Speaking at the event, HJC Chairman Ilir Rusi said institutional communication is an essential component of a modern justice system and highlighted the role of designated media judges in ensuring accurate, professional and timely information reaches the public.

Rusi said effective communication helps strengthen public confidence in the judiciary while safeguarding judicial independence, the integrity of court proceedings and the rights of all parties involved.

He also thanked the OSCE Presence in Albania for its continued support to the country’s judicial system and reaffirmed the council’s commitment to initiatives aimed at improving transparency, strengthening institutional communication and enhancing public trust in justice institutions.

The High Judicial Council said it remains committed to supporting the professional development of media judges and promoting best practices in public communication in line with European standards of transparency and institutional accountability.

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In a joint statement shared by the OSCE Presence in Albania, the working group on gender equality and women in decision-making said Albania had taken significant steps to advance gender equality and women’s political empowerment.

The introduction of a gender quota in the country’s electoral legislation was described as a historic step toward ensuring balanced representation of women in political decision-making.

“Before this change, political parties were not legally obliged to include women on their candidate lists,” the statement said, adding that sustained advocacy had helped protect and consolidate these achievements in the years that followed.

According to the statement, women account for 36% of lawmakers elected to the Parliament of Albania, the same level of representation as in the previous legislature.

Further amendments to the Electoral Code of Albania adopted in 2020 strengthened mechanisms for implementing gender quotas and reinforced guarantees for women’s representation in elected positions, it said.

Additional changes approved by the parliament in July 2024 ensured the gender quota would remain in place for the 2025 parliamentary elections, helping maintain the current level of representation.

The statement said these achievements were the result of coordinated efforts among a broad group of actors, including domestic civil society organisations and international partners.

The impact of these reforms has been visible, the statement said. Since the introduction of gender quotas in 2015, the share of women elected to municipal councils has risen from 12.5% in 2011 to 42% in the 2023 local elections.

The OSCE said it remained essential that women’s voices be heard and valued at all levels of decision-making, that they have equal access to resources and that they be effectively protected from all forms of gender-based violence in politics.

“Albania’s experience shows that sustained advocacy, strong institutions and an inclusive legal framework can bring about real and lasting change,” the statement said, adding that continued political will and collective action remain key to ensuring women’s equal and safe participation in shaping the country’s democratic future.

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Armela Krasniqi, head of the Audiovisual Media Authority (AMA), met the head of the OSCE Presence in Tirana, Ambassador Michel Tarran, to review recent developments in the sector.

Talks focused on progress in increasing transparency of media ownership, recent legal amendments and further steps to consolidate a modern regulatory framework aligned with European standards.

Tarran welcomed parliament’s approval of amendments to the law on audiovisual media, describing them as a step toward strengthening transparency, accountability and pluralism in the sector.

The two sides also underlined the importance of establishing and operationalising a register of ownership for audiovisual media service providers as a key tool to ensure transparency and credibility.

Discussions covered AMA’s role in promoting media literacy and nationwide awareness campaigns aimed at strengthening critical thinking and protecting citizens, particularly young people, from harmful content.

The visit to AMA departments reviewed efforts to bolster the regulator’s monitoring capacities, including during election periods, and further technical and institutional support in line with recommendations from the OSCE’s election monitoring arm, ODIHR, to ensure high professional standards in media oversight.

“OSCE has always been an important partner in our efforts to align with European standards, in support of media freedom and the development of an independent, transparent and pluralistic media environment in Albania,” Krasniqi said.

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Organized by the OSCE Presence, the course aimed to strengthen Albania’s institutional and operational capacities to investigate complex financial crimes.

The event brought together prosecutors from the Special Structure against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) and district prosecution offices, investigators from the National Bureau of Investigation, officers from the Albanian State Police and representatives from the General Directorate of Anti-Corruption and the Tax Investigation Unit.

Participants shared regional experiences and practical methodologies to tackle corruption and financial crime more effectively.

Through in-depth sessions and case-based discussions, participants examined effective approaches to preventing corruption in public procurement, detecting illicit financial flows, tracing proceeds of crime and reinforcing international co-operation in criminal investigations.

Opening the event, Catherine Dunmore, Senior Legal Officer at the OSCE Presence in Albania, emphasized that financial crime and corruption continue to undermine public trust and the rule of law.

She highlighted the importance of sustained inter-institutional co-ordination among prosecutors, investigators and law enforcement authorities to strengthen accountability, integrity and effectiveness within Albania’s justice chain.

The course saw the contribution of five distinguished experts: Colonel Giampiero Carrieri, Diplomatic Attaché at the Embassy of Italy in Albania; General Giovanni Salerno, Commander of the Special Anti-Corruption Unit of Italy’s Guardia di Finanza; Mirko Kučina, Head of the Economic Crime and Corruption Service at the Croatian National Police; Vedran Libl, Deputy Director of the State Prosecutor’s Office for the Suppression of Organized Crime and Corruption (USKOK); and Hergis Jica, Head of the Co-ordination Affairs Sector at the EUROPOL Directorate of the Albanian State Police.

The OSCE Presence in Albania organized the activity through cross-departmental collaboration, reflecting its integrated approach to promoting transparency, resilience and co-operation across the justice and security sectors.

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Senior officials from Albania’s Special Prosecution Office against Organized Crime and Corruption (SPAK), the National Bureau of Investigation (BKH), and the State Police are attending alongside law enforcement representatives from Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and European Union member states.

Participants are reviewing emerging national and regional trends in illegal drug trafficking and related threats, including money laundering, contract killings, extortion and other forms of serious violence. The seminar provides a platform to share intelligence and best practices, aiming to strengthen regional cooperation and improve joint criminal investigations.

The initiative seeks to boost cross-border collaboration to more effectively counter the operations of domestic and international drug trafficking networks active across the Western Balkans.

Among those attending were Special Prosecutor Altin Dumani, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Nancy VanHorn, OSCE Ambassador to Albania Michael Tarran, and Greek Ambassador Konstantina Kamitsi.

“Drug trafficking is not only a serious crime in itself but also fuels other grave offences such as money laundering, contract killings, extortion and acts of violence,” Tarran said. “These crimes often cross borders, undermining public security, institutional trust and the rule of law.”

He warned that Albania and the wider region face growing challenges from increasingly sophisticated domestic and international trafficking networks. “In this context, regional and international cooperation is not just important—it is essential,” he said, stressing that exchanging up-to-date intelligence on trends and threats is critical for developing effective joint responses.

Tarran added that the OSCE Presence in Albania convened the seminar to build a network of experts, boost collaboration and enhance joint investigations into drug-related crimes in the Western Balkans and beyond.

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The visit included a meeting between the Irish delegation and key Albanian stakeholders engaged in the Presence’s project “Strengthening Albania’s law-enforcement and prosecution capacities and multi-agency co-operation in combating trafficking in human beings”, funded by the governments of Ireland, the United Kingdom, Norway and Italy.

The Irish Minister also had a separate meeting with the Head of Presence, Ambassador Michel Tarran.

Albanian representatives from the Ministry of Interior, State Police, State Agency for Children’s Rights and Protection and NGOs providing direct assistance to victims of trafficking shared updates on the current human trafficking situation in Albania.

They outlined key priorities, ongoing challenges and the progress made through enhanced multi-agency co-operation – highlighting concrete results achieved through the project’s capacity-building activities.

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During the meeting, an informative brochure and a Child Labor Inspection Manual, supported by the OSCE, were presented. These tools serve as important instruments to strengthen the role of inspections in preventing cases of child exploitation in the workplace.

The discussion focused on the ongoing cooperation and valuable support the OSCE has provided over the years to the Labor Inspectorate in key areas. Emphasis was placed on the importance of increasing institutional capacities, improving referral mechanisms, and addressing challenges in protecting children, as well as migrant workers and media employees.

The meeting also highlighted the fruitful collaboration reflecting the commitment of both the OSCE and the State Inspectorate of Labor and Social Services for a safer, fairer labor market with standards for all.

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The workshop brought together prosecutors from SPAK and the General Jurisdiction Prosecutor’s Offices to discuss best practices and strengthen institutional co-ordination in addressing electoral offences. The event featured two international practitioners from Italy specialized in electoral crimes.

Participants explored investigative protocols related to electoral corruption and illicit agreements between criminal organizations and political actors. Discussions also focused on the use of evidence in court proceedings, including testimony from justice collaborators, qualified witnesses and electronic interceptions.

Addressing the event, OSCE Presence’s representatives Mauro Puzzo and Blerim Vela stressed the importance of strengthening prosecutorial responses and ensuring accountability for electoral offences as a foundation for public trust in democratic processes.

They emphasized the need for a timely and transparent response to recurring electoral malpractices such as vote-buying, pressure on voters and misuse of administrative resources, which continue to be noted with concern in OSCE/ODIHR election observation reports.

This workshop is part of the Presence’s broader efforts to assist Albania’s institutional actors in improving the quality of investigations and prosecutions, particularly in complex and high-impact areas such as electoral crimes.

Recently, the Presence facilitated capacity building for the State Police, donated IT equipment to SPAK to support mobile investigation teams and convened a roundtable where civil society organizations discussed their findings and recommendations in tackling electoral crimes with the relevant state institutions.

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The OSCE Presence in Albania said that the workshop focused on navigating the tricky intersection of national law, EU law, and international human rights standards.

In their opening remarks, the Deputy Head of OSCE Presence Clarisse Pasztory, School of Magistrates Director Arben Rakipi, and AEAJ President Sylvain Mérenne underscored the vital role judges play in upholding legal certainty, judicial independence, and fundamental rights.

Judges Edith Zeller and Eva Wendler shared important insights on how European courts tackle these challenges and weave EU law into national systems.

The OSCE Presence remains a proud partner of Albania’s judiciary, championing independence, integrity, and top-notch professional growth for a rock-solid rule of law.

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The OSCE Presence said in a post on the social media that representatives from OSCE participating States and international organizations in Albania gathered to discuss key election-related developments.

Director of Cabinet of the Central Election Commission, Erton Sinani, provided updates on out-of-country voting registration process and election preparations.

The International Election Working Group is an OSCE Presence-led platform that serves as a forum for exchanging information and coordinating efforts on electoral matters.

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