Reaffirming Albania’s commitment to freedom of expression and aligning to European standards, representatives from public authorities, media organisations, civil society, and academia convened for the second Plenary Session of the Open Dialogue Platform.

Minister of Public Administration and Anticorruption, Adea Pirdeni, Chair of Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Means of Public Information, Jorida Tabaku, EU Ambassador to Albania Silvio Gonzato and Head of the Council of Europe Office in Tirana, Giulia Re opened the event by stressing the ongoing commitment to media pluralism, transparency, and journalists’ safety.

Professor Mark Marku, Dean of the Faculty of History and Philology and facilitator of this initiative moderated the plenary, highlighting main achievements of the Platform and why co-operation among everyone involved - government, media, academics, and civil society -matters.

The plenary session reviewed progress and ongoing challenges, while discussing lessons learnt from the first year of implementation.

Since its launch in January 2025, the Open Dialogue Platform has fostered an inclusive and evidence-driven process. Through a series of working group meetings, the Platform has enabled dialogue and produced joint recommendations, supporting Albania’s EU accession priorities while fostering alignment with Council of Europe and international standards.

The plenary followed an open discussion, enabling all actors to share their perspectives and gathering feedback to shape future priorities and ensure the sustainability of these reforms. Continued multi-stakeholder dialogue, systematic tracking of recommendation implementation, and deeper engagement of civil society and media actors in the reform process were some of the key steps for the future.

This joint EU–Council of Europe initiative will continue to build trust among Albania’s institutions, media and civil society, reinforcing the essential role of freedom of expression and independent media in the country’s democratic future.

The project “Promoting Freedom of Expression in Albania Through Open Dialogue” 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 European Union and the Council of Europe, aiming to foster a resilient and independent media sector, in line with the Council of Europe standards.