Today marks the 75th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights (the Convention). Signed in Rome in 1950, it was the first convention of the Council of Europe to contribute to the creation of a common legal and political culture of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law throughout Europe. Adopted in 1950, it established, for the first time, a common system of human rights protection across Europe and granted individuals the right to bring their governments before an international court — the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The Convention remains a living symbol of Europe’s commitment to human dignity, equality, and justice — values that are vital to protecting democracy and human rights in an evolving world.
The action Improving the protection of the right to property and facilitating execution of ECtHR judgments in Albania (D-REX III) implemented under the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye, is helping Albanian public institutions strengthen the execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and ensure greater alignment of domestic legislation and legal practice with European standards, with a particular focus on property rights.
Through a combination of expert assistance, capacity-building, and enhanced inter-institutional co-ordination, the action has contributed to improving co-operation among key public actors, including the State Advocate’s Office, the Supreme Court, the State Cadastre Agency and the Agency for the Treatment of Property, among others. These efforts have supported more effective implementation of the European Court judgments, the harmonisation of domestic judicial practice, and ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening domestic remedies and legal certainty.
Over recent years, these initiatives have led to progress in strengthening Albania’s capacity to implement European Court of Human Rights judgments efficiently. Supported through the Action, over two hundred judges, legal advisers and administrative officials have benefited from targeted training and peer exchanges, contributing to more consistent judicial practice and improved co-ordination among national institutions. The action has also supported the revision of key legislation in the area of property compensation, bringing domestic legislation closer to the Convention's standards and reinforcing legal certainty for citizens. These achievements reflect the sustained developments in strengthening human-rights protection and the rule of law in Albania, supported by the European Union and the Council of Europe.
As the Convention marks 75 years since its adoption, the action stands as a concrete example of successful partnership in practice, demonstrating how joint EU and Council of Europe efforts can help translate European standards into sustainable reforms and tangible improvements in the protection of human rights in Albania
