The Head of the Council of Europe Office in Tirana, Jutta Gützkow, visited the Helpline 0692093731 which is assisting Albanians in the process of registration of land property titles. Established at the Tirana Legal Aid Society (TLAS) with the support of the European Union and Council of Europe joint action on “Supporting enforcement of judicial decisions and facilitating the execution of judgements of the European Court of Human Rights in Albania", this initiative aims to improve the legal understanding of interested citizens on the land registration procedures and to contribute to a consistent application of the property rights’ legislation in Albania.

During her visit, Ms Gützkow met with the Director of the Tirana Legal Aid Society, Rajmonda Bozo, and students, mentors and the staff to learn more on the support that the Helpline is providing for the citizens and discuss key matters concerning the registration of land property titles in Albania.

“I enjoyed the time and discussions with young lawyers operating the Helpline which provides free of charge information to all interested citizens about the registration of land property titles. I am happy to see their enthusiasm and professionalism in action when responding to citizens. I hope that also women property owners will make use of this service. I am confident that the Helpline will provide a meaningful contribution to a consistent application of the property rights’ legislation in Albania by responding to citizens questions on the registration procedures” - said Gützkow.

This informing initiative available until 30 June 2021, is established by the Law Faculty of Tirana University, Tirana Legal Aid Society (TLAS) and supported by the European Union and Council of Europe’s Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022. It is part of a wider assistance to Albanian institutions such the State Cadastre Agency, aiming to close a long-standing gap in the registration of agricultural titles and ownership of the land in Albania. It follows on previous legal assistance to the Albanian Assembly on the Law 20/2020, taking on board the recommendations of the Venice Commission.