Under communist rule, Albania’s military was responsible for emergency management, focusing mostly on response rather than mitigation or prevention activities. Since the end of the communist regime, Albania has made significant steps towards developing an emergency management system. In 1999, to coordinate assistance during the Kosovo refugee crisis, an Emergency Management Group (EMG) was established under the Office of the Prime Minister. After the refugee crisis, the Government dissolved the EMG and passed a series of laws and decrees to establish a new emergency management system.