A multi-stakeholder workshop held in Tirana marked a significant step towards the development of a comprehensive legal framework for lobbying in Albania.

Organised under the joint European Union and Council of Europe Action against Economic Crime in Albania (the Action), in partnership with the Ministry of State for Public Administration and Anti-Corruption, the workshop brought together key institutional representatives to initiate dialogue and lay the groundwork for a new Law on Lobbying - one of the key priorities outlined in the Cross-Cutting Anti-Corruption Strategy 2024–2030.

Opening remarks were delivered by Silvana Ramadani, Advisor to the state minister, and Ersida Sefa, senior project officer at the Council of Europe Office in Tirana, after which Rovena Pregja, director of Anticorruption Policy Compliance at the General Directorate of Anti-Corruption provided an overview of the current Albanian legal framework on lobbying.

This was followed by a presentation of the main findings of a legal review conducted under the Action, delivered by  Vita Habjan Barborič, a Council of Europe expert. The review included tailored recommendations for aligning Albania’s future lobbying legislation with Council of Europe standards and international best practices.

Participants - including representatives from the General Anti-Corruption Directorate, Department of Public Administration, Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation, Ministry of Justice, the Parliament of Albania and High Prosecutorial Council - engaged in constructive discussion on the key components of lobbying regulation. These included:

1) Establishing clear definitions for lobbying, lobbyists, and related processes;

2) Drawing a line between legitimate lobbying and unlawful influence;

3) Clarifying the roles and responsibilities of lobbyists and public officials; and

4) Ensuring harmonisation with existing legislation to enable practical implementation.

In her concluding remarks, Ms Ramadani reaffirmed the government’s commitment to advancing transparency and accountability in public decision-making, highlighting that the workshop represents a first step toward formalising lobbying regulation in line with international expectations.

The event was organised by the Action against Economic Crime in Albania, as part of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye.