The CEPEJ, in coordination with the Consultative Council of European Prosecutors (CCPE) organised a workshop for representatives of the prosecution authorities of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo* on good practices and challenges concerning the efficiency and quality of the work of prosecutorial system” on 15 and 16 May in Vlora (Albania).

This event was opened by the Prosecutor General of Albania, by a representative of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and by the Acting Chief State Prosecutor of Kosovo*, and was attended by representatives of High Prosecutorial Council of Albania, General Prosecution Office of Albania, High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo High Prosecutorial Council.

Various working sessions were held and dedicated to organisation, management and competences of prosecution offices, to data collection and analysis, as well as to communication with press and media. Selected European practices were presented in relation to data collection and analysis to take data-driven decisions with the aim to improve the functioning of the prosecution offices on one hand, and as regarding public relations set-up within prosecutorial offices on the other hand.

The workshop also served as an occasion to work with the CCPE, the body of the Council of Europe entrusted with a task to prepare relevant Opinions for the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on issues related to the prosecution. Opinions No. 7 (2012) on the management of the means of prosecution services, No. 8 (2013) on relations between prosecutors and the media and No. 18 (2023) on Councils of Prosecutors as key bodies of prosecutorial self-governance were presented and discussed during this meeting. French, Portuguese and Belgian experts participated to the workshop and moderated the debates.

This activity was jointly organised by CEPEJ actions in the region, namely , the regional action “Towards a better evaluation of the results of judicial reforms in the Western Balkans – Dashboard Western Balkans“, the SEJ IV action “Strengthening the Quality and Efficiency of Justice in Albania (SEJ IV)”, the BiHSEJ action “Strengthening the Efficiency and Quality of Justice in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiHSEJ)” and the KoSEJ III action “Strengthening the Quality and Efficiency of Justice in Kosovo* (KoSEJ III)” in the framework of the European Union/Council of Europe joint programme Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye (Horizontal Facility III), co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.

*This designation is without prejudice to position on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence