The first Co-ordination Roundtable, focusing on the treatment of property rights among public administrative institutions, was held at the premises of Europe House, in Tirana, on 26 June. This activity was held in the framework of the European Union and the Council of Europe continuous assistance to the public authorities in Albania aimed to bring together various administrative institutions to jointly discuss and co-ordinate efforts to further align legislation and enforcement in the field of property rights with European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) standards.
This platform was critical to ascertain the status quo and progress made by the Agency on the Treatment of Property (ATP) in handling more than 7,000 pending recognition of property compensation claims within the legal deadline of December 2024, following a four-month suspension of the Law by the Constitutional Court of Albania. It aimed to facilitate co-operation and communication between ATP and institutions working in the field of property rights to streamline the compensation process and identify existing bottlenecks or delays in the process. An effective and uniform application of the legal framework on property rights ensures justice and fairness for formerly expropriated owners in Albania, in strict adherence to relevant ECtHR case law.
The roundtable involved senior officials from the ATP, the State Cadastre Agency, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Finance, Minister of State for Local Government, State Advocate’s Office, National Agency on Planning of Territory, State Agency on Expropriation, Ombudsperson’s Office, as well as legal experts who shared best practices, challenges, and strategies for protecting and ensuring effective implementation mechanisms.
Following an exchange of views and experiences, especially with the ATP, the participants provided suggestions on the preparation of an Institutional Action Plan by ATP, as a concrete measure to effectively tackle the backlog.
Another practical topic addressed at the Roundtable pertained to developing tailored solutions boost inter-institutional co-operation between the ATP and the State Cadastre Agency. Provided the importance and urgency of moving forward with the process of property compensation, the two authorities jointly agreed to waive the application of financial fees in case of co-ordinated work processes. This approach constitutes a constructive step forward and positively impacts service delivery for citizens.
This activity is organised in the framework of the action Improving the protection of the right to property and facilitating the execution of ECtHR judgments in Albania (D-REX III), under the European Union and the Council of Europe joint programme, the Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye.
