Helping Albanian institutions to solve serious property issues the country is facing is one of the priorities of the joint Council of Europe/European Union Action “Supporting effective domestic remedies and facilitating the execution of judgments in Albania”. The Action continues to provide support to the Ministry of Justice in analysing the legal and institutional setup of the legislation governing property rights in Albania, in identifying exiting gaps and possible further steps to be taken.

As part of this initiative, a tree-day expert retreat on property law has been organised on 30 May - 1 June in Tirana together with EURALIUS mission. The event brought together experts from 5 countries, including Georgia, Lithuania, Poland, Serbia and Croatia, which were faced with and solved similar issues in the past. The initiative also brought to the table representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Agency for the Treatment of Property, Immovable Properties Registration Office and the Association of Expropriated Owners “Just Ownership”. The retreat was opened by Ms Romana Vlahutin, Head of EU Delegation in Albania, Ms Etilda Gjonaj Minister of Justice and Mr Claus Neukirch, Head of Office Council of Europe who reiterated the need for a thorough assessment that would aid Albania’s perspective in addressing property rights. The speeches were followed by expert discussions on identified issues and possible further steps to solve the existing problems of property law in Albania.