Establishing a constructive dialogue between public authorities, media organisations, journalists, and civil society is essential to address the deeply interconnected challenges related to the safety of journalists, media ownership, and access to information in Albania.

During the period from January to June 2025, the project “Promoting Freedom of Expression in Albania Through Open Dialogue” brought together actors from the media, government, and civil society in nine thematic meetings, discussing and proposing concrete recommendations to improve the media environment in Albania, in line with European standards and in support of the EU integration process.

Based on these discussions, local and international experts developed summary documents and recommendations, which were presented at the high-level plenary meeting of the project, on 30 June in Tirana. Following the presentations, a lively debate took place where participants discussed and suggested improvements with the goal of further refining the final recommendations. The main themes on which recommendations were presented and debated included: Safety and working conditions of journalists and media workers; Media pluralism, editorial independence, and advertising in the media; Media self-regulation; Independence and reform of the Public Broadcaster (RTSH); Independence and autonomy of the Audio-Visual Media Authority (AMA); Access to information.

The event was moderated by Professor Mark Marku, Dean of the Faculty of History and Philology and facilitator of this initiative, marking the conclusion of the first phase of implementation.

Opening the event, Silvio Gonzato, EU Ambassador to Albania, emphasized in his remarks that media freedom is a key element of Albania’s EU accession process. He underlined the importance to strengthen the safety of journalists, enhance transparency in the media sector, align defamation laws with European standards, and reinforce access to information.  Adea Pirdeni, Minister of Public Administration, reiterated the significance of media freedom under Chapter 23 of the EU accession negotiations, noting that the reform process requires close cooperation with independent institutions and civil society actors. Giulia Re, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Tirana, outlined the scope of the project and its priority to support Albania’s media reform efforts.

The event concluded with a strong call to continue the dialogue and collective efforts to ensure that freedom of expression remains a cornerstone of Albania’s democratic development.

The Project “Promoting Freedom of Expression in Albania Through Open Dialogue” (January 2025-December 2026) is implemented by the Council of Europe’s Division for Cooperation on Freedom of Expression, in close partnership with the Department of Journalism and Communication of the University of Tirana. It is co-funded by the Council of Europe and the European Union and aims to foster a resilient and independent media sector, in line with the Council of Europe standards and facilitating Albania’s accession to the European Union.