EC, UNDP Create Data Network for Albania

The European Commission and the U.N. Development Program have created an electronic network to help the Albanian government collect data and share information, officials said Wednesday. The high-speed Government Electronic Network will link ministries and establish a government Intranet enabling secure e-mail communication and improved access to official databases, the EC said in a statement. The $310,000 project was jointly funded by the European Commission and UNDP's Albania office. Most Albanian government ministries and institutions have Internet links and Web sites, but were not linked to each other, making it difficult to share records.