The remarks were made during a joint press statement between Justice Minister Toni Gogu and his French counterpart Gérald Darmanin, who is on an official visit to Tirana on Thursday.

Gogu described the visit as an important moment to showcase Albania’s progress over a decade of justice reform, highlighting the separation of the judiciary from political influence and the strengthening of institutional independence.

“It is the work of an entire society to restructure justice and bring it up to European standards,” he said.

He noted that cooperation between the two countries includes concrete areas such as reform of the Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code, as well as strengthening training within the magistrates’ system.

A key element of this cooperation is the partnership between Albania’s School of Magistrates and its French counterpart, which was renewed during the visit.

Darmanin praised Albania’s “highly ambitious and impressive” justice reforms, stressing that the rule of law is central to the country’s European Union integration path.

“We are very pleased to support you through our experts, magistrates and professors in the revision of criminal legislation,” he said, adding that France would remain an active partner in the process.

Both sides also emphasised cooperation in the fight against organised crime, particularly in asset seizure and confiscation, where Albania’s practices were described by Darmanin as potentially exemplary for France.

The discussions further included strengthening cooperation in the penitentiary system and enhancing the exchange of information and intelligence.

Darmanin’s visit comes ahead of the World Law Congress, which will be held in Tirana in 2027, placing Albania at the centre of international legal and rule-of-law discussions.

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According to the EU Delegation in Albania, the group will meet with government officials, representatives of EU member state missions, civil society, the business community, and judicial institutions to discuss Albania’s path toward European Union membership.

The EU Delegation emphasized that the visit underscores the EU’s strong commitment to advancing Albania’s accession process based on merit, particularly through tangible and sustainable reforms and their effective implementation.

Albania has opened 28 negotiation chapters in just 11 months, with the latest four chapters launched on September 16 during the sixth Intergovernmental Conference with the EU. This conference focused on Cluster 4: “Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity,” a key area for Albania’s economic and business sectors.

To date, Albania has opened five of six negotiation clusters – Fundamentals; External Relations; Internal Market; Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth; and the Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity.

The EU granted political approval to open accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia on March 24, 2020, followed by the official launch of negotiations at the first Intergovernmental Conference on July 19, 2022. Since then, successive conferences have opened new clusters covering key areas such as the internal market, external relations, competitiveness, and environmental sustainability.

The process continues to advance under the principle of merit-based progress, with the EU reaffirming its long-term commitment to Albania’s European integration.

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The visit focuses on assessing UNDP’s contribution to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and supporting Albania’s European Union accession agenda.

Xu’s first stop was the “Emin Duraku” school in Tirana, where he was joined by Minister of Education Mirela Kumbaro and the EU Ambassador to Albania, Silvio Gonzato.

The “Emin Duraku” school has been completely rebuilt under the EU4Schools programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP in close cooperation with the Albanian government. The modern educational facility directly benefits 1,300 students, 59 teachers, and over 87,000 residents in the surrounding community.

To date, the EU4Schools project has restored or rebuilt 62 out of 63 schools damaged by the 2019 earthquake, ensuring safe, sustainable, and modern learning environments across the 11 most affected municipalities.

During his visit, Xu met with students and highlighted the importance of quality education as a foundation for sustainable development. Alongside other officials, he donated a set of educational materials for students with disabilities as a gesture of support for inclusion and equality in education.

During his stay, Xu is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Edi Rama, cabinet members, and national and international development partners to discuss Albania’s progress toward achieving the SDGs and its EU integration efforts.

The visit underscores UNDP’s continued commitment to supporting Albania in building a sustainable and inclusive society, ensuring that no one is left behind.

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Media reported that Kasanof is expected to attend the fifth anniversary of the Special Anticorruption and Anticrime Prosecution Structure (SPAK) on Thursday.

Kasanof is expected to deliver a speech during a ceremony marking the fifth anniversary of SPAK’s establishment as part of the overhaul of Albania’s justice system.

The U.S. senior official Kasanof, who replaced Gabriel Eksobar, visited the Delegation of the European Union in Tirana, where he met with the EU Ambassador Silvio Gonzato.

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This visit comes after Albania’s accession to the Hybrid CoE on June 13, 2024, becoming the 36th participating member state in this network-based international organization countering hybrid threats.

Albania’s Hybrid CoE membership represents the country’s strong commitment to tackle hybrid threats and to enhance cooperation with NATO and EU member states.

The purpose of the visit was to present the activities of the Hybrid CoE and exchange experiences on dealing with hybrid threats, including disinformation, cybercrime and sabotage. The meeting focused on ways to boost capacities and public awareness of hybrid threats in order to bolster national defense against these global challenges.

Albania’s Hybrid CoE membership is a strategic opportunity for the country to strengthen its national capacities, access the international expertise and benefit from international cooperation on hybrid threats.

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The American film-maker, considered one of Hollywood’s living legends, visited the Albanian capital of Tirana following a tour across Albania’s south.

Stone visited the “House of Leaves” in Tirana, where he felt emotionally overwhelmed after being familiarized with the Cold War-era artefacts and items displayed at the renowned museum in the Albanian capital.

Oliver Stone is one of the most influential personalities of the American film industry. Stone has received numerous accolades as director, producer and screenwriter of some of the masterpieces of the world cinema, including “Scarface” (1983), “Salvador” (1986), “Platon” (1986), “Wallstreet” 1987, “Born on the fourth of July” (1989), “JFK” (1991), “The Doors” (1991), “Natural Born Killers” (1994), “Nixon” (1995), “Any Given Sunday” (1999), “Comandante” (2003), etc.

Stone is known as a controversial but acclaimed director, tackling subjects ranging from the Vietnam War, and American politics to musical biopics and crime dramas. His service in Vietnam War, where he was wounded twice, would be the basis for his later career as a filmmaker in depicting the brutality of war.

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Speaking at a joint press conference with the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Olta Xhaçka after their meeting, Schmid particularly lauded Albania’s role during the country’s Chairmanship of the OSCE.

Schmid said that she was very impressed by Albania’s role and foreign policy accomplishments also in its capacity as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

“Many colleagues in the OSCE still hold high regard for Albania’s successful OSCE Chairmanship. I also really appreciate your agenda for women in the UNSC. At the OSCE we believe it is vital to bring women and young people together as future actors in the security area,” she said.

The OSCE Secretary General noted “we are being through very tough times, because of the Russian aggression on Ukraine, which has had an impact beyond Ukraine. The OSCE is a key pillar for Europe’s security architecture.”

Schmid also commended Albania’s progress in delivering on its judicial reform.

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The U.S. Embassy in Tirana said Wednesday that Noyes met with the Prime Minister Edi Rama, the Minister for Europe and Foreign Minister, and international organization partners on U.S. refugee processing efforts.

The US Assistant Secretary Noyes is also visiting Shengjin during her trip to meet with Afghans awaiting resettlement to the United States.

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The Prime Minister’s office released the agenda of the visit by the European Commission President.

EC President Von der Leyen will be welcomed with a ceremony at the Palace of Brigades.

Von der Leyen will then hold bilateral talks with PM Rama.

She will attend, together with PM Rama, the inauguration of the “Korb Muça School which has been built with EU funds under the EU4Schools programme after the devastating November 2019 earthquake.

At end of her visit, EC President Von der Leyen will hold a joint press conference with PM Edi Rama.

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