Albania benefits from Council of Europe co-operation initiatives to support its reform agenda, in the framework of its commitments as a member state, and to further progress in the European Union accession process. Co-operation interventions are carried out in the following key areas: efficiency of justice, protection of human rights and anti-discrimination, the fight against corruption and money laundering, equality and education, good governance as well as freedom of expression and freedom of the media. The Council of Europe Office in Tirana ensures co-ordination between headquarters and the national and international partners located in Albania.

Six actions are currently being implemented in Albania as part of the third phase of the European Union/Council of Europe Joint Programme “Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Türkiye”, which assists Beneficiaries with addressing the Council of Europe’s monitoring and advisory bodies’ recommendations, as well as complying with relevant European Union accession priorities. In the area of justice, actions aim at bolstering justice reform, supporting Albania’s capacity to effectively execute  judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and to enforce domestic court rulings, including with regard to property rights, alongside strengthening the quality and efficiency of justice. In the field of prisons, the initiative contributes to enhancing the protection of the human rights of detainees, including through enhanced rehabilitation and re-integration processes. Institutional capacities are being strengthened to better prevent corruption, money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Support is also provided to the authorities to advance the implementation of the anti-discrimination legislation, while raising public awareness on hate speech, diversity and equality. Targeted assistance furthermore aims at promoting  freedom of expression and freedom of the media.

In addition, Albania benefits from the support of the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency through a project on strengthening Democratic citizenship education. Two projects funded by Germany are respectively sustaining public administration reform at local level and strengthening the integrity of elections by supporting the professionalisation of the election administration and voters’ education programmes, with a particular focus on first-time voters.

A European Union/Council of Europe Joint Programme on “Promoting Freedom of Expression in Albania through Open Dialogue” facilitates an open and deliberative process of dialogue between the relevant public authorities and media community.

Moreover, Albania plays an active role in several regional actions of the Horizontal Facility which focus on the following areas: enhancing quality and sustainability of justice under the Council of Europe flagship initiative based on the CEPEJ methodology “Dashboard – Western Balkans II”, managing violent extremism in prisons, improving women’s access to justice, bolstering the fight against economic crime, combating intolerance and promotion of equality, as well as protecting freedom of expression and freedom of the media.

Albania also benefits from two additional European Union/Council of Europe regional Joint Programmes implemented in South-East Europe. The regional Joint Programme CyberSEE  strengthens the rule of law, security and regional co-operation in South-East-Europe and Türkiye through a more effective response to the challenges of cybercrime and electronic evidence. The Joint Programme on Roma integration further enlarges the scope of this intervention in the region.

Lastly, Albania benefits from regional projects funded by voluntary contributions. The Human Rights Trust Fund financially supports the implementation of two regional projects. The project “HELP in the Western Balkans” enhances the capacities and skills of legal professionals for the effective application of European standards in human rights. The project “Human Rights and Sustainable Environment in South-East Europe” increases the understanding of the relationship between the protection of human rights under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the environment among the judiciary and legal professionals to strengthen environmental protection at the domestic level. Thanks to Germany’s financial contribution, the Council of Europe promotes deliberative democracy in the region as an innovative form of citizen participation in local decision-making. 

Through the implementation of the aforementioned programmes and actions, the Council of Europe contributes to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably SDG 3 (target 8), SDG 4 (targets 5 and 7), SDG 5 (targets 1, 2 and c), SDG 10 (targets 2 and 3), SDG 15 (target 7) and SDG 16 (targets 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, a and b).

More information: Overview of the Council of Europe Contribution to the UN 2030 Agenda.