Balancing access to information and the right to privacy, impartiality of the court and the presumption of innocence, as well as the international standards in balancing these rights have been in the focus of two training activities for judges and prosecutors, in support of their new role as media magistrates. The trainings were organised by School of Magistrates with the support of the joint European Union/Council of Europe action on “Freedom of expression and freedom of the media in Albania (JUFREX)” .

A court reporter brought forth the challenges journalists encounter in accessing information on investigations or court sessions and ways courts and prosecutors’ offices can improve their relationship with media.

A representative of the Office of the Commissioner for Access to Information and Data Protection presented the court obligations that derive from Albanian legislation for privacy protection, the right to access of information and balancing these two rights.

An international Council of Europe expert presented some of the skills and tools media magistrates can rely on in their work of interfacing with the media and the public. This was the first training in support of this new role established as part of the judicial reform in Albania and it highlighted the fact that more similar activities are needed.

This activity was supported by a grant of the action "Freedom of expression and freedom of the media in Albania” (JUFREX), part of the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey II".