Partner and target beneficiaries of the Council of Europe (CoE) project on Strengthening Elections' Integrity in Albania gathered in Tirana to discuss its progress and challenges as the country is heading towards parliamentary elections.

Funded by the Federal Republic of Germany and implemented by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the project has established strong collaboration with key partners, including the Central Election Commission (CEC) and the Ministry of Education and Sport (MoES). Although in its first months, it is already making significant strides in enhancing electoral integrity, transparency, and youth engagement in Albania’s democratic process.

Assessing the progress, participants praised the project's ongoing efforts through targeted and inclusive capacity building and information initiatives as well provision of other useful tools. They put particular emphasis on the support for developing the CEC Live Reporting module which has enhanced the CEC’s oversight capacity by tracking reporting trends, addressing non-compliance, and providing aggregated data for independent monitoring.

In addition, participants underscored the need for systemic and continuous education of young voters to ensure their effective participation in electoral processes, while acknowledged the progress thus far with the first-time voters’ programme implemented at the national level.

Moving forward, the project remains focused to deliver the planned activities in a meaningful way and in close collaboration with key partners and beneficiaries, while ensuring its alignment with the Council of Europe’s electoral standards, best practices and broader mission to promote democratic participation, transparency, and good governance.