services to its citizens.
The concession was created in 2008 to manage the entire production process (enrollment, personalization, issuance and distribution) of high-security biometric identity cards and passports. Over 2.6 million e-Passports and 3.2 million e-ID cards have already been produced, bringing many benefits to the Albanian population. Since 2010, holders of the new e-Passports can travel in the Schengen Area without a visa, which was previously a mandatory requirement for all Albanians.
Morpho will continue to produce state-of-the-art identity documents which will integrate additional features for enhanced security.
The new Morpho eTrusted Identity Services platform will provide convenient, seamless and secure access to e-services. Using devices such as computers, tablets and smartphones, Albanian citizens will be able to carry out online transactions both public (tax declarations, birth certificate applications...) and private (banking, insurance, legal...).
"Through their dedication, responsiveness and high standard of service, Aleat has met all the requirements set out for Albanian's electronic ID documents. This success has led us to extend the concession for an even longer period," said Mr Ferdinand Poni, Deputy Minister of Interior. Our Digital Albania initiative seeks to revolutionize access to public and private services for all citizens, and we are confident that this new e-ID platform will help us to achieve this ambitious goal," he added.
"The AAEF is proud and happy to be a partner with Morpho in this project and to be able to continue to assist the Albanian people with state-of-the-art identity documents and new services related to the eTrusted ID services platform," stated Martin Mata, Co-Director of AAEF. "This follows the 18 year long experience and deep commitment of the AAEF in bettering and improving the lives of the Albanian citizens through its portfolio of investments in all key sectors of the Albanian economy."
"After our successful collaboration over the past five years, we are proud to have been chosen to accompany the Albanian government in the next phase of this pioneering e-ID project," stated Philippe Petitcolin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Morpho. "We are committed to continue delivering world-class technology for the benefit of Albanian citizens over the next decade."
